Chapter Fifteen
It hadn't worked. No one loved Emma Swan more than her son did, but when David and Mary Margaret also fell short and Killian finally admitted his own failure, Bae felt his hope sink. Henry looked absolutely heartbroken and even Mary Margaret couldn't console him. They'd taken her down the street to the hospital and Whale had given them a bleak outlook on things. The symptoms were just the same for Emma as they had been for Henry when he had been poisoned, Whale had said, and if the same True Love's kiss wouldn't wake her, then he didn't have the answer. A Sleeping Curse left him with nothing to treat in that world.
"Rumple will have the answer," Belle repeated softly, looking up from the seat she'd claimed in the large room they'd been provided with to monitor Emma, and she shifted the bag of potions in her lap.
They were resigned to waiting. It was terrible and nerve wracking, but his papa had said he'd let them know as soon as he had details from Maleficent, who would likely know what the clerics had added to the curse. Bae hadn't been aware that anything could be added to negate True Love, but he also wasn't an expert in the limitations of magic either.
Belle's clear eyes flickered over to him. "I haven't seen you try," she said after a moment.
"She has a point," David murmured and leaned forward in his chair a bit, looking over to where his daughter was stretched out in the hospital bed. "Maybe there's something we missed. Every curse has a breaking point, right?"
"That's what Rumple says," Belle agreed. "Maybe it has to do with the kind of True Love?"
Baelfire stared at them moment. "Even if that's possible, Emma made her feelings clear," he answered after a moment, his voice tight and it pulled a very small smile from the blond prince whose daughter lay dying.
"Sometimes people feel emotions so strongly that they can't quite sort through them." He offered a small shrug. "That's my experience, at least."
"And it was her necklace that traveled across the worlds with you when nothing else did," Belle added.
Bae looked between them and there was some sort of expectation in their eyes. Now he knew how his son had felt with everyone relying on him to wake her. He glanced over to where the woman he loved was growing paler, Killian at her side and holding her hand in his remaining good one with her mother and Henry at her other side, and Baelfire loosed a painful sigh. He had crossed worlds for that woman. He'd been willing to dabble in the darkest of magics if it would give him a chance of reaching her. It had, if only for a few moments, and then he'd died for her. For Emma, for Henry, and for his papa, even if it had taken them a while to free him. He knew he couldn't ask that she love him for it, but Emma seemed to hate him for it instead. Maybe David and Belle were right. Maybe everything was too much. She was damn good at running from her feelings.
One of the machines started screeching.
"Emma?" Hook's startled voice joined in.. "Emma!"
Henry stood at his mother's side, eyes wide, and he looked towards his father. "She's not breathing, Dad," he managed and Bae covered the space between them before he'd given his legs permission to move, pulling his teenage son into his arms and guiding him out of the way.
"I'm not leaving her," Killian argued with one of the nurses that came in, trying to scoot him out of the way.
"Dad, please just try."
Bae looked down to find his son staring up at him and he nodded. Henry was convinced - apparently along with David and Belle - that he could save her, but Bae hadn't wanted to shatter his son's hopes like he knew it would. That, or maybe he didn't want his own shattered quite so badly, he realized with a stab of guilt. He was afraid that it wouldn't work. That, just like Killian when he'd tried to save her, her feelings would become so clear that he'd have to stop lying to himself. At least if he didn't kiss her, he'd never know.
But he'd rather know than lose her forever.
One of the nurses stepped aside, murmuring that there was nothing to do for the woman that was slipping so quickly. He was left alone at her bedside, the others moving back and away, and he could hear Mary Margaret crying softly into David's shoulder. Bae pulled in a deep breath, his hand going to the side of her face and pushing back long blonde strands. "I'm sorry, Emma," he whispered. "I'm so sorry for everything." He was nearly convinced that it wouldn't work as his lips brushed hers and he felt all of that pain and terror rising up in him. She didn't stir and it made its way up in the form of a sob as he held her hand in his. "I'm sorry," he managed again. "I love you so much."
What might have been seconds or hours ticked by, but either way it felt like an eternity before Emma Swan let out a choking cough that shook her, causing him to straighten and he found hazel eyes looking back at him in wonder. They stared at each other for a long moment before she blinked rapidly, a tear or two finally escaping down the side of her face and her hand tightened in his. "Don't leave."
"I won't. I won't ever leave you again," he swore roughly and he found a laugh managing to escape him as she sat up, wrapping her arms around him as best she could with the wires connected.
She echoed it, face buried in the crook of his neck. "He said that no one could wake me up."
"He lied," Henry announced as he piled on the bed. "It just took True Love like yours and Dad's to break the curse."
"True… Hang on there," Emma said as she finally let go.
"There's no denying it now, Swan," Killian said from the corner he'd been shuffled into. Bae turned to see the heartbreak plainly worn across his face. "True Love can break any curse, even if they put limits on it."
"How would they be able to do that though? That seems like it would be pretty strong magic," Mary Margaret said thoughtfully from her spot.
"Rumple should have found out by now from Maleficent," Belle answered, checking her phone. "He hasn't called though. He knew this was rather time sensitive."
"You think he's okay?" Henry asked and Bae offered his son a smile.
"I'm sure he's fine. Belle's right, he knows how important this is. He wouldn't risk Maleficent tricking him or something."
Belle was already dialing a number and she put the phone up to her ear, her brows growing closer and closer together. "He's not answering."
The terror didn't quite set back in, but Bae didn't like it. "Where the hell is my dad?"
Silas. Rumplestiltskin had tucked that name away when they'd held him prisoner. He was one of the three that had attacked Belle and his main attacker on what seemed like a very personal vendetta in the old house the clerics had chosen for themselves. He was a wildcard, answering only to Caiden and likely Magnus himself.
A wildcard with a dozen well trained clerics at his disposal. If they'd been in the Enchanted Forest the clerics wouldn't have stood a chance, but it was bottled True Love that had brought magic to Storybrooke, and part of the price Rumplestiltskin had been willing to pay was that light magic would have a bit more strength than dark. He'd resigned himself to that at the time because insignificants like the Blue Fairy would be the only ones using it, and with access to his curse again he would be stronger. It also allowed for the savior's power to grow, which had been in his benefit more than once.
It did make for a problem here, though it could be argued that he, Regina, and Maleficent were the most powerful dark magic users in the realms. That was something at least.
"I sincerely hope you have a plan," Regina snapped, a ball of flame coming to her call.
"Destroying them isn't the plan?" Maleficent asked. She was gathering power to herself as well, her eyes glowing as the winds picked up around her.
Rumplestiltskin didn't answer as his eyes scanned the room. Threads of magic were already being woven into place, the clerics hard at work as Silas ran his mouth. The light magic bit back at his own as he began the task of unravelling it, but he knew he'd never finish alone, and Regina didn't allow herself the patience to take it apart as it needed to be done. Maleficent might, but she looked gleefully ready to allow the chaos to rain down.
The magical thread tightened and Regina's flame snuffed out. A startled sound escaped her, but her former teacher ignored it. He almost had the loose end, and when he found it, it would unravel the quick and deadly spell they were working so hard on. Silas was a distraction, but it was a good thing that the Dark One had long ago decided fools held little interest for him.
"Rumple!" Regina called sharply and he found what he'd been looking for and pulled.
There was a loud crash that shook the entire shop. Bottles and containers fell from their shelves, loosing ingredients onto the floor and scattering. The spell sent violent waves of power back as it came to its abrupt end and all three dark sorcerers threw a shield up against it. Shards broke through, but Rumplestiltskin pushed hard, swinging the power back at its casters and landed three of the clerics in a heap in the floor, beaten by their own spell.
Silas let out a low growl as he flung a spell forward, but Regina was already in motion, her fiery attack lit once more and the dark magic slammed into his chest. It threw him through the open door and he rolled, landing at Caiden's feet.
The tall man was simply observing, but as Rumplestiltskin moved towards the door he felt the cleric quietly gathering magic to himself. He was not alone, of course, but the Dark One hadn't known that there were that many of them in Storybrooke. It was like they were crawling out of the woodworks now, and he wished he'd been more attentive to the various clerical orders back home. Perhaps if he had he would have had a better idea of what to expect.
"It's time we end this, I think," Caiden said evenly, his pale eyes flashing with power.
Rumplestiltskin glanced back to Regina. He didn't trust her - couldn't trust her - but he knew he must. He couldn't fight them all on his own. Not here and not now.
"Regina dear, shall we let them have their little battle?" Maleficent asked cheerfully. "It's been some time since I hunted clerics."
The Evil Queen shined through the smile that crossed her lips. "Indeed it has."
"Diaval, be a dear?"
The shapeshifter gave a small bow. "Of course, Mistress," he said before taking his leave out the back. Where she was sending him, Rumplestiltskin didn't know, nor did he have time to care. He had to choose to trust those two to handle the rest of them while he focused on Caiden. Magnus' second wasn't as powerful as his master, but he was a handful, and Rumplestiltskin knew he wouldn't have left their last encounters without taking knowledge of how he worked with him.
"You truly are different than the others," Caiden said, his blue eyes focused. "Perhaps you'd be willing to listen to reason?"
"I think you and I have very different definitions of reason," the Dark One answered as he took the first shot. The spell was darker and nastier than he might have bothered with any other time, but these men had hurt his son and threatened his wife and grandson. Caiden had been right. It was time to end this. Rumplestiltskin wouldn't allow anyone else in his family to be harmed by them.
The spell slammed into Caiden's shields and only a portion of it broke through. What did splintered off, slicing into the younger man and leaving thin trails of blood in their wake. He stumbled back at the blow, but didn't lose his footing entirely. Pale eyes narrowed. "You've proven yourself different from every other Dark One, Rumplestiltskin. Won't you think if your family now? There is no safety for them as long as you are under that curse."
"You attacked your family, not me," Rumplestiltskin growled as Caiden loosed a spell at him. He flickered out of existence and then back in a few feet to the right, the cleric's spell having hit through one of Maleficent's shattered shop windows.
It was a distraction, he quickly realized, as a second attack leapt forward and he only had a brief moment to meet it with his own. Dark and light magic sparked between them, both fighting for dominance, and Rumplestiltskin was surprised at how much raw power was behind the young man.
"Really?" Caiden asked as their magic battled for them. "You were the one that let the boy go and set him on a path of pain and misery for the better part of three centuries. You know it well, don't you? Every ounce of it. If he could feel your pain during your shared time, surely you felt his."
Dark brown eyes blinked in surprise. "How do you know that?" he demanded, feeling the magic increase against him. Just how powerful was this cleric?
"Magnus saw much when your son was with us. You hurt him and in turn, he hurt you. Both of you are aware now of just how deeply that goes. Think of him now and think of all the danger your curse has put him through. He will be safe. Wasn't that why you took it in the first place?"
The question seemed genuine, as if Caiden were truly looking for an answer. Precious few knew why Rumplestiltskin had first taken on the Dark One's Curse and even fewer cared to ask. "Yes," he breathed, pulling air deep into his lungs and reminding his own curse why he'd chosen to give it a host that even it had become somewhat fond of. "Yes I did, and I will continue to keep my family safe. I will not abandon them to do it!" He reached deep into his curse, pulling forth darkness fueled by the need to protect those he loved. The magic slammed forward, sparking and threading together in a combination of dark and light that he was certain that no other Dark One had ever wielded before. In fact, he hadn't known that he had been able to wield it.
The magic shattered Caiden's spell and hit the cleric fullforce. It sent him flying back across the street and he landed hard against a parked car on the other side, slumping painfully to the ground. Even though his curse howled against the light magic born of his love for his family, it reveled in the fact that its host was willing to end it now. Rumplestiltskin would enjoy killing this little cleric and he let a dark smile - so very reminiscent of the imp that he had so often hidden behind back home - stretch his lips as he squatted down in front of him.
"I tried to warn you," Caiden whispered, face contorting into a grimace even as he did. The warning flashed almost too late and instinct had Rumplestiltskin tumbling to the side as magic snapped outward. He teleported as he did so, but it caught him along the side, opening up a deep gash along his ribs, slicing easily through the expensive fabric of his suit. He hit the street hard, rolling as he did, and landed face down. Pain shot through him, but it was nothing like he'd experienced at David's hand, or even the clerics' after, so he pushed himself to his feet. He'd never liked pain, but he'd always been able to handle it when there was a goal in front of him. Saving his family. That was all he could care about now. Ending this was all he could focus on.
"I tried to reason with you, but Magnus was right. You can't reason with a demon," Caiden said as he stalked forward, his movements aided by his magic.
"I suppose you can't," Rumplestiltskin answered quietly and flickered out of existence. The cleric's injuries would slow him down more than Rumple's own would, and he had to act fast. He landed behind him, spell already leaving his fingers as he reappeared and Caiden turned directly into it. Pale eyes widened as a curse of Rumplestiltskin's own making spread through him, pulling him apart and unraveling him, using his own magic to do so. "Perhaps your death will make this entirely clear to Magnus: I will not give my life to rid the worlds of this curse. I will control it better and with more precision than any of my predecessors ever hoped to, and I will use it as I see fit. I could have let him live if he'd only gone after me, but now that he's threatened everyone I care for, I'll use that power to crush him."
Caiden could only stare at him in horror as his knees gave way and he dropped, frozen there and staring up at the raging Dark One that remained seething behind the mask of calm. The life was fading from him and Rumplestiltskin watched as it slowly snuffed out, dragging Magnus' most trusted cleric under.
Regina had forgotten just how well she and Maleficent worked together when they were fighting on the same side. Snow and her little friends could be - and often were - suffocating with their black and white views of the world and what a hero and villain looked like. She still wanted to be better for Henry's sake, but that didn't mean that she couldn't enjoy playing in the grey.
Together they'd nearly cleared the area of their attackers and Rumple looked to be finishing off their leader. She really should make peace with Maleficent after this. It was much more likely than making peace with her former teacher, after all.
Another burst of magic tried to wrap around her and she slammed a fireball at the cleric. He caught it, using a shield of light magic to roll it around and deflect it. Regina grimaced as it nearly clipped Rumple. He turned, darkness rolling off of him strongly enough to make even the former Evil Queen nervous. She raised her hands, motioning towards the cleric that had redirected the attack, and now he looked a little nervous.
Sometimes it was easy to forget just how powerful Rumplestiltskin really was. He had taught her, mocked her, and faced off with her, but even in their worst moments, he'd never really tried to kill her. Even after he'd found Belle he had let her live, because she knew that if he wanted her dead, she'd have been dead long ago. If she ever had a question on it, the sheer power that radiated him - even in this place that limited magic so greatly - reminded her, and the cleric that had been fool enough to deflect the Evil Queen's blow in the wrong direction found himself without a moment to protest as he was dissolved into ash. The bare few that were left were gone in an instant, teleporting away, and leaving the two sorceresses and the Dark One alone in the tattered remains of the street.
"I wasn't aware that your time with the Charmings would hamper your skills quite so badly."
Regina's eyes narrowed. "Excuse me?"
"Really, you used to have quite an aim with those things. Now you can't hit one cleric."
"He deflected it!"
"Not helping your case, dearie."
"Well excuse me for handling all of them while you focused on one," she growled, temper flaring. She'd had more than enough of this. She knew he was angry, she got that, even if she disagreed with it. She'd worked hard for her acceptance - even when he was so convinced that she'd never receive it - and she'd earned what she got.
"You couldn't have handled him and I'd prefer not to see my grandson's mother killed. Speaking of, the whole point of this was to find out what needed to happen to keep Miss Swan from dying, so if you don't mind-"
"Actually, I do. Between the idiot pirate and your son, someone's bound to wake her up. Put a little faith in them, would you?" She paused, leveling a glare at him. "But that's really the point, isn't it? You don't trust anyone."
"Who I trust and who I don't is my concern, Regina," he growled. "Though I have a fairly good reason to be weary over trusting any of you beyond Belle and Bae."
The Evil Queen rolled her eyes. "Oh yes. The dagger. Tell me, Rumple, who has it? Because Belle sure as hell doesn't. Does she even know-"
"Don't be absurd."
"You killed Zelena! Unless I have completely misread your little wife, of course."
Regina watched the irritation play out across his face. He was welcome to lie about it, but that would compromise Belle's integrity, and if there was one thing she knew about her former teacher, it was that if he chose to love someone, he did it with all of his battered heart. She just hadn't been certain that he could love anymore before the bookworm came along. There had to be a reason he'd thrown her out after she'd been sent to unknowingly strip him of his dark magic.
"What do you want, Regina?"
She bit her tongue - something that she might not have been able to do before subjecting herself to far more time with the Charmings than she would have liked as of late - and purposefully thought of Henry. He loved his grandpa, despite everything. If he loved this man, she could at least try to curb her ire. "Peace, because I'll likely be dead long before you'll trust me again."
"I never trusted you."
"Now that is a lie," Maleficent said from the side, almost forgotten as she quietly listened to the bickering. "If you don't mind, I'd like to finish this."
Regina lifted an eyebrow. "You want to help?"
"They destroyed my shop, so I'm happy to destroy them."
"Fair enough," Rumplestiltskin accepted with a shrug.
Regina gaped. "Really? You two hate each other."
"Hate is such a strong word," Maleficent pouted. "I've had moments when I'm rather fond of him. Sparse, but they are there."
Rumple rolled his eyes and started stalking away. Regina, for her part, felt her old friend's steady look. The usual snark and teases were left behind and she fell into step with the the younger woman. She was silent for a few moments as they walked, aimed steadily at the hospital where they were bound to have taken Emma by now. It didn't take long for the former fairy to break that silence though. She'd never been able to let things lie. "Do you know what I told myself time and again while I was your prisoner down in that infernal basement?"
Nor did she sugar coat anything, Regina thought irritably. "What is that?"
"I reminded myself that you are young."
"I'm hardly-"
"Let me finish. You may not be young by human standards, but to people like Rumplestiltskin and I, you are all children. You haven't had centuries as we have to learn that, even when they don't mean to, the people you care about most can cause you the most harm. You open yourself up and you make yourself vulnerable. Trust is a dangerous thing, Regina."
"I can't live like that anymore. You were right."
"I know. Here's a secret for you: no one can. It eats at your soul more than the darkness ever could, but betrayals aren't easily forgotten."
Regina stared at her old friend, uncertain of quite how to react. She'd thought that they might speak on what had happened, but she hadn't expected this. "I took his dagger," she admitted in a rush, the truth demanding to be told in response to Maleficent's own honesty.
Violet eyes narrowed. "It's one thing to toy with a person's trust, yet something else to toy with their very soul. You may never win his trust back."
A small sigh escaped her as she watched the man that had taught her magic and shaped her into the woman that she had become walked away and it struck her that she wanted his trust back. "I know," she admitted softly. "And what about yours?"
Maleficent chuckled lowly and waved a hand in the air. "My dear, I knew I was playing with fire every time I welcomed you into my home." She pause, the smile never leaving her lips. "But if you ever try to do something of that sort again I will end you."
The threat should have shaken her, but Regina found herself laughing instead. "I'd like to see you try," she answered with a smile of her own. Well, at least one old friendship was back to normal.
TBC
Notes: Well, it's back to work for me today. Long holiday weekends make me want to curl up and sleep so much :)
Oh, and did anyone else's heart break with the OutlawQueen scene last night? Yep. Mine too.
Next time - Emma tries to come to terms with what she's learned about herself while Rumple, Belle, and Bae find that their home may not be as safe as they'd thought.