Once Upon A Time
Dagian hated laundry.
She knew that she could ask her husband to handle it for her but she also knew that having him conjure a clean household would just render her being bored.
But it sounded quite good after the second hour of the backbreaking work. By the time she was done, her hair was soaked from the middle down because the braid kept slipping over her shoulder and falling in the tub of bubbly water.
And judging by Bae's expression, her increasing frustration was the funniest thing that he'd seen since before she'd arrived.
"It's almost like we're a family again," Bae said as he tried to fix a ball that his father had made for him.
Dagian was quiet as she worked. Was that what they were? They shared a bed and she'd performed her wifely duties a few times but did that mean that they were somewhere near where they had been?
She didn't know and neither did he. She'd asked about it a few times but he didn't really comment on it. He seemed satisfied to try and just drift and figure it out as they went. Dagian couldn't say that she was on board with that idea but what could she do to change it?
Maybe he was nervous, maybe he thought if they actually tried to commit then it'd shatter this semi-accepting relationship that they had together.
Maybe he had a point and just accepting the 'here' and 'now' was the best way to go.
"Mom?" he asked. He'd stopped calling her 'mother' after she'd shielded him from those men the night they came to kill them, "If I found a way to change papa back, would you stand behind me?"
She didn't look up, "I thought it wasn't possible."
"But how do we know that? How do we really know that? The only one that's ever told us that was papa and if it comes to losing the power, you know he won't tell the truth.
"Does your father know that you're planning this?"
Bae looked down, "Not yet."
"you know we can't force him to change back if he doesn't want to change back," she said, remembering that day in the road when he'd saved her from the men and then she remembered what he was capable of if angered.
But that didn't seem to mean the same fate for either her or her son, right?
"Yes," Bae looked defeated but determined, "I know."
She grabbed his chin and forced her to look at him. She saw so much of his father in him but at the same time there was an innocence that she wanted to protect, "Only if it doesn't harm either him or you Bae. That's the only way I'll help you."
He watched her and smiled in relief. And she felt her heart break at the gesture. Did he think that she wouldn't want the old version of her husband back?
They were content now, but they certainly weren't happy. She didn't think that they would ever reach that part of their relationship as long as he did what he did to the other villagers.
She could turn a blind eye and she did do it on frequent occasion but it was still in the back of her mind. She'd spent months trying to make sure he didn't kill or hurt her and now that she was guaranteed to live then she was going to start working on having him show mercy
Which was easier said than done due to his hair trigger temper towards the people that he thought had wronged him.
"Dagian," she heard her husband's snakelike voice hiss her name and she looked over her shoulder to see her husband standing over her with a blonde girl that Dagian immediately noted was pretty and younger than her.
"Are you replacing me?" she asked and then watched as the girl paled and looked at him in panic and fear.
"Enora will be handling some of your chores from here on out, dearie," he said and then grinned mischievously, "But don't worry; some of our more exciting duties will still belong to you."
The girl shot her a scared look and then focused on the ground.
Dagian stood and glared, "And what exactly is it that you think I should spend the day doing?"
He shrugged, "Whatever you want, dearie. I just don't think you should be worrying about menial chores anymore.
She shook her head; her husband kept talking about how things would settle back down to normal but how was it going to settle back down to normal if he kept exerting his authority like this?
She just barely noticed her husband take her hand in his and examine it, "Your hands were healing so nicely."
Dagian looked down at her cracked chapped hands and watched as he healed them.
"Rumpelstiltskin, I don't want her here," Dagian snapped.
"Nonsense," he said and she knew that would be the end of it, "I won't have these abilities and have this power and watch you work yourself to death. You've had to do that plenty of times and I refuse to let you do it again."
Present Day
Dr. Whale had threatened Dagian with bedrest if she didn't take it easy.
Rumpelstiltskin had taken that to mean that she WOULD go on bedrest and if she left the porch then he'd probably have an aneurysm or something.
She wondered if she should reveal that she knew. Now that she knew he was willing to play her game she wasn't sure how far she wanted to carry this. Her husband was an amazing actor who could pretend that he was Mr. Gold to the minutest facial twitches. He still held her hand, he still gave her in-jokes and he still kissed and hugged her. He pretended to be the doting husband and father of their little bundle of joy to be but she knew he knew. In his eyes she saw that patient calculating look that he had when he was Rumpelstiltskin.
What was she going to do?
She poured over her options while she sat on the porch rocking chair with a blanket over her stomach. How could it still feel so cold out here?
"Still hiding that belly?"
Dagian looked up to see August standing next to her, "Well the wrong person could drive by or walk by..."
"Most have guessed you're going to have a baby."
"Still," she adjusted her position, "I don't want to advertise by bowling ball belly."
"It's hardly that bad," he argued.
She didn't want to discuss it with him, "Why are you here?"
"I wanted to make sure you're alright."
"I'm fine," she said quickly."
"He hasn't hurt you?"
'
"He's not that inelegant when it comes to revenge I suppose," she said.
He looked uncertain, "If you asked me, I would get you out of here."
She looked at him, "And where would we run? There's a barrier for people like me, I can run all I want to but I'm not going anywhere. And it's not like he's hurt me-"
"He will."
Her patience was thin and she wasn't in the mood for his vagueness, "And what would you know about it?"
He stared at her, eagerness in his eyes, "Have the years really changed me that much?"
She looked up sharply and felt the air leave her lungs. There was no possible way that it…August could be her son.
But he bore such a strong resemblance.
However it was too easy. How did he know where they were? How did he find them?
That didn't matter though, he was here! She thought she'd lost him forever when Rumpelstiltskin released him that night.
Dagian started shaking slightly as he knelt by her chair, his eyes searched hers.
She could barely get his name out, "Bae?"
His eyes filled with tears and he smiled, "It's been a long time, mother."
Dagian let out a small cry and wrapped her arms around his neck.
Rumpelstiltskin could do whatever he wanted to do to her but it was okay. She wasn't alone anymore.
Her son was here.
