Yep. Story not dead. Everything starts to come together; there's a health dose of exposition in here. Still, it's not filler. Important shit gets told.
Bastille helps out with Pompeii.
Onward!
*OUATE*
"It's good to see you again. I think." Neal's eyes trailed over to the knocked out evil queen.
"Oh Gina's fine." She waved dismissively, then bowed to Gabriel. "My Lord."
"Funny you know who I am but nothing should surprise me anymore." He groaned. "You're here because..."
"I sensed your arrival. And..I figured out what Destane really wants." Jasmine sighed. "I feel so foolish not to have seen it before now but-"
"I get it kid. I do." The silverette groaned, massaging his temples. "Everybody plays the fool sometimes. Even me."
"Um, what is going on now?" Mary Margaret asked. "Besides a new face and Regina kissing the floor."
"Well, I have a riddle for you all. What is the one thing linking everyone in this room together?" Gabriel murmured. Not even pausing when Emma muttered "Goodie." after he said riddle.
"The Curse?" David ventured.
"Close but no. Who created the curse?"
"Me. So what?" Mr. Gold snapped.
"All this time I thought Destane was after you Rumple. You're the one who created the curse but you also go ahold of the dagger being the first Dark One who was his own master. The energy The Black Fairy imbued it with is what he was after, knowing how powerful it could make him but that was only part of his goal. When the possibility of you and him going to a land without magic emerged, I allowed that future to progress as fuzzy as that future presented itself. Even if you refused, if Baelfire were sent away, he couldn't be used against you; your attachment to your power made your following him a slim possibility but a chance none the less. Wish I'd put money on your cowardice insuring you wouldn't go."
"You're the reason I-!" The Dark One was actually speechless. This-this bastard had ripped his son from him for what?! He could have protected Bae!
"Calm down. Anyway, because I thought it a naturally occurring twist of fate I did not interfere with him being sent away. I really couldn't have done much to affect something like that at the time anyway. Still, it kept you free of Destane's control but also nearly gave him something else he needed. He is ancient and despite his magic, still mortal. The tricks he uses to appear youthful are hardly a substitute for a his younger years." Gabriel took a few cleansing breaths before going on.
"You have to understand something about me and my family. We are regulators. That's it. We make sure the universe keeps plugging away. To do that, chaos must be allowed to run it's course. Light and dark are locked in an eternal waltz and order is an illusion. There is only existence and oblivion. Then along came this douche and messed everything up. What Destane did by tossing my sister into another reality and murdering my priest was cripple my precognition, the one thing I have to have to do my job well. He knew my sight is how I stop shit like this from even beginning!"
"Baelfire, I am not angry with you but for a time I was. She could have used the genie's power to imprison my ex-husband but that would only hold him until his strength returned. It wouldn't undo the damage already done. I have a feeling Sheherazade knew she would die that day doing what she did. But it had to be done. It took a while to realize but..." Jasmine sighed. "He convinced Mozenrath and I that it was him he wanted; even forcing that gauntlet on him, his own son to tie their life forces together. Unfortunately that's not the case. All this time he's been searching for a new body but not Moz. It's you he wants Baelfire."
*OUATE*
Outside Mother Superior's office window, a tiny red bird tittered about. It wasn't as if Michael cared about the fairy so much as he understood that in his rage, Rufio could do something...counter productive to the grand scheme of things. Not that he himself even knew what that was. His worry was short lived however as the Shadow decided it was through knocking her around and snatched her hair, whispering something then vanishing. Just as the dark binds on the door relented and in spilled several concerned nuns brandishing wands.
"Are you alright?" Astrid helped her mentor stand.
"I'm fine. A dark presence tried to trap me but I resisted. Have the dwarves returned from their survey?" She held her bleeding head.
"They told us that Henry's been found but that's what we came to find you for and then this-"
"Astrid, calm down. Henry's been saved what's wrong with that?"
"Pan is with them. As well as two others. All they know is Emma said we need to have a town meeting, a shouting match happened then poof. The Seven of them ran to see if they could find where the group went."
*OUATE*
"WHAT?!"
"There are only two mortals in all the realms who have ever held that dagger and not succumb to the temptation of the dark power they could wield with it. Who could never even consider using it to control you no matter what you did Rumple. Both happen to love you too much to force you to act against your own will, even if they can't admit it.. But only one was born long enough ago to know you before you were the Dark One. Only one gave up everything for the chance to have that man back again. And can't find it in his heart now to forgive and trust anymore because of it." Jasmine said quietly. "When you spoke of how magic ruined your life, how love was a lie and the bitter sting of your father's betrayal Sheherazade knew she had to get you away from Destane. He collects the broken and desperate., twisting them to his desire. You were different though. He needs a pure heart tainted by malice to complete his ritual. A good person who is slowly falling into darkness. Slowly growing too cold inside to care."
"A dying light..." Rumple swallowed thickly. The boy Bae was and the man Neale became were night and day. The innocent child full of hope and love grew up to be a bitter thief who built walls around his heart. Such a radical change would make him the perfect host for a dark entity like The Black Death. His body having too long ago given up on hope and true love for it to hinder his possession.
And he was to blame. For the first time in centuries, he felt utterly powerless. His actions had set this all in motion. The sad part was there was no real 'what if I had' senario. From what he had pieced together in the last few days, one mistake when he was barely old enough to know better had made him fate's bitch. No matter how much he hated the Moon God for what he's been through, all of this was his fault. Because he was self centered and yellow bellied- hold on...
"Wait, so Belle is the other person? I don't understand how that could be true. Neither Bae nor Belle have ever touched the dagger." Rumple frowned. "This is just more of your mindfuckery isn't it?"
"Yeah...I mean...I've known about the dagger but I've never held it." Neale coughed. "This has to be about someone else."
"How certain are you that you've never touched it?" Pan spoke, directing everyone's attention to him. "Time tends to cause memories to fade after all. You're also a lot older than you think." For once, that cocky smirk didn't appear. Instead, his lips pressed into a thin line. "Be proud. You are one of the few puppets that refused to dance for me."
*OUATE*
Exhausted and angry, a young boy was tossed into the dirt. The trek had taken forever. His legs ached from the march. Shoulders throbbing from the awkward way his hands had been tied behind his back. The sack over his head didn't help either. Not being able to see the rocks and such in his path had been hell. Almost a sense of vertigo.
"Hello Baelfire."
"You!" The spinner's son scooted away from the figure looming over him.
Once the Lost Boys brought him to their leader and yanked off the sack, he recognized him instantly. This boy (who wasn't human anymore) and his father (arguably the same) had some bad blood between them. The truth of which Baelfire never discerned. All he knew? That both were wicked and evil, so who could be certain which was the worse liar?
"Me." Pan walked closer, kneeling to inspect his captive. Bae tried to resist when he caught his chin and tilted the boy's head up to meet his eyes. His grip just as unnatural as his youth. Bae had no choice but to gaze defiantly into those demonic green eyes. And shudder. "You're not him...mmm...but you being here means I'm ever so close to having him."
"Why do you need me? Because of my father?! Well he probably thinks I'm dead now."
"Oh. Well then, how about we check in on daddy dearest? See how he's holding up? Would you like that?"
*OUATE*
Yep. The big reveal. Sort of.
Keep in mind that this story is happening in 3 worlds with wildly different timeflows; and time doesn't move at all in one of them. And Peter was still able to move between worlds for a long time, including around the time Rumple became the dark one. Our world also contains the time period in which the Peter Pan stories take place. So in truth, Baelfire/Neale is also way older than he seems. Except this isn't the result of gaining powers or dying, just really er...interesting luck.
Reviews are like hugs! Sirensoundwave out!