Chapter 11
Belle walked slowly through the halls of the castle. She wasn't really trying to be quiet. She just wasn't trying to arouse anyone that she was actually back. She just wanted to see Ruby. She didn't care at that moment that Regina and Emma would want to see Coraline. She wanted to see her wife.
She almost started running when she reached the wing that she knew Ruby was in. She stopped in front of the heavy oaken door and collected herself. It had been a week, a tiring and trying week, but she was home and hopefully they could help Ruby. She reached for the iron handle and opened the door.
She wasn't surprised to see Will in the room sitting with her. She was surprised that she was alone, though. She figured that Regina would still be in the room with her sister. She knew that Regina had tried every magical incantation, spell, and potion for healing that she could get her hands on.
Will looked up at her with something fierce in her eyes. Belle couldn't tell if it was happiness or anger, but she could tell that Will was glad she was back. She went to say something to Belle, but Belle held her hand up to her mouth, silencing her. Will nodded and resumed her position on guarding Ruby while Belle sat down in the chair beside Ruby.
"I'm back, Love," she told the unmoving Ruby.
Tears sprang to her eyes. She knew that it was late in the night, but she wanted to spend some time with Ruby before all Hell broke loose once everyone knew that Coraline was back. She was actually amazed that Will was still in the room with her.
Will watched her as she sat down beside Ruby, dropping a bag on the floor beside her. Will understood what Bell had meant when she raised her fingers to her mouth. She wanted time with Ruby before they went to get Regina and Emma. She was just glad to see the Librarian back. She knew that it meant that Coraline was back as well. She would give Belle the time she needed. She owed her that for bringing Coraline back. Plus, what was a few more hours, they'd waited this long.
"Has there been any change?" Belle asked her breaking their silence.
"None," Will replied.
Belle just nodded her head. She just stared at the brunet beauty before her. She bent over and placed her head on the bed, near the hand that she was holding. It wasn't before long that she was asleep. Will let her sleep. She knew that Belle needed it as much as Regina and Emma did. They could be mad at her later 1` r it: she really didn't care. She was still trying to figure out what she was going to do now that Coraline was back.
She looked up and out the window and could see the graying morning starting to come over the horizon. She hadn't realized that she'd been asleep until the first rays of the sun peaking over the trees.
Belle knew that she'd been back long enough to tell Regina and Emma that they were there. She turned her head to see Will still in the same spot. Will smiled at her, but still didn't say anything, waiting for Belle to initiate the conversation.
"Who is coming in to check on her next?" Belle asked her.
"Today? I am not sure. I sent Regina and Emma to bed last night, so I am sure as soon as Regina wakes, they'll be back. Other than that, it'll either be Tink or Blue," Will told her.
"I'm assuming that one of them will be in shortly. I think as soon as they show up we should go tell Regina and Emma that we're here. I am not sure how Coraline will react, but she's in her rooms with her friends I guess that I should talk with them before we go see Coraline," Belle stated.
"That sounds good," Will agreed, even though she was ready to see Coraline, she knew that they needed to proceed slowly and with caution as to not upset her.
Tink and Blue both came in shortly after their brief conversation. Blue seemed surprised to see Belle, but Tink didn't. The younger fairy smiled at her and took her place, while Blue took Will's. There was no true discussion between them. Tink just started using some magic and gave Belle a wink as they left the room to go find Regina and Emma. Will watched as Belle gathered the bag that had been at her feet as they left and she silently asked herself what was in the bag the Belle was carrying.
"They'll be up and probably getting breakfast. Snow has been making sure that Regina eats. If she knows that Emma took her to bed, she'll have them in the main hall eating first," Will told her.
"I guess it isn't the first night that you've sent her to bed since I've been gone."
"I've done it once or twice." Will answered.
"Then…I guess we'll go get breakfast and talk. There are somethings that I need to explain to all of you. And, breakfast seems to be the best time to do it. I would rather that Coraline was there, but I doubt that she would agree to such measures right now."
"She doesn't want to see us?" Will questioned, her heart hurting at the thought.
"It isn't that easy. It's...well...complicated. She wants to take care of Ruby first, before she doesn't anything emotionally stressful. Considering what she's done and been through since she left. I believe that I can allow that. The question is: can you all do that for her?" Belle asked as they walked on.
Will wasn't sure what she meant, but she hoped that Belle could explain once they were are together. She followed her as Belle led them through the castle and to the kitchens. She knew as well as Belle did that even if Regina and Emma were in the main hall eating breakfast, the best way to get to them was through the kitchen. Plus she had an idea that Belle wanted to see Granny.
They entered the kitchen slowly. Belle could see Snow and Granny working on some breakfast for the castle. Belle smiled at them. Snow looked up from a pot and Granny ran around the preparation tables to gather her up in a hug.
"Belle, girl, you're back!" Granny exclaimed as she picked the smaller woman up twirling her.
"I take it that Coraline is with you as well. Emma told us that you would be back soon. Where is she?" Snow asked as Granny sat Belle back down.
"She is probably still sleeping. It has been a long week for all of us. She was tired when I left her last night. Plus she wanted to make sure that her friends settled in as well," Belle told them.
"Her friends?" Snow asked.
"Emma didn't tell you?"
"No, she's been at Regina's side since you left. And, if she wasn't there, she was trying to find something to keep her busy or useful. She's been beside herself. She doesn't do well when there is nothing for her to do. She helps Regina with her magic and Ruby. But, when Regina didn't need her, she was in the Room of Mirrors waiting for contact with you. Once you called, she went back to Regina," Snow told her. "I saw that Will got Emma to get her to sleep last night."
"I did," Will replied. "It wasn't that hard. Emma was dead on her feet."
"Well, we should get this over with. I am sure that Regina will want to be with Ruby as soon as possible, but first she'll want to see Coraline. Come on, Will. Is there something that I can take out to the table?" Belle asked.
Snow and Granny nodded. They were both handed some dishes as they started their way into the main hall from the kitchens. Belle knew that it wasn't a big breakfast but knew that it would be enough for them to eat and talk before they woke Coraline and the others.
Emma looked up from the table. She was still tired and she knew that her mother could see it. She'd paced most of the night while watching over Regina, making sure that she slept some. When she saw Belle, she reached over and grabbed Regina's hand, causing Regina to look up.
When Regina's eyes met the steely blue of Belle's, she jumped up out of her chair. Emma still held her hand as she tried to pull away, but Emma held her fast at the table. She could see that Belle, Will, Snow and Granny were coming with breakfast. She could also see the look in Belle's eyes. Regina looked over the Librarian. She knew that Belle would want to talk before taking them to Coraline. She sat back down and waited, impatiently, but she waited.
Belle set down her tray of food and took a seat. Regina was watching her with expectation. Will took the seat beside her. Snow and Granny added their trays to the table and sat down. No one said anything as Granny grabbed each of their plates and put food on them before giving them back. Once all the plates were passed around and filled, Granny sat down. She nudged Belle, who smiled and nodded before talking.
"We came back last night, very late. Once I got Coraline and her four friends settled in her rooms, I made my way to Ruby's chambers. I found Will there, but I told her not to wake you. Don't be angry, Regina. You needed your sleep," Belle told them.
"And, now?"
"I am not sure if Coraline is even awake. But, there are things that you need to understand about your daughter before you see her. She isn't the same woman that fled here three years ago. She is a lot older even if she doesn't look it. She has been through a lot," Belle stated.
"Why?" Emma asked.
"She was trying to find a way to atone for what she'd had done. Plus, she was trying to come to grips with being the Dark One. She was looking for ways to find an inner peace and battle anger that was raging inside her. Somehow on her many adventures through different realms, she found her way," Belle said.
"But she didn't come home," Regina stated.
"No, she didn't. Or, if she did, she never told us. She was afraid. She still is afraid. She loves you all so much, but she didn't know how to process the reaction we all gave her when she brought you George's head. She felt like she'd betrayed you in some way and she was trying to figure out how to come back and be comfortable, again."
"We would never turn her away," Regina said meekly.
"I know that. You know that. And, I know that she knows that deep inside, but you have to remember that she grew up in a different world, in a different time and without either of you. She is afraid that she isn't living up to the Swan name. She feels adrift here because there are so many expectations on her. She doesn't want the crown. She doesn't want the titles. She is happy to be your knight, your daughter, but nothing more. She doesn't need the pressure."
"Then we won't pressure her to take anything until she is ready," Emma told her.
"It isn't that simple, Emma. I wish it was. The magic flowing through her speaks to her. I know that none of you understand that truly…well, you might Emma, since it tried to take you. But, she really is at constant war in her head and her heart," Belle explained.
"But, she took out her heart?" Regina questioned.
"She did, because she didn't want to feel the shame and anger of what she'd done here. She tried to fight the emotions but she was afraid of what she would do in the Land with no Magic. That is where her friends came into effect," Belle stated.
"How?" Emma asked, squeezing Regina's hand and trying to keep her calm.
"It took me a few days to get the story out of her, but she finally told me. When she fled her, she had a pocket full of beans. I don't know where she got them, but she knew what they were and how to use them. She hadn't really before she faked her death and went into the well."
Regina sat back in her chair. It was still a sore subject between the two women that Belle knew Coraline had been alive while they had no memory of her. But, she could appreciate that the Bookworm suffered in silence while writing the Legends of Coraline. She gave the people a story of suffering and hope. It was all too "Charming."
"When she arrived back in the Land with no Magic, she was in New York. She landed in a dark and dank alley way. She was hurting, scared, and still covered in the muck of war with George. I am sure that she was a frightful sight."
"What happened?" Will asked.
"She ran into Rachel. She is the petite brunette not much taller than me. She was walking home and was attacked. Coraline stepped in and saved her, but not before she took her anger out on the man that attacked Rachel. By the time the cops arrived, the man was barely breathing. She'd almost beat him to death. Rachel offered to take Coraline back to her apartment, to clean her up and thank her for helping her out. Coraline agreed because she could tell how frightened she was, but Coraline as afraid too."
"Why?" Emma asked. "Was she scared of the cops? They would have let her go."
"No, she wasn't afraid of the police. She was afraid of what the building anger inside would cause her to do to Rachel. She saw her as an innocent and when you meet Rachel, you'll understand. But there was something about Rachel that made her want to protect her from the world, she couldn't explain it," Belle told them.
"What did she do?" Snow questioned.
"Rachel's roommate came home a few days later. Her name is Santana. She is a fiery Latina with a big mouth and a reputation to back it up. She is larger than life, but quietly loving and kind. I take it that she didn't have the greatest relationship with her parents, but they were still loving towards her, so there was no ill will. Emma, you and Will, spoke with her briefly through the mirror," Belle started to tell them.
"I liked her," Will added.
"So, did Coraline. When Santana got home, she could tell that something had happened to Rachel. When she questioned Rachel, she would tell her the full story. Once she finally got Coraline alone, she told Santana the truth and the entirety of the story. Santana was obviously upset about what happened and did some digging. She found out that Rachel wanted to drop the charges against the man. So, Santana did what she had to do in order to get Rachel some justice and to help Coraline feel like she'd helped the young woman."
"What did she do?" Emma asked.
"She called the police pretending to be Rachel. She gave them more testimony thanks to Coraline's story. With the extra testimony, the police didn't need Rachel's permission to charge the man. They did it on their own. Santana was also friends with some local cops and some of the younger district attorneys for their borough. She got them to throw the book at the man and she got bits of the case files. Santana believed that if she knew the full extent that she could help Rachel get passed it. She was wrong. She didn't realize how close the assault had been."
"He tried to rape her?" Will inquired.
"Yes, he did. Coraline stopped him before it got too far, but she was afraid that she had killed the man. She nearly did. But, in beating him, she injured herself. A feat that shouldn't happen to a Dark One, but in the Land with no Magic, the pain was too real."
"What did Santana do to her?" Regina asked.
"She thanked her and told her that she would help her get a job, a place to stay, anything she needed for saving Rachel. Coraline shrugged it all off. She said that she just needed to get home, back to Storybrooke. No one outside of our world had ever heard of it, so Santana just thought it was sleepy town in Maine. When it became clear that Rachel was using Coraline as a crutch and not really moving on, Santana told her about Quinn."
"Quinn?" Regina asked.
"Another friend. She is Rachel's lover, but they weren't at the time. It seems that Quinn was going to Yale while Rachel was in an art school and Santana was in law school at Columbia."
"So they are all wicked smart," Emma quipped.
"Yes, they are. And, they have all taken the magic thing with a grain of salt. Santana seems to be having some small issues with her religion and magic, but Rachel, Quinn and Brittney have dealt with it like it was just something else in their life. Santana is coming around because she can see benefits of having magic, but they all have a childlike wonder about it."
"But, what about Quinn?"
"She is the most like Emma and Coraline. Well, emotionally…her parents kicked her out at a young age and she learned to care for herself. She's fought for everything she has and she had earned it all on her own. She didn't have the support of her family, but her friends. She, Santana, and Brittney were known as the Unholy Trinity in school, and trust me they are all a force to be reckoned with on their own, but together…forget it.
"Santana knew that Quinn would want to know about Rachel. She dropped enough hints that Coraline took the bait. Coraline left New York with some of the case file copies and found Quinn at Yale. She told her everything. Quinn was already planning to move to New York to be with Santana and Rachel anyway. She'd gotten into the Master's program at Columbia. With Coraline's news of Rachel's attack, she called Santana and moved up the timeline."
"So, Quinn moved in with them?"
"For a short time, but by then, Coraline was gone. She'd come back to Storybrooke. She was happy that they were happy, but she was still punishing herself. The pain of all the emotions she was feeling was starting to drive her insane. She couldn't take it. She took out her heart and left in Storybrooke. She planted the beans to have a crop. She knew that we wouldn't find them. We were already gone, having somehow crossed back over to here. Once she took out her heart, she made a blood magic safe and hid it in the mansion. She didn't want anyone but herself or family stumbling across it. She hid it behind the statue of Rocinante in the living room."
"Why the house?" Will asked.
"Because she knew that no one would think there to look for it. Like I said, she wasn't in her right mind. She was trying to deal with the duality that has become her new reality. She is pure love, made from it, and thinks in a loving and caring manner, but she has the Darkness now inside of her. Her two sides are at war, anger and love. She tries to reconcile them, but it is hard. She tries to remain calm and even emotionally. When she doesn't feel like she can, even though she doesn't have her heart, she takes a vacation to another realm until she feels calm again. When she does, she goes back to New York. It seems that her magic found a way to penetrate the veil of no magic. She has it, but it is different outside of Storybrooke."
"Different how?" Regina questioned.
"She still doesn't age. She doesn't get sick. Her immortality because of being the Dark One is intact. She can't do spells or incantations. She reacts quickly and smartly. She is stronger than she should be. She can sense things that others can't, but that is really about it."
"You said there were four friends. Who is the fourth? And, how did Coraline get back with them?" Snow asked.
"She…her name is Brittney. She is a dancer and Santana's lover. She moved to New York to be with Santana after Coraline left. Once again, Coraline's influence could be felt. It seems that Santana was afraid to fight for Brittney. They had been together before but ended their relationship. Coraline told her if that she loved her, she'd fight for her. She also might have said something to Quinn about it, because Quinn pushed Santana into going to get the blonde and brining her back. She is the tallest among them. She's empathic and reads people and the situations better than anyone I've ever seen. She is people smart and she helps keep them together," Belle explained.
"But how did Coraline get back to them?" Regina asked.
"It seems that she learned to mix mirror magic with portal magic. She can use mirrors as portals. She can actually pick a time and a specific place to go," Belle informed them.
"Then, why did she come back here?"
"Because we were all with her," Belle answered quickly. "The only problem with new way of travelling through portals is that if she changes a timeline, she can only travel forward in the new time line. Meaning that since she came back and changed her future, she can't will herself back into the timeline she grew up in hopes to change it. She's already changed the outcome; she can't go back to original."
"But, she went back to New York," Emma stated.
"That was a fluke. She wasn't in New York. They found her in New Jersey, living in a small apartment and working at a warehouse. She had money but didn't flaunt it. She seemed quieter, happier, but there was still something missing."
"Which was?" Will asked.
"As far as I could tell, you. She never really moved on. She didn't want to. She was still searching for a way to atone for her sins and find a way to prove herself to all of us. Rachel found her and told Quinn and Santana. She'd changed her name to Danielle Gallia. She goes by Danni now," Belle told them.
"But, how did she end up going back to New York?"
"You'd have to the four of them. Danni wouldn't tell me. But, I think that Santana and Quinn wouldn't leave her alone until she agreed to come back. I am sure that Rachel had some factor in that, but no one would really tell me. They don't trust me because of the stories that Danni told them. They are fiercely loyal and loving to her. They would do anything for her and they don't want her to be in pain anymore," Belle explained.
"So they were willing to come here to help her?" Snow asked.
"Regardless of the fact that they didn't know what they were getting into, yes, they did. Danni tried to show them magic, to make them understand, but I believe that Quinn is the only one that fully understands the magnitude of what is going one. By the way, we owe Brittney a trip to the unicorn stables. Don't ask. Just trust me on that one," Belle replied.
"That is easily done. Can I see my daughter now? I want to see my daughter," Regina demanded.
"I am not going to keep you from her, Regina. I would never do that. She'll do that on her own. She is still lost and frightened. She that little girl still in search of her mother's love. She's forgiven us all for letting her go. She's even forgiven us all for her upbringing in the alternate timeline, but she is still trying to earn your love and approval. She needs that and without it, she flounders. Her heart is broken. And, yet, she still yearns for her mothers' love and for you, Will. She's never stopped loving you," Belle explained.
"Even without her heart?" Will questioned.
"Even without her heart."
"How do you know?" Will asked.
"Because the four of them knew your name before they knew who you were. It seems that she calls out for you in her sleep some nights. When they questioned her about it, she told them that you broke up and that is why she left. She couldn't take the pain of living without you at home."
Will gasped. Even without her heart, Coraline, Danni, was still in love with her. She stood up.
"Where are you going?"
"I am going to tell her that I love her and I'll wait for her to be ready."
Belle smiled. She knew what Will meant. She was letting Danni set the pace this time. Sure they would be drawn to each other, but Will got that Danni was trying. She had been trying to find her way home for years. Now that she could see her, Will wasn't going to wait any longer. She would profess her love to Coraline and then she would wait for Coraline to come to her.