Chapter 4

Quinn stood at the back door and watch Danni moving. It was midday and she was landscaping. Quinn wouldn't have normally found it odd except for the fact that she wearing black and deep royal blue clothes. When she would take a small break in place, she notated the coat of arms on the back of the vest she was wearing. She just shook her head. She knew that Danni had an odd sense on fashion.

"You should go talk to her," Belle said, stepping up beside her.

Quinn turned to look at her. She wondered what Belle was pushing. She seemed to be trying to get Quinn to get closer to Danni ever since they got to Maine. Rachel had always been closer in New York and Quinn wondered if it was because of how the met.

"I know she saved her," Belle told her, taking a sip from the cup of coffee she was holding.

"How?"

"Danni tells me everything," Belle replied.

"Why?"

"I am the closest thing to family that she has ever had a relationship with. Her mothers love her dearly and she them, but they've never been close due to the circumstances of her upbringing. It seems that I am the one that raised her when they died. She was only five. She blames them for her being an orphan and growing up without them. I can't say I blame her with that, but she has been holding that grudge for years," Belle stated.

"I can understand that," Quinn replied.

"I figured."

"What does that mean?"

"You remind me of her and her mother, Emma," Belle replied.

"And what does that mean to me?" Quinn asked.

"You all have something to prove. Each of you have your own issues with your parents and it has colored your world and how you react in it. It is a big chip. I know what that is like. My father wasn't the greatest man. Trust me; I know what it is like to be seeking approval. Danni has been fighting for so long that she doesn't know how to stop. Even when she had everything that she ever wanted, she couldn't stop. She was born into a world where war was a way of life and she excelled at it. I don't even want to know what she has done to make herself this calm."

"What is that supposed mean?" Quinn questioned.

"Last time I saw her was just before she met Rachel in that alley way. She had just killed a man because he threatened the family and the kingdom. She was so disgusted with how she was received because of the ruthless nature of the killing that she ran back to this world. Like I said earlier, she has only been missing for two to three years for us, but I have no idea how long she has been on her own."

"She killed him?"

"Yes," Belle answered.

"No thoughts on that?"

"Oh, I have plenty, but none that I am willing to share with you. For better or worse, she is my daughter and my sister. I will do anything I can to protect her, even lie and fight."

"I understand all that, Belle. I get it. I'd do the same for any of them. They have been my rocks when I needed them. I would never turn my back on them. I would do anything for them and feel like they would do the same for me," Quinn replied.

"I know and that is why she needs you now. You understand the darkness that is inside her. You may not think you do, but you do. I've seen it in your eyes," Belle told her.

"What does that mean?"

"Nothing bad, trust me. But, like me, you know how to deal with the darkness in someone that you love. She doesn't feel worthy of anyone caring for her anymore. That is why she left Rachel after she saved her. She came to you because she knew that you could take care of Rachel. She cared enough to not leave Rachel alone, but she was afraid of herself."

"Why?"

"Because of her magic," Belle stated.

"What does that mean?"

"She really didn't tell you all anything, did she?"

"Not really, no. She just told us that she was from out of town and didn't have any family. There was talk of some disaster or some tragedy, but there were no specifics. Hell, we didn't even know that she had two moms and Rachel has two dads," Quinn said shaking her head. "She's been very private about everything that didn't have to deal with our lives in New York and the theater. She was really easy to deal with, laid back and calm...I've never seen her like this."

"Well, I hope that you never see her mad, then," Belle said.

"Why not?"

"Well out there it would be nothing. Here, with her magic...let's just say that it won't be pretty. Her out there gardening is helping to keep her calm and her magic in check."

"You make it sound like she is the Incredible Hulk or something," Quinn quipped.

"I don't know what that is, but if it is a big hulking mass of anger, then yes."

"Really?"

"Yeah, see what you don't understand about magic could hurt you. She is constantly fighting an internal war within herself. She has her mother Regina's natural anger and the chip on her shoulder from her other mother Emma. But it is even more than that; she is made completely out of love."

"Excuse me?" Quinn asked.

"She is made of love. She is the product of True Love and her base magic stems from that. She has a natural affinity to love and be compassionate. I'm sure you've noticed that in her nature. But, she has become something that she spent her life fighting."

"What does that mean? What aren't you telling me? Why are you skirting around the question?"

"She sacrificed her soul in order to save us all."

"Huh?" Quinn asked. "What does that mean? She doesn't have a soul? What are you talking about? Are you going to tell me?"

"First let me explain something to you about magic. There are two types, light and dark. They are neither inherently good nor evil. They have the capacity for both. It is all in how the user wields them. The thing with Remy or Coraline or Danni, whatever name she is using at the moment, is that she is made from magic and the purest light magic there is our world," Belle started to explain.

"The purest light magic?" Quinn questioned.

"Love," Belle answered simply.

"Love? She is made of magic? I don't get it," Quinn replied.

"Love is the purest form of light magic in our world and she is literally made of it. It was how she was conceived. She does have two mothers and no father. She is the perfect combination of Emma and Regina. Emma herself is a True Love child, conceived normally, but made of magic. It is generally the first-borns that are born to a True Love match that have magic," Belle stated.

"But, she has a brother."

"Henry, yes, he is Emma's biologically, but not Regina's."

Quinn just looked at her. They both took sips of their coffee and continued to watch Danni work outside. Quinn just nodded and Belle sighed. They both knew that she wasn't going to come inside any time soon. Belle knew she had time to continue.

"Anyway, unlike her mother Emma, she was made from love by love and technically is love. She is…well, magic. She was an unexpected gift for them and one that they cherished greatly despite the fate that befell them all. But. Danni...she was always compassionate and loving. She loves fiercely and without reservation. But, sometimes, she can't rein herself in and that passion turns to into anger. The light isn't diminished, it's changed. The only drawback to that is she shares the same blood as Regina," Belle explained.

"But, how?" Quinn inquired.

"Regina...she could sadistic. She had no qualms with hurting someone to get what she wanted. She even had a collection of hearts at one point, but that is another story. The same anger that Regina learned from her mother's severity and rearing, Danni learned from the torture she received from the Black Queen and by taking on the darkest magic in our land."

"The Blackness?" Quinn asked, turning to face Belle completely.

"The Blackness is part of it. I am not sure that it has a name, but it is purely dark magic. It is selfish and dark to the core. It craves power and it craved Danni or Emma. Emma died to protect us from it, but Regina resurrected her. Danni...Danni...well, Danni gave into the temptation and allowed it into her."

"Why?"

"She saw it as protecting us," Belle stated.

"But why?"

"You'd have to ask her. I never got a real answer about it. But, now not only does she have the purest light magic inside her, but the purest dark magic as well. It is another reason that she is so hot and then cold. Sometimes she really isn't in control of her emotions, the magic is. So, yes, I will say that I have been afraid of her and with good reason. She killed a man in cold blood, but it was also justified."

"How could it have been justified?" Quinn asked walking back into the kitchen and setting her coffee cup on the counter.

"Have you ever wondered what happened to the man she beat in the alley because of Rachel?"

"Yes," Quinn stated watching Belle come back into the kitchen.

"Did you want to hurt him?"

"Yes."

"But you didn't seek him out? You didn't hurt him? And, why? Because you knew that Danni had already dealt with it?" Belle asked her.

Quinn didn't answer. She didn't know what she would have done had she seen the man that tried to rape Rachel. They hadn't talked about it in depth the same way that she had spoken with Danni about it. But, that was years ago, surely the hatred wasn't that fresh anymore…

"There was no need for me to do anything to him. Danni and the law had already taken care of him. I was just grateful that Rachel was okay and that Danni had been there for her," Quinn said.

"I guess it is a good thing that you didn't grow up in the Enchanted Forest then," Belle replied.

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"Your anger and frustration seeps from you like water from a sponge. I can smell it rolling off of you and that is only because I had to learn to identify certain magics by their smell over the years. That isn't an easy task, but anger and hate are some of the easiest smells to detect. You smell like Ruby does when she is angry with hints of Regina and Danni. You are really close to her, so that is to be expected."

"Everyone has gone batshit crazy here…." Quinn started to say as she began to walk away.

"Think what you want, Quinn, but I know that if you could have you would have taken a punch or two at the man as well," Belle stated and watched as Quinn spun back around.

She stalked up to Belle. Bright blue eyes warred with the hazel until she saw Quinn's ire start to flare. Belle just smiled. She was trying to piss her off and Quinn for the life of her couldn't figure out why. She wanted to slap the smirk of the older woman's face.

"You have no idea about my life!"

"Yes, I do," Belle replied quietly. "Your father wasn't the greatest but yet you wanted to please him. Your mother bowed to your father and fell in line, even if it meant that you got hurt. And, she finally decided to stand up for you, you no longer needed them. You are strong and you are weak. But, you are so used to hiding behind a mask of strength that you forget that it is okay to be weak sometimes and let someone else carry the torch for you. Your father wasn't bad man until he took to the bottle and when he did you learned to stay away, usually hiding at a friend's house and hoping that he didn't notice. If he did, the punishment would be severe. I am sure that if I looked at you back I could find scars of his belt or its buckle embedded there. You never told anyone about the scars or your father, and if you did, you fell out of tree. You've learned that family doesn't necessarily mean blood. Santana and Brittney are your sisters. Rachel is your lover, wife, best friend…whatever name you want to call it. They are your family and you would do anything for them. Danni got added to that list because she saved Rachel. She proved herself worthy of your loyalty in one act, but it was in getting to know her in a dingy apartment in Cambridge while you were at Yale, I believe, just before you announced that you were moving to New York and joining your family there that you met the one person who could understand the horrors and the grief that you hide inside and she gave you something that no one else ever could on a level that no one else could ever touch."

Quinn's eyes were swimming. How could she know so much? She'd only been back with Danni for a few days. The things that she was touching on were things that should have taken months, possibly years for her to have learned.

"Don't stress about it too much, Quinn. Danni had ways of letting me know that she was okay. She kept in touch in the only way that she could…magic. Have you forgotten that she took random weekends to the sea?"

"No."

"She didn't go to the Cape or some touristy place. She came home. Here. She'd meet me in secret at the edge of town and I would help her through. I did what I had to in hiding her true identity, which wasn't easy when you're dating a werewolf."

"But, we're talking about Danni," Quinn stated trying to regain her composure.

"We are. She gets you on a fundamental level that they don't. Don't get me wrong, they understand you, but they don't know what drives you. I do. She does. That is why you need to be the one to talk to her. She'll listen to you because she respects you," Belle told her.

"But, why?"

"She's over four hundred, Quinn. Why don't you ask her?" Belle asked her before stating, "But, the war that she is fighting is the proverbial light against dark. She gardens to clear her head."

"I thought that was why she did all the exercise, yoga, and mediation."

"I am sure it is, but we didn't have all that in the Enchanted Forest. We had war, magic and gardening. When it came to Danni, she was great at all three. And, in her mind, she's preparing for a battle that she isn't sure that she can win."

"With what?"

"Herself," Belle told her.

She reached out, touched Quinn's shoulder and walked away. She knew that Quinn had to think about what she had been telling her. It would take a while before it all seeped in and hit Quinn fully. And, heaven help anyone who was around when it finally did. She knew that Quinn was a volatile mix of emotion. She could see that she'd never learned to express in the healthiest of ways. She watched the blonde as she stood before that patio door.

She walked into Regina's home office. She needed to find some books there that Regina had kept hidden, but she wasn't sure that they were even in the house. She would go search Rumple's house and the pawn shop later, then possibly the library. She sighed as she sat in the monochrome room.

She didn't hear Santana come into the room and sit down on one of the couches. The Latina watched her as she searched the desk. There was something that Belle wasn't telling them and she wanted to know what it was. She knew that Danni wouldn't tell them, but there was something about this whole adventure that raised Santana's heckles in a way she didn't like.

"You can ask your questions whenever you'd like," Belle told her as she continued to search a bookcase without turning around.

"Quinn's special," Santana stated.

"She is."

"She's lived through a lot of shit."

"I know."

"But, there's more, isn't there?" Santana asked.

Belle stopped looking and turned around. She met the fiery Latina's gaze and simply nodded. They were all special in her eyes because they had done something that no one besides Will had done; they got close to Coraline (Danni) and made her care about something beyond her own selfishness. Belle could tell there was more, but she wasn't sure if the quartet was ready for it.

"So, the Enchanted Forest, huh?"

"Yes."

"And, you're like Belle French?"

"That is my name, yes. But, unlike your story, I wasn't a peasant. I was…I am a princess in my own right. My kingdom was almost destroyed during the Ogre Wars and Regina conquered it in her quest for Snow's heart. But, before you ask, I don't consider it home. I am not sure that I ever really did after my mother died."

"Lots of dead parents there, huh?"

"Life wasn't exactly all unicorns and rainbows. It was hard and very…difficult depending on who you decided to support or not. Alliances could make or break a kingdom, sometimes in an afternoon. I want you to forget what you think you know about the fairy tales you were told growing up. Names and places were sometimes the only thing they got right, if that."

"Like…"

"Regina is the Evil Queen from Snow White's tale. She has a name in the books, but it isn't Regina. Also, she was never so vain to think that she should destroy Snow because she was pretty. Regina is beautiful in her own right. Her beauty could lead men into battle and did. Beauty had nothing to do with it."

"I am sure that you could correct the stories and get a strong following in the young adult category. Ever thought about writing? I mean, you know them all and stuff."

"I've already written most of them down. They are in the town library and I am the town librarian. I am also Regina's historian and linguist. I can get some of them for you if you'd like. I am sure that you would like to know what you have volunteered yourself for," Belle stated.

"Nah, I'll leave that to Q and the hobbit. They do all the reading and shit. I like to hit things. And, take care of Brittney. But, that isn't going to help us there, is it?"

"I don't know, Santana. I am not even sure what we are up against. Ruby has never been sick before. It was actually Will's suggestion that someone should get Coraline while Regina and Emma and the fairies did what they could for her. Will has been running her horse to death getting them whatever they needed."

"Will is important isn't she? More than you are letting on? There is something about Will that you haven't told us. What is it?"

"She was the last one to see Coraline before she jumped through the portal and landed in New York," Belle replied as she grabbed a book of medicinal magic from Regina's shelf.

"No, that isn't it. There is something else. Something deeper and more meaningful to Danni. She's afraid of her, but I can't figure out why. Danni has never shown fear in front of any of us, but anytime your drop the name Will, she loses it. Why?"

"That isn't for me to say," Belle answered.

"I will find out."

"I am sure that you will."

"What did this guy do to her?" Santana asked.

"She didn't do anything but love her, like the rest of us," Belle answered before she realized it.

Santana gasped. It wasn't the answer she was expecting. She didn't know what to say. She just stared at the smaller woman. Belle met her gaze, but neither of them tried to break the silence. Finally Santana couldn't take it. She didn't like the quiet.

"If Will loved her so much, why did she let her leave?"

"Why do any of us let Danni do anything?" Belle countered.

Santana just nodded. She understood what Belle was trying to tell her. Danni did what she wanted and what she thought was right. It didn't matter who she hurt in the process, especially if it was herself. Quinn was the same way. Santana just sighed.

"What can we do to help?" Santana asked changing the line of discussion.

"I don't know. You all don't have magic. You don't understand the ways of our world. If you do go back, you'll be in danger, and Danni will spend her time trying to protect you while she tries to save her Aunt Ruby in the process. Her mind will be divided and it is always divided because of the magic. I need to keep her focused and I am not sure that I can."

"We can help with that. We've become very adept at doing that. How do you think that we got so many musicals and plays started on Broadway? It wasn't just sheer will," Santana told her.

Belle laughed. She understood Santana's humor and her need to understand everything about what was going on around her. She needed to be the center of attention, even if it was bad attention. She also knew that she did it to protect the other four.

"There is a lot that you would need to learn if you all still determined to go with us."

"You know that we aren't going to let her do without a fight, so why wouldn't we try and help. What do you need to teach us? And, how long do we have before Danni decides to jump down the rabbit hole again?" Santana asked.

It was that moment when Danni walked into the office. She looked between Santana and Belle. She could only wonder what Belle had told them.

"First we should start with hearts."

"Are you sure you want to start there?" Belle asked.

"Why not? Hearts are the reason for so much of the destruction and issues in our world. Mom used to collect them, remember?" Danni replied.

"Hearts?" Santana asked.

"Yes, hearts, the organs that beat and pump your blood."

"Hearts?" Santana asked again.

"Yes, San, hearts. They are the most important organ in many worlds. Just in ours…well, they have other worldly properties that you might not understand," Danni explained.

"Hearts…"

"Yup," Danni stated.

"Well, I'll go get everyone," Santana told her.

"We'll meet you in the living room."

"Right…" Santana replied as she walked out of the office muttering something in Spanish under her breath.

Belle waited until Santana was out of ear shot before she questioned Danni on telling them about hearts. She knew that Danni meant well, but was starting with hearts going to be the best thing for four women who didn't know until a day ago that fairy tales were real, told completely wrong, but real nonetheless.

"Are you sure you want to start with that?" Belle asked her.

"They won't understand the true importance of magic and what it can do until they understand hearts, Belle. They think they understand but they don't. So far everything that I have showed them could be explained as a parlor trick. Showing them about hearts won't be a trick."

"You're going to show them your heart?" Belle inquired concerning coloring her voice.

"I don't see any other way. You've tried to explain my duality to them, but they can't completely fathom the war in my head. If I show them the heart, then maybe they'll begin to grasp the situation at hand. I can't guarantee anything though. It's been too long since I've had my heart in my chest because I was afraid," Danni told her.

"And you aren't afraid anymore, Coraline…Danni?"

"I'm fucking terrified, Belle. And, we all know what happens when I am scared. We don't have time for that. We have to get some things and then get to Ruby so I can see what I can do."

"No more running?" Belle questioned.

"No, no more running. I am tired. I am old. I need to do this," she told Belle as she walked over to her mother's horse statue.

She moved the statue and touched the wall. A panel opened and she took a small box from the hidden wall niche. She opened it and the loud thump, thump of a heart could be heard.

"Ready?" Belle asked her.

"As I'll ever be," Danni replied tucking the box under her arm and heading to the living room.