As Rumpelstiltskin dusted and took inventory while the time passed, he wondered how exactly he was going to give Dagian the slip long enough to drop the vial in the well.

He knew that as soon as she knew he had it, she'd latch onto him. She suspected that he was up to something; he could see the doubt in her face when he'd gone in there earlier and asked if she trusted him.

He would have drugged her if she wasn't pregnant. And he really doubted he could outrun her and the town getting treated with THAT visual might destroy the dignity he had left forever.

And gods knew how long they were going to be here.

He checked on her frequently, she kept her back to him so she probably didn't know. She was trying to sleep but he could see that she was tossing and turning a lot. HE expected that. She'd been restless when she was pregnant with Bae and they only had a thin mattress to sleep on, he expected the small cot that he'd found for her was no different. The bed combined with the lanolin smell that seemed to waft in the air permanently now no doubt gave her memories of home. A home that he'd told her that they might never go back to

But what did that matter? He told Dagian that he was going to get Baelfire back and that was what he was going to do. HE was going to bring magic back and Dagian might not like that but she was going to have to deal with it. It was the only way that he was going to find Bae and it was definitely the only way he could protect her from Regina's misguided revenge mission.

He looked in through the curtain again and saw the slow rise and fall of her body. She was napping; he might be able to slip out without waking her if he was quiet. She was always such a light sleeper…

Anyway, he needed to get his hands on that vial before Emma and Regina realized it wasn't what was required to wake the boy up.

0000000000000000000000000000 0000000000000000000000000000

Dagian's eyes shot open at the ringing bell.

She pulled herself to a sitting position and looked around her husband's office.

A crap cot and the smell of lanolin. Almost too close to home for her taste. The only thing it needed was the smell of earth and hay and a husband that muttered every time she tried to find a comfortable position while she was pregnant for it to be complete

She pulled herself unsteadily to her feet and rested her hand on her stomach. Lillian was awake and kicking her. She knew that she needed to get to the doctor's soon to make sure that everything was alright. It was early still in the pregnancy and Dagian didn't want any surprises because of a false labor.

She walked through the curtain and saw him walking down the street. Where on earth was he going?

"Gods," she muttered and moved around the room. A boy was dying, the curse was about to be broken and he was taking a jolly little walk.

Dagian rested her head against the wall. She was not in the mood for this. Everyone was running off in different directions trying to do what they could to break the curse and here she was just….waiting.

She had to do something. To walk, to breathe. It smelled like lanolin here and the smell was so strong that she felt like she was going to be sick.

Dagian unlocked the door and stepped outside for a second and let the cool night wind lift up her hair and cool her face. It was so warm in there, Rumpelstiltskin had always been cold natured. She remembered even during the really warm spring they had when they were first married, he'd constantly insisted on sleeping wrapped in the blankets while she sweated it out. Even as the dark one, he'd always found a way to drape himself and the quilt around her while they slept. It was a lot more manageable then though. His skin was always cool to the touch when he was the dark one. Not cold, but definitely not the heat that he radiated when he was human.

What did she do with herself in this town now? They'd asked her to come back to the paper now that Sidney was institutionalized but Dagian was unsure if she should. All those late nights? They told her she could bring the baby to work with her and she had Dawn's memories of how things were run but she wasn't sure.

Maybe she should take it. She didn't have Rumpelstiltskin to hide behind anymore and it was time that she started establishing roots of her own. It was high time she remembered how to make friends again.

She wondered who she should start with. David? Ugh, no, he was a dimwit. But Kathryn wouldn't be so bad. Maybe granny and Ruby. It was probably the best bet to get the town werewolves on one's Christmas list as soon as possible.

Maybe she might even go to therapy again when everyone woke up. She'd stopped when she got her memories back because the idea of therapy seemed like a waste of time if she had to keep herself silent.

She leaned against the wall and watched the silent street until she heard the telltale sound of her husband's cane as dawn broke over the town.

"Dagian?" he asked and put his hand on the crook of her arm, "What are you doing?"

"Just looking at home," she said wryly

He was silent for a second and looked around, "Is it really that horrible to be here Dagian?"

"It's not our world," she reminded him.

"It hasn't been a world for you for four hundred years," he retorted, "The world didn't change much while you slept but it did change. As far as I'm concerned, this is a clean slate for both of us."

She sighed; how could she explain to him that it just didn't feel right? That she felt like she was out of sync with the rest of this world because she didn't belong here? Like she was some sort of intruder because they'd forced their way into a world where they didn't belong

"Dagian," he touched her wrist, "We don't have a lot of time."

Dagian followed him inside and watched with baited breath as he unlocked the…egg thing and pulled out a vial of sparkling purple liquid.

"What is that?" she demanded.

"True love, dear," he said and slipped the vial in his pocket, "I'm going to go in the woods to do what I need to, I want you to stay here-."

"I've stayed here," she snapped, "I'm going with you."

"You went into false labor yesterday," he snapped, "I'm not risking that happening again."

"Rumpelstiltskin," she slammed her palm on the glass to get his attention and then felt really stupid and childish for resorting to such measures, "What game are you playing?"

"What are you talking about?" he demanded.

"You look me in the eyes and tell me that you're using that just to get Bae back."

He hesitated and looked at her, "Not exactly."

"Gods," she whispered and ran a hand through her hair, "I knew it."

"Please Dagian, there's little time," he snapped and turned back to get his cane.

"This is exactly what you do," she hissed, "I shouldn't be surprised. What's the price of magic this time Rumpelstiltskin? Is this going to cost us this child too?"

"Excuse me," Someone said behind them and Dagian rolled her eyes. The last thing they needed was for someone to come in on them right in the middle of THIS fight of all fights, "Are you Mr. Gold."

"Yes I am," he said nearly projecting his frustration with Dagian onto the woman that came in, "But I'm afraid the shop's clos-."

Dagian looked over her shoulder to see the girl. A mousy brown haired girl walked in. She seemed unsure of herself and lost and Dagian noted that she was in desperate need of a brush. And what exactly was she wearing?

But Rumpelstiltskin looked at her as if she was the most beautiful thing in the world. The surprise and love that was in his eyes…he had never looked at her like that.

Dagian put the pieces together as he walked past her. There was only one woman besides her that he'd ever confessed to loving and he thought she was dead and he'd given up any hope at being happy.

This was Belle.

The realization drove the air from her lungs as she stared at her ex-husband's true love.

No…he was going to atone for what he did to her. HE was going to pick her this time instead of their son. She was going to ruin everything.

Dagian turned slowly and walked to the back office and out the back door before she broke down in tears. Here they were, ready to go find their son and she showed up. He was going to pick her; he was going to pick her….

What little food she had managed to force down came up and she clutched the wall. Shivering in fear, the cold, anger and as she watched them leave together.

Now what was she going to do? What happened if he wanted to settle down with his little true love and start anew while their son was out there?

Could she not even have the comfort of having her son home?

"Excuse me Mrs. Gold, do you have the time?"

Dagian didn't recognize the voice behind her, "There's a bloody clock on the Main Street."

She turned to confront the person talking to her and came face to face with a taller man in a long grey coat and cravat over his neck. She didn't miss that he was blocking her exit and she really didn't miss the gun in his hand aimed at her.

"I'm sorry we had to meet like this," he said and she could almost swear that he meant it, "And I'm sorry I called you by your formally married name but I don't know what you go by here."

Her hands went to her stomach as if she could somehow protect her baby, "Please…please, don't- don't hurt my baby."

"I don't want to," he told her.

"Then what do you want?" she asked but the words seemed no more than a whisper caught in her throat. She looked for any chance for escape but she highly doubted that she could get away without him catching her or getting shot. The prospect terrified her but she knew the best way to survive was to try and stay perfectly calm.

"I let Belle out to get your ex-husband angry at Regina and to get him away from you," he told her, "And I'm taking you with me to make sure that he keeps her alive long enough to make sure that she fulfills her end of a bargain with me."

Dagian felt her blood chill at the cold look in his eyes, "Who are you?"

"My name is Jefferson," he told her honestly.

"The madman that kidnapped the sheriff and the prisoner."

"I'm more commonly referred to as the Mad Hatter here."

Dagian closed her eyes to keep herself from panicking at the fact that he was going to take her and absolutely no one had any idea of where she'd be.