Sleeping alone was both a curse and a blessing for Dagian. For 28 years, her Dawn personality had Rumpelstiltskin next to her….his steady breathing had soothed her but Dawn always had to get used to him cuddling behind her. Now that she was divorced, it meant she had the whole bed to herself when Lily slept the night.

But it also came with a bit of loneliness. Dawn had taken comfort that there was someone next to her. Dagian, after she got her memories back, had felt somewhat safe with him sharing the bed. It was a comfort to know that despite their problems, the most powerful man in the realms was at her side.

It also meant that he could answer the phone.

The call came at 6:15 on Dagian's day off. The first ring brought her out of her sleep. Her eyes shot open and she looked around the room. At the second ring, Dagian let her head hit the pillow and she let out an irritated groan. At the third ring, she grabbed the edge of the bed, pulled herself over to the other side of the bed and picked up the phone, "What?"

"Mom?"

At her son's voice, Dagian immediately snapped to attention, "Bae?"

He was upset, Dagian could hear it in his voice, "Mom, dad's gone insane."

Dagian sat up, "What are you talking about? What's he done?"

"He had a man on the street…trying to get him to kiss his shoes all because he looked at his girlfriend or whatever she is."

Dagian cringed at the thought of Belle…or Lacey now. Dagian had tried to turn a blind eye to the woman's new personality and…wardrobe choices. If Rumpelstiltskin wanted to date someone whose skirt was so short that one could see her underwear if she bent a certain way, that was his business. She certainly wasn't going to be that sort of ex-wife

"I can't do this," Bae continued, "He's all but ignored me since I got here, he's used and manipulated Emma, he was aggressive to Henry in Manhattan and he won't even acknowledge Tamara.

Dagian cringed at her name too. She hadn't come forward with her own doubts about Tamara to her son. Not yet. She wanted to bide her time and wait until there was actual proof.

"And now he's going back down this path?" Bae continued, "I can't let him do this. I can't let him ruin this like he's ruined everything else. I told him to stay away from my family. Now whether or not that includes you is your decision. I have a feeling that you'll want to confront him too."

"Yeah," Dagian threw her comforter off, "I do."

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The smell of alcohol assaulted Dagian's nose as soon as she entered the shop. The Dawn personality grew nervous at the smell and wanted to go back home. Jefferson was watching Lily for her. He hadn't liked her going to confront Rumpelstiltskin by herself but she was more than capable of handling herself.

She found them in the backroom. He was nursing a shot glass, and she had a double in her hand. The Dawn personality cringed and recounted every blow the abusive father had given her but Dagian shook it off. Those memories weren't real. They were just figments of Rumpelstiltskin's imagination to make himself be the hero for saving her.

"Darling," Rumpelstiltskin said but his voice gave no warmth, "To what do I owe the pleasure this early in the morning?"

Lacey's eyes narrowed as she studied Dagian. She looked her over as if she was assessing the threat Dagian served to her man. Oh Lacey didn't have to worry.

"We have to talk," Dagian said.

"Very well," Rumpelstiltskin said but made no move to get them alone.

Dagian gave an irritated sigh, "Without your tart please."

Lacey gave an offended scoff and looked for words, "E-excuse me, you don't have any right to speak to me like that."

Dagian looked at the child that was getting off the table, "I've survived an army of ogres, I've survived assassins, pirates, a 14 year war and I've stood in the presence of two Dark Ones and walked away. You would give me no quarter. Please leave the building or I will throw you out."

Lacey scoffed again and looked at Rumpelstiltskin. Dagian hoped she would protest because she was honestly in a mood that she wanted to fight someone.

But Rumpelstiltskin nodded to the back door and Lacey grabbed her drink and left.

"Feisty today," he took a drink from the glass, "I certainly missed that when we were together."

Dagian looked towards the door, "You sleeping with her in Belle's body?"

He gave her a hurt look, "I'm not. She doesn't remember."

Dagian felt a small bit of betrayal and jealousy as she was once again reminded that she'd been put there as his wife as revenge and distraction and nothing more. And then he'd only considered a life with her when he thought Belle was dead and he got bored of hating her, "That didn't stop you with me."

Rumpelstiltskin stopped and then poured himself a drink, "I thought we made our peace about that."

"Hard to make peace about things if one of the people in that relationship haven't seemed to learn their lesson."

"Ah," he sneered, "So I see you've been talking to Bae."

Dagian heard the anger in his voice, "What are you doing Rumpelstiltskin?"

"If I remember correctly, you used to turn a blind eye to my atrocities when I told them all to you."

"Because you and I had a deal," she said, "That you would do what it took to get our son back. We have our son back. There's no reason to do what you're doing now."

"There is a reason," he took another drink; "I'm getting Belle back."

Dagian closed her eyes; did he honestly think he was doing what was right? "You think that she'd want this?"

"She's not saying no," he said, "That woman in there is not her. That woman in there is nothing more than a sick joke against me for Regina in every sense of the word. WE have nothing in common except this. If I can get her to fall for me by embracing my dark side…I can get her to love me enough to wake her up."

Gods, he had no idea how sick that sounded? Did he honestly think Belle would be alright with this? "What if you're wrong?"

"I'm not wrong."

"What if she doesn't wake up and you go back down the path you've been trying to get away from?"

"I won't. I know how to control it now. I know how to rein myself in before I get too far."

Dagian felt horrified at how casually he was telling her this, "We both know how this ends, Rumpelstiltskin. Every time. This isn't what Belle wants."

"Well do you think she wants to stay trapped inside a body while this…woman destroys it by drinking and sleeping around? I'm saving her."

"By what? Assaulting innocent people in the street."

"As if Whale is innocent, don't you remember what I told you he did to his brother?"

"So you're attacking people that deserve it?" she demanded sarcastically and then she realized what she said. There was a growing horror in her belly as she put two and two together and she realized that he might've been responsible for more than just Whale. "Rumpelstiltskin…that man that was found in the lot of the Rabbit Hole…"

Rumpelstiltskin stared at her, "What about him?"

It felt like a punch to the gut, "You did it."

"He deserved it," Rumpelstiltskin shrugged.

"Who are you to decide that?"

"The most powerful being in this town," he said simply.

"You put him in a coma," Dagian said shaking, "You beat him so badly that he's unrecognizable."

"Shall I tell you his crimes in the Enchanted Forest?"

"Should I remind you of yours?" she napped.

"That you gave your blessing for."

Dagian felt like she was going to throw up. She had seen the photos that Emma had to take when she was documenting the assault. The man would barely have a face and Rumpelstiltskin was refusing to heal him. Blue might, but that didn't erase what Rumpelstiltskin had done, "That doesn't excuse the crimes you committed Rumpelstiltskin. I was asleep for four hundred years. Don't sit there and say that you held me to that bargain when you shut me in a room for four hundred years and then took my identity for the next 28. But you'll hold me to something I said when I was angry and desperate?"

"What are you going to do?" he taunted, "Run and tell your new best friend Emma what a beast I am?"

There was no remorse in his eyes. Just blind anger. He was on his guard…he was dangerous now. That would scare anyone out of their wits and it scared her. But she has the mother of his children. She had to protect them as well as herself.

"Oh, I imagine they'll figure out it's you," Dagian hissed, "They probably already know."

"Then what are you going to do? Turn away like you always do?"

Dagian couldn't do this anymore. She'd supported him. She supported him even when he didn't deserve it for what he did to her. He had gone for too long thinking that there were no consequences for his actions, but now he had to learn and she had to do this, "You can't see Lily anymore."

He stopped then. The attack and the sadistic glee he'd taken when he talked about the man he'd beaten faded, "What?"

"I have to protect her and she's not safe while you're having this thinking and neither is anyone else."

"She's my daughter!"

"She's my daughter too," Dagian said. Her voice sounded calm but inside she was a mess, "I have tried so hard to support you through your road to redemption. I forgave you when you put me to sleep because you thought you were going to stop Cora. I listened to you talk about how you were going to be better for Belle and Bae and Lily. I celebrated with you through your victories and I stood for you and supported you through your failures…and if the threat was just against me then I could handle whatever you did. But I can't let you near our child when you're regressing. I can't and I won't."

"You take her away from me and I might not have anything," he screamed but his eyes looked like those of a hurt child.

Dagian averted her own gaze, he wasn't going to sway her from this, "Then I suggest you start making changes."

She turned to leave. She heard Rumpelstiltskin release a breath of air that betrayed his fear and then he drew in a full breath, "You keep her from me and I'll take her from you!"

Dagian looked at him. He was angry and hurt and he wasn't thinking. The look he gave her almost wanted to make her back down but she needed to stay strong, "You take her from me…you'll have to kill me to keep her. Because if you don't, then I'll find a way to kill you. I don't think I need to remind you of another bargain you and I made that stated I could withdraw your custody of her at any time. Well, I'm doing it now for her safety because I won't put another of our children through your games. I watched as Bae went through it in the Enchanted Forest and I told myself 'never again'. It's certainly not going to happen now."

She didn't give him a chance to argue. She slipped out of the curtain and walked to the front so that she could avoid Lacey. She cringed when she heard a bottle break in the room behind her.

She only maintained her emotions until she got in the car and drove towards the house. And when she was out of view of the pawn shop, she slammed her fist against the steering wheel and started sobbing.