Chapter Fifteen: It's Gone
"Where's Gold?" Emma burst through the doors of the hospital, knowing this is where everyone probably was. Everyone turned to see her.
"In there," Snow pointed, but then she stopped Emma. "He's in shock, though. Better wait whatever business you have with him."
"I can't, this is important. Ruby said to deliver this to him," Emma retracted the vile from her pocket, revealing Regina's blood, a fair amount of it. Happy fainted at the sight, for he got woozy at blood.
Snow refrained her daughter still, telling her that it could wait. Emma grew nervous with every passing hour, going to Snow repeatedly like a child to ask her if she could enter the room yet. Snow talked to Doc, and she told Emma that Bae still hadn't woken up yet. Emma convinced Snow to let her in for the few minutes it would take her just to give the vile to Gold.
She sighed, and Doc let Emma through. To her greatest surprise, she found Belle with him and then she saw the kid laying in the bed, as Henry had at one point. She'd heard about the miracle that Bae's heart began to beat again and from being flat! Doc had seen it himself, yet still he sat in the lobby with a few others, flipping through his medical book of ancient practices, wondering if there was still a way Bae could be alive and what to do about this enchantment on Rumpel's child.
"Gold," Emma said, catching their attention lightly. Then she looked at the boy. "I didn't know you had a son...Regina's a first class bitch isn't she?"
"More than you know, Miss Swan, now what can I do for you?" Rumpelstiltskin asked.
"Hey, I've stood where you are now. I know what that's like...and from what I hear it's been a miracle for you too..." she said, but Gold didn't say anything.
"Anyway...Ruby sent me," she held out the vile. Rumpelstiltskin took it cautiously, which was a new sight for Emma.
"Thank you, Miss Swan," he quietly spoke. "You can go now." With that, Emma walked out, knowing something made him change within the past few hours. Having your child on a deathbed can do that to a person, or so she came to realize.
Instantly feeling better that her errand was complete, Emma wondered if she should go back to help the others, but Jefferson cut in, telling her it was not a good idea.
"I'll take your place," he offered. "I have magic...well, to an extent. I'll be of more help...if I may."
He bowed to her, and that's when she was reminded of her place in this town. She allowed him to go, and Snow smiled, glad Emma would stay behind. Jefferson made way to the battlefield after asking which way everyone had gone.
Regina held Dopey and Grumpy to the ground, and Dopey hadn't landed very well from the tree when she threw him down. Afraid he may have broken something, Ruby once more tried to latch her jaws, but her efforts failed in vein, for she was thrusted against a tree and was dropped instantly. She was dead weight to Regina.
James, in a desperate attempt, ruthlessly threw his sword, but Regina was tiring of him and his games. She decided to kill him, sending the sword straight back at him. Charming shut his eyes, but nothing ever hit him. Only a swift breeze.
Rather, it was Regina who was slashed by the sword. Somehow, the sword had swung back around to hit her instead of David. At first, he thought Rumpelstiltskin had returned to join the fight.
"Sounds like you've gotten into a little turmoil Prince James," another voice called. The hat placed atop his head once again, Jefferson stood tall, ready to fight magic with magic. It was his hat that swung like a boomerang, catching the sword and letting it out on the other end.
He smirked, waving his hand and twiddling his fingers at Regina. Then, he set the hat down and watched it spin, and out of it came a storm of porcelain teapots and teacups and plates. Jefferson smiled and began to laugh insanely as Regina struggled to repel the dishes. Grumpy and Dopey squirmed out of her clutch, but it was clear Dopey was hurt. His leg hadn't been feeling the same, and he immediately collapsed.
At the sight of Jefferson, Regina knew she was overwhelmed and outmatched for now. With Bae gone and Rumpelstiltskin not using magic, she soon realized that her plans were failing, and that this was biding all the rest of them. She fled the scene, farther and this time, uncatchable. Jefferson ceased the hat.
"She's gone," Grumpy said.
"Yeah, but who knows for how long," David said. "Come on, let's go back."
Dopey stared at Grumpy, not saying anything but something was obviously wrong.
"Aw Dope, what'd you do?" Grumpy asked. The dwarf pointed to his leg and whimpered.
"Hey Rube," Grumpy said. "Would you mind carrying Dopey here? Think he broke his leg." Ruby nodded weakly and she lay on her stomach as Dopey hopped onto her back, leaving his leg limp. The little man looked like he was ready cry out in pain. Grumpy warned her to be extra careful. Ruby had to walk slowly anyway, what with all her aches and pains, sluggishly being healed by the magic Rumpelstiltskin had given her.
Seriously, they needed to get out of the forrest. Jefferson led the way, and Grumpy took the rear, making sure James was all right next to Ruby and Dopey.
"He looks really hurt. Doesn't he ever say anything?" James asked, looking back to Grumpy.
"Eh, don't usually hear him say a whole lot," Grumpy replied as he trudged along. James turned back around, while Jefferson looked around cautiously. The sun was going down.
"I'm afraid she's gone to get more magic. More powerful magic," he told them. "That's why she fled I'm pretty sure. We'll need a better plan than that back there."
"Rumpel sent me on an errand. I had to collect Regina's blood. I sent it back with Emma," Ruby explained. "What do you make of that?"
"Can't say, but I know that his son's just come around, so he's probably not concerned about that right now," the hatter said.
"Rumpel has a kid?" Ruby asked in surprise, nearly stopping, but Grumpy pressed her on.
"Hey whoa whoa, when?" Grumpy asked.
"Apparently the matters are from a long time ago. The kid's back, and they got into some kinda fight I think. Well, thanks to Regina, he's in the hospital but has jus' started to come around," Jefferson explained.
Everyone there was surprised by the mad hatter's words. Rumpelstiltskin sounded like them, and with much less power than before!
That evening, Bae still hadn't woken up yet. Rumpel told Belle he was going to stay here all night if he had to, and he'd asked her to join him. She accepted, knowing that she wouldn't hear the end of it if she refused.
"Is there anything you want me to get back at the house?" she asked, standing. He shook his head.
"No, just stay here...with me, please," he told her and she gladly abided. Mostly, they watched Bae, and some people cautiously went back to their homes, but Granny and the dwarves stuck around, awaiting their loved ones' return.
"Well, all right," she replied as she sat in the chair next to him.
She folded her hands, but Rumpelstiltskin reached for one, causing her to break them up. His eyes were latched onto his son the entire time. So much so that Belle wondered if he would even fall asleep tonight.
Doc popped in on them, wondering how Bae was. His heart rate was up to 91, so that was very good. There seemed to be no other complications. Belle asked Doc if he thought the spell was gone from Bae. All of his tests seemed to think that was the case, but he still hadn't any answer as to what exactly the spell was.
"I don't know how it was suddenly cured either," Doc said, still confound with this conundrum. He checked himself out of the room, passing Emma on his way out. She cleared her throat.
"I was gonna head out, wondered if you guys wanted anything to eat," she offered, holding out a few donuts. Belle gently declined, but Rumpel accepted, though he didn't expect her to just leave the entire box with them! She went home with Snow, asking what he wanted with the vile.
"Oh just a little something I needed to conjure," Mr. Gold replied, and that seemed to be all she was getting out of him tonight.
Thus the two were left alone with Baelfire.
"He looks like an angel," Belle said. "Looks peaceful, like he's dreaming." Rumpelstiltskin gave her an odd look, never guessing that she'd say something of that nature tonight.
She continued to watch him for a little while, but then she got thirsty. Rumpel rose from the chair and sat next to Bae on the bed, stroking his hair again as she found he liked to do.
"Umm, I'm going to get a glass of water," Belle whispered to him, but as she was about to turn around he turned back to her.
"Dearie, I can get one for you," he said, looking at Bae. "It'll be quick. Besides, I'd rather you stay here...I'm sorry Bae." Rumpelstiltskin tried to conjure up a glass with water in it for Belle, afraid that if she left, he'd suddenly lose it.
Well, Belle stared at him for a few moments, but there was nothing. There was no purple emitting from his hands, and no glass appeared in her hands or his. Rumpelstiltskin opened his eyes after concentrating for a moment. He sighed, but Belle noticed he wasn't too surprised at this reaction.
"Rumpelstiltskin, what's wrong?" Belle asked. He smirked, looking at her with weakened eyes.
"I-I have no magic," he simply stated. "It's gone."
"What?" Belle whispered sharply. "How?"
"I felt this odd sensation after I took that last breath for Bae...and then his pulse returned. Starting to think my magic was a price for his life," he whispered.
"So resurrection was possible? He was actually dead?" Belle asked, her eyes wide.
"It's what I'm starting to think," he said, looking down onto the white sheets. "Well, you said you were thirsty?"
Belle nodded, so she left to get a glass of water and she returned with two, just in case he changed his mind. When she came back, she found him staring at Baelfire, now lying next to him, with one arm wrapped around the boy. She smiled a little, knowing he cared so deeply for Baelfire.
As quietly as she could, Belle set the glasses on the table next to Bae's bed, offering a smile towards Rumpel, but she could sense something was wrong. Well, he did just lose his magic again...
"I'm sorry about the magic," Belle whispered. "But you saved your son...that's more important right?"
Rumpel lay silent next to Bae, and Belle sat back into the chair, watch him lay with Bae.
"Belle..." he said softly. "Tell me...are you all right, you know, with my magic no longer in my possession?"
Belle gazed at him confused, finding herself a bit lost in his eyes for a moment, for she was engulfed by his passion.
"Hmm?" she asked, processing what he'd just said. "I'm sorry, I don't quite understand what you mean."
Mr. Gold sighed, trying again.
"It is okay with you that my power no longer exists?" It was then Belle understood what exactly he was asking her. He wanted to know if she still felt the same way about him, even though he could no longer make everything she wanted appear right before her eyes.
"Yes," Belle said, grinning with a glisten in her eyes at the fact that he'd even asked that question. "Yes, of course. I love you."
He needed to hear that from her, and she sat on the bedside near his feet.
"Besides," she said. "Now that you don't have your magic...we can kiss properly." She smiled at that thought, and she saw one also creeping its way along the corners of his mouth too.
"How very true."