Warning: There's a very brief and pretty mild flashback of Leopold physically abusing Regina. Skip the paragraph in italics if you don't want to read it.

David sat down on the edge of the fountain in the town square, watching as Red stalked off towards a store to get them food. She didn't tell him where she was going, of course, but he kept looking until she disappeared into the shop.

She'd only spoken to him once since their fight the night before, since that unfortunate kiss, and that was to thrust the ring into his hands and tell him curtly that it would lead them to the Princess.

David ducked his head to study the ring, turning it between his fingers. The gem glowed faintly. He supposed it was magic, but he didn't know for sure. He'd tried to ask, but once she'd handed it over Red had turned away from him and attempted to sleep. From the constant movement he heard all night, he was sure she hadn't slept just as he hadn't.

It wasn't fair. He'd known Red since before he could remember, but she'd always been a sister to him. He cared about her more than anyone save his mother, loved her even, but it wasn't the love of epic poems. It was ordinary, everyday, and he believed with all his heart that there was something more waiting for him outside the confines of their small town.

"Excuse me."

David looked up to see a girl sitting beside him on the fountain, a book open in her lap.

"Is that what I think it is?" She leaned forward, blue eyes studying the ring. "Is it a True Love's Ring?"

"I know nothing about it." David held it out on his open palm so that she could see it better, and she dove back into her book, pulling up the relevant chapter.

"I think it is," she said reverently. "It's said that the ring glows brighter as you come nearer to your true love. It's incredibly rare." She glanced up, tucking a strand of brown hair behind her ear. "I'm Belle."

"David. Do you want to see it closer?"

Belle grinned, and David dropped the ring into her hand. For a split second as it fell through the air, the gem went dark, but as soon as Belle caught it the glowing came back, almost blinding this time. She went red and forced it back into his grasp.

"So that means your true love is very near?" David asked. They both turned to look around the square, and Belle's heart sank as her eyes lighted on Gaston just outside the tavern. It couldn't be. There were a few other villagers nearby, but none of them were anyone remotely promising.

"I always thought I'd get out of here," she said glumly, turning back to David just in time to see Red appear by his side.

"Belle, this is Red," David said, not bothering to address his stony friend. "We're using the ring to search for the lost Princess."

Belle shut her book, nodding to the nearest flyer. She wanted to say how romantic that was, David searching for his true love, but when she looked up at his companion she could see the hurt in the girl's eyes. "That sounds like an incredible adventure," she said instead, smiling sweetly at Red. "The sort of thing I've always dreamed of."

"You should come with us," Red said almost instantly. "We could use some extra help." Red didn't know the girl, but the need for someone other than David to talk to was overwhelming. They needed a buffer between them if they weren't going to spend their days in silent anger.

Red and David didn't look at each other to confirm their agreement. "You should," David added. "I think your knowledge would come in handy."

Belle wanted nothing more, especially when she noticed Gaston striding towards them. "Belle," he boomed. "Should I be worried about your new friend?" He stared David down for a moment before turning to Red and grinning at her. "I quite approve of this one, though." He raked his eyes up and down her body.

Red grabbed Belle by the elbow and hauled her to her feet. "We were just leaving," she said harshly, seeing the discomfort on Belle's face. "Weren't we?"

Belle nodded vigorously. "Yes. Please."

David scrambled up as well, and the three headed back towards the forest with Gaston in close pursuit. "Where are we going, ladies?" he asked, slipping arms around both girls' shoulders.

Red spun around and pulled the dagger from her belt, holding it mere inches from Gaston's throat. "I am in no mood," she said sharply.

Gaston backed away, holding his hands up in the air. Belle smiled to herself and didn't look back.

Regina took a deep breath as she looked down at the spell book, hands trembling around the worn leather cover. The last time she'd held one was the day she told Rumplestiltskin that she was no longer interested in his tutelage. It was the day she'd given up hope of ever seeing Daniel again and resigned herself to the life that was expected of her.

She'd sworn that she'd never touch magic again. She'd used it in anger to banish her mother, and she felt far too much like Cora in that moment. Magic and unhappiness were a volatile mix, one that could too easily lead her into the dark that had consumed her mother.

She opened the book, turning each page slowly and carefully.

Anger and unhappiness still plagued her, but for the first time since Daniel's death there was something to fight for. She needed to protect her teenaged stepdaughter from destruction. She needed to defend her own life. And then there was the life within her, the child she had to save. She'd never seen herself as a mother, but her changing relationship with Snow was bringing out things she'd never known she had inside of her.

She paused when she reached a healing spell, reading every word on the page to make sure there were no hidden tricks. It was a simple spell, but it had been so long that she wasn't sure she could manage it.

She closed her eyes and took a few steadying breaths, fighting away the fear and doubt. She could do this. She would do this. She refused to impede Snow's escape.

Leopold's hands came toward her hard, and she put out her arms to keep her balance but faltered in her high-heeled shoes, one foot giving way beneath her weight. The pain shot up her leg and she cried out, reaching for the closest thing that could support her. Leopold. He dragged her to the bed and threw her down. "Make another sound and I'll give you a lot more things to cry about."

The magic coiled heavily within her chest. She lifted the book to her lips as she'd seen her mother do so many times, and she blew.

Nothing.

She dropped the book to her lap and balled her hands into fists, trying not to lose her temper. After a moment of silent frustration, she unclenched her hands and tried again, this time pushing the anger and pain from her mind. She wasn't Cora. She had to do this differently. She had to try.

She thought about the girl, picturing Snow's worried expression when she'd regained consciousness the day before. She thought about the times Snow had refused to leave without her and the night they'd spent huddled together in the forest. Finally, she thought about the unborn baby she needed to keep from harm.

The feeling within her was warmer and lighter this time. She lifted the book again and exhaled softly, watching in wonder as the letters lifted off the page. They swirled through the air, and when they dissolved into nothingness she pointed and flexed her foot with no pain.

When she leaned down to feel with her fingers, she noticed that the bruises that had dotted her legs just moments before were gone.

She let out a cry of relief and slowly rose to her feet.