"Princess. Red. To what do I owe this visit?"
Rumplestiltskin gestured for the two to follow him into the parlor, but Snow held her ground in the entryway. "Where's Regina?" she asked, her voice firm but not demanding.
The Dark One smiled wickedly, and both girls shivered. "She's not here. Why would I keep her where you could so easily find her?"
"Easily?" Red raised an eyebrow. "It took us months to locate you."
"I fail to see why that's my concern." Rumplestiltskin kept his eyes trained on Snow even though he was responding to her companion. "Don't look so worried, dearie. She's in perfect health. She'll be delivering my child any day now."
Snow paled. "You're the father?" she whispered in disbelief. While Regina had every reason to seek comfort with someone other than her husband, Snow was sure her stepmother would never do such a thing. Especially not with someone as treacherous as the Dark One.
"No, no, I haven't had the pleasure." His chilling laugh echoed through the entryway. "Come with me and I'll explain everything."
He turned and walked away. Snow and Red exchanged a nervous glance before following him to a bookcase laden with scrolls. Rumplestiltskin somehow knew exactly which one to reach for, and he unfurled it with a snap of his wrist.
"The child is your half-sister, dearie, never fear," he said as Snow ran her eyes past the tiny text filling the scroll and lit on Regina's handwriting at the very bottom. "Regina simply gave her up."
Snow grabbed the bottom of the scroll and lifted it towards her to see what Regina had written. Rumplestiltskin guarantees that King Leopold will never again cause harm to Snow White or the above-mentioned child. Suddenly the idea of the Dark One fathering the child seemed the less ridiculous option. She looked over the text frantically, seeing her name appear over and over again.
"What did you give her in exchange?" Red asked, fixing her gaze on Rumplestiltskin. She knew all too well the sorts of twisted deals he made, but the realization that her own deal had led to this one settled heavily on her.
"The Princess's safety." He rolled the scroll up again, and Snow looked from the paper to his dark eyes. "Now you've truly cost her everything, haven't you?" he asked cruelly.
Snow let out a choked sob, and Red set a hand on her shoulder in an attempt to reassure her. "What can I do?" she pleaded. "I'll give you anything."
"No, you won't," Red said firmly before Rumplestiltskin had a chance to smile at the Princess's words. "Don't make a deal with him. There's no telling what it will cost you."
"I want to see her," Snow insisted. "She's the only one who has any right to tell me what to do."
"I'm afraid that's not possible," Rumplestiltskin replied. "She's quite a distance away."
Before Snow had a chance to reply, a scream sounded upstairs, shocking the Dark One just as much as his guests. Red sniffed the air, catching two scents that hadn't been there moments before. One matched the visitor from the night before, and the other was definitely female. "It's her," she said, giving Snow's shoulder a shake. "They just arrived by magic."
Snow and Red ran back towards the entryway, towards the stairs, but Rumplestiltskin suddenly appeared in front of them in a whirl of smoke. "You'll be leaving now," he said, opening the double front doors with a flick of his finger. Shock registered on his face immediately, and the girls turned to see Leopold stride in with soldiers behind him.
"Where are we?" Regina asked breathlessly as the smoke cleared and she found herself in an unknown bed in an unknown room. Maleficent had taken her hand in order to move them, and Regina squeezed it too hard as more pain tore through her.
"Rumple's," Maleficent said, prying Regina's fingers from hers. "He and I have both fulfilled our parts of the deal, and I don't particularly want you to ruin my nice sheets." She finally freed herself with a shake of her hand. "I suppose now it's your turn to fulfill your deal."
Regina watched wide-eyed as Maleficent started for the door. "Please," she called, desperation joining the pain in her voice. "Don't leave me alone here."
The blonde turned to see the first few tears trail down Regina's pale face. "I'm going to get him, and then I'm going to leave," she said slowly, her resolve weakening anyway.
"I'm so afraid," Regina whispered, hoping the simple words would carry all the meaning behind them. The fear of pain, of the unknown, of her total loss of control over her own body mixed with her fear of the deal she'd made and the future she'd condemned her child to. The last thing she wanted was Rumplestiltskin hovering over her, waiting to collect his prize. Another cry tore from her throat as the pain overwhelmed her once more, the contractions coming harder and faster now.
Despite herself, Maleficent softened and returned to the bedside, pulling over a nearby chair and offering her hand for more squeezing. "You're fine," she said, reaching up with her free hand to brush sweaty strands of hair back from Regina's face. "There's nothing to be frightened of." She tried not to betray the fact that she was frightened herself.
When Regina screamed again and again, her voice going ragged, Maleficent touched fingertips to the brunette's temple and sent a light pulse of magic through her to soothe the pain. Regina's grip on her hand relaxed slightly. "Thank you."
"I can't do more than that," Maleficent said, her eyes now more panicked than Regina's. Staying in the room was hard enough, but moving between the Queen's legs to deliver the child was where she drew the line. "Can I get Rumplestiltskin for you?"
Regina nodded slightly, and the door to the room suddenly flew open to reveal the Dark One himself. "You called?"
David pulled out his sword as soon as he saw the royal carriage approach. "King Leopold," he said lowly, practically growling. Snow had never told her companions her reasons for fearing her father, but the mere fact that she'd vowed never to go back there was enough cause for alarm.
Belle set a hand on David's arm, forcing him to lower his weapon as the King's soldiers followed the carriage into the clearing. They were a small group, not even thirty men, but certainly too many for only two to face. "You can't just charge in there. It would be suicide."
David turned on her, fury flashing in his eyes. He pulled the ring from his pocket and held it up to her. "Our true loves are in there, and you don't want to defend them?"
Belle sighed. "Of course I want to help them, but we need a strategy if we're to actually make a difference."
David's expression didn't soften, but he sheathed his sword. "You don't even care about her, do you?" he asked harshly. "If you did you wouldn't hesitate."
Belle snatched the ring from his hand, and before she even realized what she was doing she pitched it as far as she could into the forest. "I care about Red greatly," she said, turning back towards her companion. "But it's not because some enchanted jewelry told me to. It's because I know her, David. Because over the past few months I've become unable to imagine my life without her. Because she's brave and kind, and she tries so hard to fix the regrettable things she's done." When David didn't respond, keeping all his attention on the soldiers, she continued. "No matter how many times you rescue Snow, you won't earn her love. Not until you realize that true love isn't the means to an end. It's the end itself. Just believing in it doesn't make it happen."
"I can't just give up," he said, looking at Belle sadly. "I love her."
"I know," she said, biting back the urge to tell him that he was in love with a picture from a Wanted poster, not the flesh and blood Princess. Now was not the time. She hadn't been able to hold back all the things she'd already said, provoked as she was by David's insinuation that she didn't love Red, but they needed to be united now more than ever. "I never said anything about giving up."
David scanned the field again, trying to think what Red would do. He glanced at the sky instinctively. The sun hadn't yet set, but off in the pale blue he could see the outline of the moon. He didn't know if it would work, if it would be enough to help his friend change, but the mere possibility was comforting.