Once Upon A Time

Dagian held her husband's hand and led him through the curtain that served as their door.

"Are you…," she helped him sit down at the small bench, "Are you alright?"

His eyes drifted and he focused back on her, "I would've come back sooner but I couldn't…there's no map location of the village and the recruiters were everywhere."

"It's okay," she whispered, "I'm just….so happy you're home."

She kissed him again and wrapped her arms around his neck, "I'm going to make you something to eat. Um…and I'm going to…clothes too…and the tub…and water…there's a lot to do and-"

He grabbed her as she stood up, "Dagian please."

She knelt back down, "Just…tell me what you need."

He rested his hand on the side of her face, and stared at her as if he couldn't believe she was actually there, "Just stay with me."

She nodded and put her hand against his, "Alright."

She moved so that she could sit next to him, "Are you alright?"

He averted his gaze, immediately he looked even more tired and drawn than he had when she saw him for the first time in months tonight.

"Dagian, it's…there are no words out there to describe what I've seen."

Tears fell down her face and she rested her forehead against his, "I didn't think you'd come home. I thought-…" she stopped and drew in a shaky breath, "I was so scared that I was never going to see you again."

He didn't say anything, but she felt his grip on her tighten slightly.

"Dagian," he whispered and slipped his hands into hers, "Is the- is the baby okay?"

She nodded and rested his hand on her belly, "The midwife says that with the amount he kicks me that he'll be healthy."

"What makes you so certain it's a boy?"

"I don't know," she said, "It's just something to call him."

He started trembling and without releasing her hand from his, reached over and grabbed the blanket that was folded at the end of the bed, "You're shivering."

He wrapped the blanket around himself and her, "I…I hurt my leg in battle."

"Is that why you're home?"

He hesitated and nodded, "I don't think it'll heal completely."

"That's fine," she saw his dirty bloody walking stick laying on the floor that was almost as filthy as he was, "I don't care that you're hurt. Maybe it's better that way. If you're injured then they won't come for you again."

"But that won't stop them from coming after you if this war isn't over by the time our son is weaned."

She felt that heavy weight settle back in her chest, "We'll find a way."

"I don't want you going through that…I don't care what happens-"

"Shh," she kissed him, "We'll think about it later. But not tonight. You're home now, let's just be thankful for that."

His eyes grew distant, "I don't think I can."

"Rumpelstiltskin," she whispered and rested her hands on his face.

"Dagian, we have no chance of winning this war. And if this war continues then I might lose you and I might lose our child. Dagian, why should I be grateful about that?"

She felt her eyes filling up with tears and she tried to manage a smile, "You're not going to lose us."

He clenched her hands in a painfully tight grasp but she didn't cry out. Instead she welcomed some of the pain. He was home now. And she'd the same look in his eyes that her father had sometimes had. She could try and help him heal. She knew some of what her mother had done and even though he'd always have that reminder of what he'd been through with his leg she knew that he could get over the trauma.

"Do you want to talk about it?"

He shook his head, "No. Please, I don't….I don't ever want to talk about what I saw."

"Okay," she said softly. She knew from experience that pushing someone to talk about their trauma would only make the person draw back more.

He would talk when he was ready.

"Then what do you want me to do for you?" Dagian asked.

"I just want you to stay with me."

She lifted her legs on the bed, "You know I'm here."

"I know I'm filthy-"

"I don't care," she repeated, "If a little dirt and blood bothered me then I wouldn't have married a sheep farmer."

"This is different."

"I know," she nodded, "But I still don't care."


Present Day

Dawn pulled her pants over her hips and had to pull her stomach in in order to close the jeans, "I think I'm gaining weight."

"How?" her husband said as he adjusted his tie, "You walk everywhere."

"Must be gaining weight from smelling bread all day," she grabbed a light coat and pulled it on.

"Why are you even going to the debate?" he asked, "I thought you hated public gatherings. I usually have to bribe you to get you to come with me so that "I" have someone to talk to and mock everyone else with."

"Oh trust me, I wouldn't miss this for the world." She grabbed her purse and handed her grabbed her husband's cane and handed it to him, "I want to see if this insane plan of yours works darling."

"Would you like to place a bet darling?"

"Oh no," she smiled, "I learned a long time ago to never bet against you."

"Wise woman," he kissed her and took her hand. He shouldn't have admitted it but now that he'd decided to trust her a little bit more a burden had been lifted off his chest. Ignorance caused almost as much death as love did.

"Well," she shouldered her purse, "Let's go get ready to stab our eyes out in boredom."


Once Upon A Time

It was a week before Rumpelstiltskin was able to sleep for more than a couple of hours at a time.

That didn't mean that Rumpelstiltskin was healing though. He still slept fitfully and tossed and turned. He rarely let her out of his sight. Dagian really didn't mind. She was scared that if she let him out of her sight then she'd wake up and find that his return was just a dream and he'd be dead.

But she wasn't far enough away from the others that she didn't hear the talk of the townsfolk. They questioned how he came home so early, they questioned if his injury was a legitimate reason to come home. They wanted to know if there was something more that had happened.

She put it out of her mind. She hated village talk. They'd made her the subject of their gossip when her husband was gone and the recruiter would come to visit.

Gods, she hoped those lies wouldn't reach her husband's ears. He was recovering from war he didn't need to hear the vicious lies that the women spread to pass the time.

After a week and a half Rumpelstiltskin's hands had stopped shaking enough so that he could work again and Dagian stayed by his side just like she did after she'd been ambushed. And just like last time both of them slipped into a tense yet comfortable silence that both were content with.

He still didn't talk about what he'd seen.

The baby kicked her hard and her hand automatically went to her stomach. She didn't know how much longer she could sit on this uncomfortable bench.

Rumpelstiltskin stopped spinning and looked at where she placed her hand, "If it's a boy I want to name it Baelfire."

Well that made sense, they had been close friends since childhood but from the tone in his voice there was something more there.

She could give him this, "Alright."

He gave her a half smile. The first genuine one that he'd had after they'd seen each other

"He died saving my life."

"Then it's the least we can do."

The curtain that served as their door flew open and one of the other pregnant women came through, "The recruiters are back."


Present Day

As Dawn watched the debate at town hall unfold she couldn't help but think her husband was some kind of actor in another life. His ability to keep a straight face and look shocked and angry that Emma would call him out in front of the entire town was astounding.

Dawn really wondered what her husband's ultimate goal was in placing Emma for sheriff. Sure no one REALLY wanted to see Sidney get it and Emma still owed him that favor…but there had to be something more to it. There always was with him.

She looked at Ms. Swan as she still talked. She didn't hate Emma Swan for her part in the Boyd brat getting to keep her baby. She didn't even necessarily blame Emma for doing what she thought was right. Her husband had put his mind on a goal and he was going to get what he wanted to matter who or what got in the way. Emma had been a pawn.

But why on Earth was he taking such an interest in her of all people? Was she a challenge because sometimes she seemed like the only one that the Mayor didn't have in her pocket? Or was there another interest?

Was Emma a threat to what Dawn and her husband had?

If that was the case then Dawn had no qualms about locking her husband up in the cabin in the woods and reminding him why he'd chosen her and why they'd stayed together for all these years.

"And the worst part of all this was….the worse part of all this is...," Emma corrected herself, "I let you all think it was real. And I can't win that way."

She was really laying it on thick, wasn't she?

"I'm sorry," she apologized to the people that actually cared enough to attend.

Dawn waited until her husband stood up before she pretended to reluctantly stand up and followed him out the door.

"Well done darling," she said and kissed his cheek as soon as the door closed behind him, "Did it go as well as you would've hoped?"

"We'll see," his hand slipped into hers, "Well darling, you'll finally get me to admit it."

"Admit what?"

"I almost regret the fact that you don't work at the newspaper anymore because I have a feeling that we'd find out what was going on a lot sooner than we will."