A/N: I always forget to put this but I do not own anything OUAT related, nor will I ever. Damn the luck. Thanks for reading and reviews are appreciated.
Chapter 2: The Destruction of Storybrooke
A howl broke through the noise outside the pawn shop and Belle froze midstride. Her heart pounding in her chest as a second, shorter howl echoed and was cut off by a bolt of lightning closely followed by rumbling thunder.
"Ruby…" she breathed. Turning down a side street, she ran. Ran with everything she had. If she cut across Elm it might save some time. In a split second decision she took a left and continued down the alley behind the Rabbit Hole. Trash littered not just the alley but the very street as another quake caused dumpsters and stacks of recyclables to collapse in its wake. Belle jumped over the debris to the best of her ability and scrambled out into the street in front of what was once the town's most prized restaurant.
Granny's was now almost unrecognizable. The vine trellis was demolished, along with the green, picket fence that had once given the front of the building its signature 'homey' look. Plants littered the sitting porch as Granny's prized violets now lay in a mess of dirt and clay pottery. The front had collapsed completely, neon sign and all now laying in a puddle from the water main break and a sparking power line from the nearest lamppost writhed and jumped with an exposed electric current.
To the right, Ruby's red mustang was upside down; windows smashed and front bumper looking like it took on a rather large animal. Belle skidded to a stop as she heard a small crunch of glass and lifted her foot to reveal her friend's beloved glass wolf. Her heart sank as she looked around frantically and called out for the woman in question.
"Belle!"
Belle turned at the sound of her name and realized it was coming from inside the destroyed vehicle. Adjusting the bag on her shoulders, she hurried towards the cries and fell to her knees to peer inside the broken driver side window.
Ruby was trapped. Red extensions hung in her face as she extended her arm to reach for her friend. Bits of dust and gravel coated her pale skin and she shook like a leaf. After a quick scan of the area, she realized with a sinking sense of worry that no one else was in sight. They weren't lost to the curse, she could hear the screams and yells of course, but there wasn't time to hunt down anyone else that could help her. She had to save Ruby, save Ruby now and hurry back to the center of town where the real fight was just beginning.
"B-Belle, thank god." She cried as she shut her eyes tightly in relief. Ruby tried to wiggle as Belle offered words of reassurance and started to move scraps of broken metal away from the window. She had to work fast, the girl in the car was growing more scared by the minute and there was no telling what the next quake would bring.
"W-what's happening?" Ruby asked as Belle grabbed her arm and tried to pull for the first time. With a cry of pain, Ruby moved only an inch; she was stuck. The front of the mustang had concaved on itself and the steering wheel refused to relinquish her legs.
"Ruby, listen to me, I need you to wiggle as I pull. This will only work if we do both. Ready? One…Two…" Belle grit her teeth and pulled as hard as she could, grasping Ruby by the forearms as her friend twisted her body and clung to her, slowly sliding out of the fiberglass cage and onto the asphalt. She slipped free with a small yelp and closed her eyes, inhaling deeply. Holding herself up on her palms, Ruby panted and shook with the joy of being removed from the car. Belle allowed her to catch her breath, adjusting the bag around her shoulders before trying to hoist the girl to her feet. "We have to hurry," she grunted as Ruby's legs refused to cooperate and they ended up back on the ground in a heap.
The metal of the car groaned as another tremor broke open a crack in front of the diner and the mustang fell into the ravine in a cloud of dark smoke. Belle closed her eyes tightly and prepared to follow the car into the darkness as Ruby screamed. However, instead of feeling the wind of their freefall, Belle felt large hands wrap around her shoulders and grip her by the jacket, jerking them both backwards as the asphalt crumbled down after the car.
Looking behind her, she had never been so relieved to see Dr. Whale in her life. Whale was breathing hard and gripped Belle tightly, smoothing his hands down her jacket in silent apology for his firm yank of her moments before.
"Got you..." he said with the edge of a smile still on his lips. His usually expensive hair cut was now a flat sandy brown mess. Part of his purple v-neck was stuck to his chest with a small amount of blood that Belle prayed was not his. She nodded her thanks as he let her go and moved to help Ruby to her feet. When she stood it was easier to see the gash on her lower calf that had inhibited her ability to stand. With a wince, Ruby clung to Whale as he allowed her to regain her balance and looked to Belle for answers.
"We can't stay here. Regina is destroying the town." Belle straightened herself and stood tall. "If she wants a fight, we have to give her one."
"Where?" Whale asked as his hands slowly slid from Ruby once she was set to rights.
"The clock tower." Belle braced herself for another tremor but it was considerably smaller than the ones before and passed quickly. Whale nodded and adjusted his watch, pressing a button and setting the timer for reasons Belle could only guess at. They both went to move before Ruby shook her head quickly and looked back at the diner.
"No! No I can't leave, Granny is inside and I have to go back. I can't leave her!" Ruby turned to run and Whale grabbed her by the arm. The place was a wreck, she was bleeding and Belle needed help as well. As he spun her back towards him, her face constricted in a mixture of worry and frustration, she opened her mouth to plead with him but he cut her off.
"I'll get her. Go with Belle and your grandma and I will meet you both in the center of town." He shook his head as she started to protest and Belle had never seen Victor take charge like this. It came at the best time and she wasn't about to question it if this meant he was choosing the right side. "Don't argue with me Ruby, now go!" He pushed her back into Belle's arms and took a deep breath before jumping the canyon with a running start. Using his forearm to block the heat from the curse below, he fell onto the other side of the ravine on all fours, quickly scrambling to his feet and sprinting into the diner without hesitation.
Ruby watched helplessly as he disappeared into the diner and Belle pulled her down the street in the opposite direction. She had to trust that Whale knew what he was doing, that he would find Granny and anyone still inside and meet them in the center of town before it was too late. They turned the corner and Ruby stumbled as they were met with helpless barking. Pongo was furiously pulling on his leash that was tied to the lamp post outside the pharmacy. Archie was nowhere to be seen. She stopped to unclip it and the dog took off in a different direction, his mind set to the purpose of finding his master as the women continued towards their own goal.
They topped the hill as the clock tower came into view. If the streets were destroyed then the center of Stroybrooke was ground zero. A whirlwind of dark green and royal purple smoke surrounded everything and howled with a hurricane like force as pure magic broke through the madness in bolts of lightning and flying debris. Regina stood in the center, perfectly pristine in her black pants suit while everyone around her fought to keep their footing. Belle felt a rage like she had never known as she watched Gold lean heavily on his cane to keep from falling to his knees. Black silhouettes of other citizens were lost in the smoke and Regina cackled simultaneously with another quake.
"ENOUGH!" the queen screamed and threw her hands into the hair and the wind ceased instantly. Everything in the town stood still as the thick, unnaturally colored fog seeped back into the cracks in the earth at everyone's feet. One last quake shook the town and it was devastating to the surrounding buildings, leveling nearly everything in its path. Gold refused to fall as he let out a yell and Belle took off down the hill with Ruby close behind.
Mary Margaret fell to all fours in front of Regina, breathing hard as Charming called her name. He pulled his sword, abandoning the gun at his hip in favor of his old ways. Regina shot him a warning glare; for now, she wasn't going to harm the princess at her feet as long as the prince kept his distance. Another crack opened up behind the queen and split the concrete into a gaping chasm. The Library under the clock tower began to fall as the pillars in front splintered and the entire building crumbled into the abyss, swallowed by the dark magic.
"N-no…" Belle cried as she stopped beside Gold and watched her beloved oasis fall, reclaimed by whatever powers created the town in the first place. Pages of all the books once housed within the building scattered to the wind as it toppled forward with a sickening crash. The clock tolled as the inner mechanisms broke apart and the metal clanged in a final mess of rhythmic bongs. Gold wanted to pull her into his arms and allow her to grieve over her favorite gift but he refrained, focusing on the woman in the center of the madness. As the dust settled once more, he took a deep breath and addressed the queen.
"Stand down Regina. It's over." Gold growled as he stood up straight, placing his cane in front of him. His suit jacket was now gone, the black of his slacks covered in dirt and his dress shirt wrinkled from the humidity of the crashing waves coming in from the docks.
Regina cackled at him, "Ooooh, we aren't home yet Rumplestiltskin. You're still just a pawnbroker." She smirked and threw her hands forward sending a spark of magic at him which he blocked without effort.
He moved partially in front of Belle and snarled at the mayor. "Would you like to bet on that dearie?"
Her face shut down in anger and she lowered her arms. She stalked around Snow, still on the ground, and glared daggers at the townspeople. Belle clutched the strap of the rucksack across her chest and stayed behind Mr. Gold. She heard Ruby gasp as Whale walked back into the town square with Granny's arm over his shoulder, the old woman relying on his assistance as she was reunited with her granddaughter.
"Mom!"
Every head in the circle turned as Henry ran out of the alley closest to the queen with eyes on the body of his fallen mother. Emma Swan, savior of them all, breaker of the curse, now lay in the arms of her father. Charming passed his sword to Neal as he draped her upper body across his lap and tried to keep her blonde curls from falling in the mud. He wrapped his leather jacket around her shoulders as a final measure of protection but it was too little too late. His face contorted in pain no father should ever have to experience as he pressed his forehead to hers and his shoulders shook. Oblivious to the queen and her rage, he was lost in his own world filled with nothing but the feel of his child in his arms and his own sorrow.
"Oh not so fast M'lad." Henry was jerked backwards as a metal hook caught him by the hood of his corduroy jacket. Killian Jones, better known as Hook, stood smugly off to the side and put his good arm around a struggling Henry as he nodded to Regina with a smirk. The captain placed his makeshift hand under the young boys chin and locked eyes with Mr. Gold. "You really should keep better track of your loved ones, Crocodile." He spat and Regina put her hand up to stop him before he furthered in his confrontation with the older man. She stepped forward, blocking the pirate and boy from view, intent on her own agenda.
"The savior is dead," she growled, stalking around the lopsided circle and glaring at each member of the curse individually. "Now, you put your faith…in me. Your Queen."
Snow looked up from the ground at her step mother. Her short, raven hair was plastered to her face and her shoulders shook with the sounds of her sobs. "Enough is enough, Regina. Why are you doing this?"
Regina kicked aside a broken board with a black heeled foot and bent her knees, looking the other woman in the face. As she crouched, she grabbed her jaw, digging her red-painted talons into the soft cheeks of the beloved princess. "Why? You want to know why?" She released her forcefully enough that Snow's arms buckled and she fell back to the ground.
"You took my happiness in the enchanted forest; you denied it to me in this world as well. Third time is a charm, sweet princess."
As she stalked to the outer edge of the square, Snow allowed herself to look to her husband. She dissolved into tears at the sight of her daughter and extended a hand, reaching helplessly for them both.
"Now," Regina continued. "Kneel…all of you."
Not a soul moved. Gold gripped his cane and stared the woman down, hand held before him, awaiting the time to call on his own magic. Belle clinched her fists and stayed by his side. She didn't move to touch him for she shivered from the very presence of his magic swirling within him just beneath the surface. He would never harm her, she was certain, but she also knew just what he was capable of. Towards the back, Granny leaned on Ruby and gave a glare of her own longing to sink an arrow into the hag's heart with her infamous crossbow. After a moment, Charming rose slowly, Emma limp in his arms and he held her to the best of his ability. He refused to be on the ground before this poor excuse for a queen and he would be damned if he let his daughter act any different.
"You're no queen of mine." Whale stepped away from Ruby and pulled a small hand gun out of the small of his back. For all he cared, magic could go to hell, other things worked just as well. He fired off three shots at Regina and she threw up her right hand stopping the metal with a ripple of air and allowing the bullets to fall with a small clink. The gun clicked empty and with another wave of her hand the doctor was sent flying into one of the swirling cracks in the street. A few people yelled and Belle felt herself moving forward before Gold grabbed her arm and once again put her behind him.
"Pathetic…" Regina hissed as Hook chuckled and adjusted his hold on Henry, the struggling boy proving to be much more difficult than he first anticipated.
Neal moved to stand in front of Charming and Emma, sword poised in front of him. As much as he tried to hide it, his threat was reduced by the redness of his face and the obvious line of an escaped tear. He planted his feet, gripped the metal of the jeweled handle and extended his arm.
"Give me my son you witch." He said deeply, moving the sword in her direction and straightening his shoulders as Gold took a step up to be by his side.
"Oh such bravery," she said. "Certainly didn't come from your father." Placing her hands on her hips, she looked to Gold with a satisfied smirk, disregarding his son as any sort of threat.
"You want him?" Regina purred. "Come and get him." She lifted her arms to the heavens as Henry yelled and a cloud of black smoke engulfed the three of them. The smoke coiled and curled, like it was something pulsating and alive, and it surrounded the villains and their prize like a giant snake.
Neal threw the sword aside and lunged. "HENRY!" he yelled as his arms closed around empty air and he hit the pavement. It was too late; they were gone. The largest of cracks under the clock tower, spilt wider and swallowed Snow White as she screamed and was soon followed by her husband. David clung to his only daughter as the magic drug them down into the Earth and they left this world the same way they came in.
Gold grabbed his son by the arm and pulled him away from the jagged rocks but he fought him tooth and nail. "She has Henry! I have to…Papa you have to let me go!"
"No, Son! Not again! I failed you once, I can't do it again!" Gold shook his head furiously and held on. Before either of them could argue, the crack split again and Gold didn't have enough strength to hold on. Neal fell into the blackness and Gold yelled for him but it was lost to the thunderous noise of the oncoming magic.
As the street crumbled into pieces, Gold clung to the sharp edges of the rocks, his feet dangling into the nothingness of Regina's destruction. As his fingers began to slip he closed his eyes and braced himself for the fall. But instead, dainty hands grasped his forearm just as he lost his grip and he opened wide eyes to find blue ones that he knew all too well staring back at him.
Belle leaned over the edge, half of her body dangling into the air along with the rest of him and held on tightly. She winced as the razor edges of the blacktop cut into her arms and she grunted with the effort of keeping him in place. The bag was gone from her shoulders and tossed carelessly aside in favor of saving her one true love. They needed that bag; they couldn't lose it, not if they wanted a chance at beating Regina once they survived the fallout.
He looked at her then, really looked at her and tried harder than ever to memorize her beauty. He could never forget the soft rouge of her lips, the striking blue eyes encased in elegant almond lids, or the way her cheeks quirked up when she was irritated with him but couldn't keep from smiling. Despite the fact that her image would be forever seared into his memory, he didn't waste a single moment looking now.
A sweat had broken out on her brow and she readjusted her grip as her fingers began to perspire as well and slide on his forearm. Her muscles ached with the strain of keeping her body tense enough to prevent him from plunging into the uncertainty of the curse below.
"Belle…" he said gently.
She shook her head over and over. She knew what was coming, what he was going to say, and she did not want to hear it. Screams and shouts could be heard behind them as the faults in the ground all grew in size and the rest of the town was being claimed by the Earth.
"Belle…" he said once again with the same tone. She let out a whimper and forced herself to look up at him, tears streaming down her face. He continued, "You have to let go. Let me go. Grab the dagger and the bag and brace yourself. You will be fine."
"But where will we end up once we go through?!" she screamed over the howling vortex.
He didn't have an answer to that and they were running out of time. She had to choose. Hold on to her lover or rescue the one thing that could bring down the evil queen. Belle knew what she wanted to choose but what one wants and what is right is not always the same thing. He saw her glance at the bag and then back to his hand, weighing the options on if she was quick enough to save both.
"No Belle. You have to do this. Let go." He bit his lip as a silent tear rolled down his cheek and dripped from his chin, he smiled through it all just so she could see it. "My Belle. My brave, brave lioness…" Squeezing her hand one, last, time he whispered, "I will never stop fighting for you."
At that she looked up, wide eyed and speechless, resonating as their mantra spilled from his lips and reached her heart. She believed him. He saw her belief in his words and that was enough. He let go of her hand. She couldn't support him on her own and he fell. The world slowed down as he slipped from her grasp and disappeared into the darkness. Belle scrambled backwards and grabbed the bag, slinging it back over her shoulders and closing her eyes tightly as the flickering magic threatened to blind her. With eyes shut, she focused on breathing, the air pressure in what felt like the center of the chaos forcing itself down on her lungs and leaving her gasping. Her hair fell from its bun and swirled around her face and she prayed to anything that was listening for this madness to end. Wrapping herself into a ball around the dagger, she protected her body from the flying debris and held on as the last crack spilt the town in two and swallowed it whole.