"Wha…what d-do you hope… t-to learn when R-rumple gets here?" said Belle shaking in her ice cage. She gathered as much of herself as possible to preserve whatever warmth she had, kneeling on the ground hunched over. She was still hopeful about the condition of Rumplestiltskin. She aimed to get as much information as possible from her capture before her dizziness took over and would render her unconscious.

"I hope… to learn how to control my abilities. I want him to apologize for what he did…"

"I apologize my dear…" came a voice from out of nowhere. Rumplestiltskin appeared out of thin air and into the room. The ladies of the room turned to look at him. "…but you were much too dangerous and unpredictable for anyone to handle, including myself. And that… is saying a lot."

He came! thought Belle, but that joy quickly turned sour only to confirm a revelation. He gave her the doppelganger. She knew she should be feeling relief and knew that disappointment was another proper response, but with her current condition she couldn't tell what she was feeling at the moment. She couldn't physically feel anything on her body since the majority of it had gone numb. Belle could hardly focus on a single thought. "…and now you have me. You don't need Belle anymore. The quarrel is between you and me, so there's no reason for you to keep her. Let her go."

Elsa walked over and stood between Rumplestiltskin and Belle's ice cage, "She's my leverage against you."

"She's not going to be much leverage if she's dead. Believe me when I say, that if that happens, which it won't, then there will truly be nothing stopping me from destroying you where you stand." He growled, threatening Elsa. His authoritative voice held such gravitas that the threat reverberated within the four walls.

"You do realize that if you disappear as soon as she leaves, I will never stop going after you and making both of your lives miserable." She threatened back, her stare at Rumple never wavering.

"Well, then its settled. Let her go, and we'll resolve these issues from our history like civilized people."

"So be it."

Elsa backed away from Belle's ice cage as Rumple ran forward toward Belle. He waved his hand over the bars made of ice and they magically disappeared. He knelt down beside her and cradled her in his arms. "Belle, find Emma and the others. Get help," he whispered to her. He kissed her chilled forehead before waving his hand over her. A cloud of purple smoke engulfed her and when it cleared she was gone.

"You? You need help? That's a shocker," Elsa said sarcastically with arms crossed. Rumple slowly stood to his feet. "Well, a wise person knows when to ask; a true testament of a person's intelligence. To know when to ask for help indicates you have good self-knowledge and understand your limits."

"How insightful? Belle was right. You have changed. You look different in this land. What happened? You seem to have lost that giddy spring to your step."

"It's been a long time since we last met," he said stepping out of the cage and walking slowly toward Elsa, "I've seen and experienced many things. More than any man should have to bear." He quickly took advantage of the silence and redirected the conversation, "So now it's just you me. What's your end game? What do you want?"

"I want you to teach me. I want you to heal my sister. Teach me, and I'll leave from this land in peace."

Rumplestiltskin, seeing that her plea was genuine, spoke, "The strength of your magic is synonymous with the strength of your emotions. However, magical strength is not your issue, far from it. It's your emotions. If you are emotionally unstable, then it makes it very difficult for me to teach you. Only you can control your emotions dearie, not me. If you can't master your own emotions, then there's not much I can do for you." Elsa looked down on the ground in disappointment and hopelessness. She knew there was merit to his answer. Rumple continued, "You see, the magic I wield is Dark Magic. All emotions that drive my magic are essentially dark." Elsa nodded, acknowledging, accepting and understanding everything he was saying. "What kind of magic do you think you wield? Is it Light? Dark?"

"I… I'm not sure," she said perplexed. "Everything I've done so far has seemed to do nothing but hurt people. So perhaps Dark Magic?"

"Yes, that may be, but are the emotions you use to propel your magic, Light or Dark?"

"So what are the emotions I feel when I use my powers?" she asked, rewording the question to better understand his question. Rumple nodded, waiting for her response. "I feel, fear. Anxiety. So… neither Light nor Dark."

"I wonder…" he looked at her quizzically. He drew a finger to his lip, looking at the ground while pondering. A theory was brewing in his head. "…how did you say you came into your abilities?"

"I've had them my entire life. Why? What are you thinking?" she was seeing the wheels turning in his head.

"It sounds like really old magic to me… Elemental magic, actually."

"What do you mean? How old?"

"Because your abilities seem to be limited to just ice and snow…" He was reasoning out loud, "your family… how long has your kingdom existed? How far back do you know of your family tree?" he wasn't about to speculate until he had more information.

"Well, as far as I know, our royal bloodlines can supposedly be traced back to the original Danish gods. Are you suggesting that I may be a Demigod of some sort?"

"That's a bit of a stretch. Don't you think? But maybe…," now he was speculating, "…something relative to that nature. I can't be certain. But if that's the case, then your magic runs deeper than my own. You see, deities are powerful, mystical entities that gain their strength from their believers. Love, is indeed a powerful emotion, and can break any curse. But if one were to harness that kind of power from the absolute adoration of believers, then that's an entirely different kind of magic all on its own. That is, if you believe in that sort of thing. The only question now is, what do you believe in?"

... ...

Members of the community filed into the convent. Some of the individuals Emma knew personally; Leroy, Leroy's six other brothers, Robin, his merry men, Marian and their son, Hook and her mother. Mother Superior and the other nuns stood inside the warm and inviting building receiving guests with blankets and hot beverages. Then at last, Regina entered Henry as well as a few other strangers she never met before. Mary-Margret came over to Emma to see how she was doing, watching people enter the church with her.

"Where's Dav… Dad?" asked Emma. Calling him 'Dad' was still getting some used to, though she was sure that over time she'd get used to it. "He decided to take Neal and meet up with the others from the other end of town who couldn't make it here and take shelter at Town Hall instead. That's where Marco and Dr. Hopper are trying to calm the masses."

"I just assumed that I would be talking to him… here. And that you'd be…"

"Stuck at home with a baby?" Mary-Margret looked at her unbelievingly, "Emma, you know I'm much more capable than that. Besides, David volunteered."

"He did?"

"Yep. He even said, 'you look after one child. I'll look after the other'. So it was agreed to divide our powers so that at least one parent was with one of our children," said Mary-Margret smiling at Emma.

People were settling down in the pews. The nuns moved about the church handing out whatever blankets they had along with hot cups of chocolate or tea. Towards the end of the church by the altar, Mother Superior stood at the highest step talking to a few individuals. Henry led Regina to the first pew and the two strangers that Emma noticed with them, sat on the opposite front pew facing Mother Superior.

"I suppose I should get the dialogue started," said Emma to Mary-Margret, walking down the center aisle towards the altar. "Alrighty, listen up people!" she said, raising her voice loud enough to be audible from the other end of the building. "This snow storm doesn't seem to be letting up. So for the time being, be prepared to spend the night here. The convent was generous for offering their building as a place of refuge, but we can't stay here forever. Sit tight for now, and if you have any information or resources to contribute to our getting out of this mess, then meet us at the front of the church. That's where we'll be hosting an open dialogue."

People shuffled and moved, adjusting and coordinating their new positions; either claiming their spot for the night or moving toward the front to contribute or listen in on the dialogue. Regina could see Robin and Marian move closer to the front pews, but still keeping a huge distance from her and where she sat. Robin glanced up at Regina from a far, giving her a torn half smile. Her heart broke a little bit inside, and she groaned from the physical ache that resulted from that glance. She faced forward, gripping at her chest with one hand. She sat there and clutched Henry's arm trying to steady herself, waiting for the pain to pass. She moaned, grimacing through the pain.

"Mom?" said Henry holding on to his mother's hand. The white in her hair expanded a little more. "I'm ok," she lied, coasting through the pain. She inhaled and exhaled the pain away and she forced herself to continue looking forward. Henry, however, turned around in his seat looking at the people who had come forward and noticed Robin Hood from across the way. "You really like him, don't you?"

"Who?" Regina said, feigning ignorance. Henry looked at her incredulously, causing Regina to look at him when he didn't respond. "What?"

"It's just nice to know that you have the capacity to love more than just me. It means that you now have two reasons to live."

Henry hugged Regina, trying to give her as much comfort as any son can provide for his mother. Mary-Margret walked past the two, noticing another familiar person in the front pew opposite of them. "Kristoff?"

"Snow!" said Kristoff, standing up to greet Snow. He turned to the woman behind him and gestured her forward for introductions. "Snow, this is Princess Anna."

"So this is Princess Anna," said Snow making a connection from a story Kristoff told long ago. She reached for Anna's and held it most amicably. "I've heard so much about you."

"All good things I hope," replied Anna.

"Yes, all good things."

"Kristoff was telling me in his horse-less carriage-"

"-truck," interrupted Kristoff. "Yes…" continued Anna holding her fingers nervously, "…in his truck how you guys met. How fortunate that the Blue Fairy was there for him."

"Yes," agreeing Snow White, "though the Blue Fairy is also known in Storybrooke as Mother Superior."

"A strange title for a fairy."

"Yeah, I see how that would seem strange. Did Kristoff mention that Storybrooke is the result of a curse?"

"Yes. Actually, we're here because I've been afflicted by a curse, and we were hoping to speak with… um… Mother Superior about it."

Snow looked at the young woman's coincidental white streak in her hair like Regina's. "Dear…" Snow said gently touching the white in Anna's hair, "were you hit in the heart by Elsa?"

"No… I uh… was cursed with a frozen heart by Rumplestiltskin. It's a long story."

"Kristoff," interrupted Mother Superior, "it certainly has been a long time hasn't it?"

"Mother Superior, Regina and Anna seem to be cursed by the same thing," observed Snow telling the Blue Fairy. "Yes," said Blue, "they are."

Regina, upon hearing her name be spoken without her presence, decided to walk over to where her name was being said. "What about me?" she stood next to them with arms crossed. Henry remained in close proximity of his mother, eavesdropping on the conversation. Emma, noticing two powerful people standing next to each other, sensed a bit of tension and gravitated towards the conversation to mediate any hostility if any were to happen. Hook kept his distance from the group, but still kept in close distance of Emma. Blue continued, "I was just saying how you and Anna are both inflicted by the same curse. You both have been cursed with frozen hearts."

"What does that mean?"

"Can someone be cured of this curse?"

"What will happen to them?" said Robin joining in on the conversation. He quickly looked at Regina, but then back at Mother Superior doing his best to not cause Regina any more harm.

"We all know that you cannot live without a heart. To be cursed with a frozen heart means that your heart will inevitably freeze completely over and therefore, cease to live. Only an act of True Love can break any curse. How soon a person succumbs to this sort of death really depends on the resiliency of the heart in question; sooner for weaker hearts or acts of heart break and longer for stronger hearts or with reason to push and live on."

"An act of True Love, is that all?" snapped Regina, her cynicism masking her fear over her own mortality. Kristoff, upon hearing the news, felt the same as Regina. The affected parties resumed sitting in their respective sections comforting each other. Emma wanted the conversation to lead to them finding a way out of their frozen dilemma, but it was much too soon after hearing the terminal diagnosis and the party had broken up already. Emma felt the time crunch. Every minute they stayed in the church, the deeper the snow would get and the more challenging it would be to get out. Snow, seeing her daughter's distress, came over and gave a comforting hug. "I'm going to go find a signal," she said brandishing her cell phone, "and check in on your father. Don't worry. We'll figure something out. Give everyone some time to soak in what they've just learned. We can resume strategizing our next move then."

"I just hope that by then it's not too late."

... …

The purple smoke faded away and Belle found herself in a warm, dimly lit room. "H-hello?" strained Belle's voice. She prayed that someone had heard her. It was taking all the strength she had to support her body to sit up. She could hear the thumps of two people running from upstairs making their way downstairs to the lobby. Rumple had magically transported her to the lobby area of Granny's Bed and Breakfast. "Belle!" shouted Ruby seeing Belle on the floor. "Granny, it's Belle!"

Ruby ran towards the shivering Belle, helping her sit up. "How did you get in here? We're buried deep in snow. Why aren't you in one of the two town shelters?"

"It's Elsa….R-rumple s-s-sent me… to-to get help," tried Belle. Granny grabbed whatever linens and warm items she could find and handed them to Ruby who then wrapped them around Belle. "She needs to get to a hospital. I think she's experiencing hypothermia."

"No!... n-no, please don't! I can't go back there," Belle begged. It was the last place she wanted to be, too traumatized by her previous visits there.

"Ruby, help me get her up the stairs and into a bed," directed Granny. It took some time, but step by step Granny and Ruby had Belle under each arm and hoisted her up the stairs and into one of the vacant rooms. They laid Belle gently into the bed and Granny continued ordering Ruby, "I'll put the pot on for tea and start filling the water bladders. Go fetch the heating pad. If she's wet, give her some of your spare clothes. She needs to be warm and dry as quickly as possible."

Hmm... Elsa inheriting powers from a Danish God? I definitely took liberty with that. Lol! But hey... who knows? I at least left the story open to the idea of Gods and thus possibly incorporating Hercules down the line. That is, if the story merits his introduction to suit my needs. Who knows? We shall see. Anyways, I took much pleasure writing the interaction of Rumple and Elsa. It was my favorite interaction of this chapter. Poor Belle. She is Rumple's heart. And just like all hearts on this show... well... you know. They're magical, they can be torn out, manipulated, crushed, etc...

Gold stars to Montreat11 and Grace5231973 for reviewing. You guys Rock!