Chapter Sixteen

Belle had called several times now and she was beginning to grow nervous. Rumple had no way to know that Bae had pulled Emma back from the brink, but if he'd made it to Maleficent's he would surely know that was the best bet. He wouldn't risk the delay unless something had happened to him.

"Still nothing?" Baelfire asked from where he was sitting with his blonde love.

"Something must have happened," she answered as she stood. "I'm going to go over and check."

"Do I need to come with you?"

A small smile perked her lips. "No, I think you're needed here."

Emma frowned. "I'm not sticking around this place. We'll meet you there."

Belle was almost out the door when the opening was blocked by the same man that had come on behalf of Maleficent. He blinked at her, as if surprised to see her, and she looked steadily at him. Rumple had left with him, but he was coming to them alone. "Where is my husband?" she demanded.

"Fighting the clerics with my mistress and the Evil Queen," he answered. "Maleficent sent me here to tell you, though I've had trouble locating you. It may be over by now."

"We can't get ahold of them," Belle said. "Henry? Try calling Regina?"

"Sure," the teen answered, pulling his phone out of his jacket pocket. His eyes skimmed over something. "Mom texted. She said they're on their way."

Belle felt a rush of relief flood through her. "Is everyone okay?"

Henry shrugged. "She never says a lot in texts."

Emma huffed as she threw back the covers and swung her legs over the edge of the bed. Her mother looked ready to stand in protest if she hadn't had her arms full of baby Neal. "What do you think you're doing?"

"Getting up. If Gold and Regina are on their way from a fight, it won't be long until another one is on our doorstep. Where are my clothes?"

David reached around to where they'd folded her clothes up and handed them to her, a look of resignation on his face as she took them and slipped into the bathroom to change.

The door had just closed when Belle heard the sounds of argument that meant her husband and his former student were within the same vicinity. Bae must have heard them too because he stood and moved towards the door with her. The dark haired man Maleficent had sent made way for them and Belle stepped into the hall. Rumple was glaring irritably at a tall woman that she was sure she'd seen - though she'd never met her - when she was still only the Dark One's maid. She was grinning saucily at him, apparently amused by his short temper. Regina walked silently on the woman's other side. All three of them looked like they'd been through a rather troublesome battle.

"Please tell me that's not his blood," Bae managed and Belle's gaze shifted to look at where his coat was ripped and not quite covering the red-stained dress shirt beneath.

She loosed a long breath but didn't say anything in response. Instead she crossed the remaining space between them and his foul mood was put away as he wrapped his arms around her. "Bae kissed her. Emma's awake."

Rumplestiltskin snorted softly in her ear. "And how did she take that?"

Belle found herself smiling. "I've only met one person in all the worlds stubborn enough to deny True Love, and even he couldn't do it forever."

Her husband had the decency to look a little sheepish and the blonde laughed. "Well, Rumple, I'd hardly believed it, but there really isn't denying True Love."

"No," he answered softly. "There isn't."

"What happened, Papa?" Bae asked. "We've been trying to reach you."

Rumple's lips thinned as he wrapped an arm around Belle - his left arm, opposite of the side that they'd seen the blood on - and they started for the room so that the story wouldn't have to be told ten times over. When they reached it, Emma sat dressed in the bed with an impatient look sprawled across her face. "Well?" she demanded.

The whole room - even Captain Hook who hadn't seemed to know quite what to do with himself after Bae woke Emma when he couldn't - was looking to the three now. Henry moved to stand with his other mother, ready to be of any help that he could be. The boy certainly had inherited equal parts stubbornness and bravery, making it nearly impossible to leave him out of what was happening, even for his own safety.

"You're Maleficent, aren't you?" the teen asked, eying the blonde that was so very obviously a sorceresses.

"I am indeed. And you're the boy that saved the Evil Queen," she answered with a knowing smile. "When this is all over, you and I will have a chat. I know so many stories that your dear mother hasn't told you."

"I don't mean to be rude or anything, but I thought you were dead," Emma said from her place. "Didn't I kill you?"

Maleficent's smile was a little unnerving at best. "Death is so permanent. Surely you wouldn't expect Regina to allow her only friend to actually die?"

"And what about the undead monster?" Hook asked from his corner, his gaze weary.

The sorceresses shrugged. "Resetting the curse did wonders for my complexion."

"On another note," Regina broke in, waving her hand as if to dismiss the conversation. "We have more pressing matters. Magnus' second - Caiden - led an attack at Maleficent's shop. Rumple killed him, but a few of the others got away."

Belle looked up to see her husband's face carefully neutral and her gaze traveled down to try to get a better look at the injury he hadn't acknowledged.

"Magnus will be out for blood," Bae said softly. "I got the impression that those two were as close as Magnus got to anyone."

"We need to end it quickly," Rumple agreed. "I'd wager that Magnus thought he was taking another powerful magic user out of play by putting Miss Swan under a Sleeping Curse as he did."

The blonde savior snorted. "Yeah, well, my magic won't do any good even now that I'm awake." She looked between the three other magic users in the room. "What? Zelena took it."

"No, Zelena bound it," Rumple countered, his dark eyes calculating.

"Whatever. It's still not there. Or not reachable."

Belle watched her husband's expression carefully. He had that look. It was the one that said he knew something and that he was waiting for others to catch up. She felt a smile cross her lips. "True Love's Kiss can break any curse."

"Emma, can you use your magic?" Mary Margaret asked, her eyes wide and curious.

Emma looked over to Bae who offered her a crooked smile in return. There was something unspoken there, and possibly had never been spoken between them, but it was as if they both understood. "I don't want to hurt anyone," she managed uncomfortably.

"You won't," Baelfire assured her.

The nervous look didn't leave her as she lifted a hand up and magic swirled in the air. It was bright and filled with light, the magic dancing for everyone to see. Emma sat mesmerised by it, her eyes following its motion until Regina snorted. "Yes, we can all see you can make the air sparkle a little. I just hope you can still do more than that when we face Magnus."

Rumple rolled his eyes, bypassing her completely. "Bae is right. You must trust yourself, Emma. You have a great deal of potential, but only if you allow yourself to. It is up to you how you use it."

"Do we actually have a plan?" David asked.

"Yes."

Belle glanced up when her husband didn't continue, but he didn't look ready to offer anything further.

Regina made a frustrated sound. "Care to share with the rest of us, Rumple?"

"Not until everything is in order."

"So what, we're just supposed to sit around and wait for you to-"

He turned a glare on her. "If we want to win this, then yes. You're going to have to trust me."

"You do actually have a plan, right?"

Rumplestiltskin blinked, Bae's voice was hesitant after they'd closed the car doors. Emma had promised to call if she needed anything, but she'd been more than a little certain that her parents would overwhelm her as soon as they got back to the apartment. Regina was begrudgedly going with them to set up wards, though the fact that Henry was there had likely been the deciding factor for the supposedly former Evil Queen.

Truth be told, he hadn't stopped thinking about it since his battle with Caiden. While Magnus' most loyal follower had needed to meet his end, Rumplestiltskin had killed him to appease his curse that had been howling for it. He'd learned a great deal from that fight, and he meant to take that knowledge into the final round with the lead cleric himself. What needed to happen to defeat Magnus was clear to him, but that didn't mean he had to like it.

"Papa?"

He blinked, his son's voice pulling him out of his thoughts and he sighed. "I brought magic to Storybrooke by using a True Love potion I'd bottled before the curse was cast."

"I thought magic couldn't make someone fall in love?" Bae asked, turning the car down the street and towards the collection of houses.

"Not to make someone fall in love," Belle answered for her husband. "Rumple learned how to bottle a potion of True Love itself so that he could have Emma break the curse, but what does that have to do with the clerics?"

"It has to do with the way magic works here," Rumplestiltskin answered softly. "Magic is balanced in the Enchanted Forest, you see. Black and white and everything in between. Rarely does a sorcerer use just one or the other."

Bae glanced over from the driver's seat. "Even you?"

A small smile worked its way onto his features. "Even me, though my curse limits the amount of light magic I can properly work." He shrugged, leaning back against the passenger seat. His wounds from the battle with Caiden were closed, thanks to his magic, but he was still left mostly drained from it after the adrenaline had worn off. "I used the most extreme form of light magic to bring magic to a land that shouldn't, in its natural form, even have access to magic."

"That gives light magic users an advantage, doesn't it?" Belle asked from the back seat.

"It does."

"Well, Emma has her magic back, so that's a start," Bae pointed out.

"And Regina can use light magic," Belle added.

Rumplestiltskin watched the road as they turned into the long drive connected to his house. "It won't be enough. I saw Regina and Maleficent fight them. They both held their own well enough against Magnus' little followers, but if any one of them went up against him directly… They'd be dead."

Bae killed the engine and Belle leaned forward, her hand touching Rumplestiltskin's shoulder. "So what can we do to defeat him?"

"Or at least to give us the advantage?" his son murmured.

"There is a spell. It's very powerful and very old, and it can strip light magic from a person."

"Could you cast something like that in this world?" Belle asked, though she sounded like the thought of a spell like that even existing made her stomach churn just a little.

"It would take an enormous amount of power. I would have to pull on something to be able to channel it."

"Your dagger."

Rumplestiltskin turned, finding his son's dark eyes on him. There was an understanding there like never before. Bae had always hated that dagger, had wanted to destroy it, but now he understood just how intertwined his father's soul was with it. There really was only one escape from the Dark One's Curse, and that was death. "Yes," he breathed after a moment, trying to suppress the terrible feeling that shot through him.

"Wouldn't that make you vulnerable to have it out in the open like that?"

"It would."

"Then we need to find another way," Belle said firmly.

Her husband sighed. She wanted to protect him and he loved her for her bravery, but if he wanted to protect them, this was something he had to do, no matter how much he hated it. "There is no other way. Magnus has centuries of knowledge at his disposal. The only way to take him out is to take him down. It needs to be me and this spell is our best bet."

Bae and Belle exchanged glances, an unspoken conversation evident. "We're with you, Papa," Bae said softly. "Whatever you need to do."

"And whatever you need us to do," Belle added.

"Thank you. It won't be easy."

Belle offered him an understanding smile that made his dark heart melt just a little. "Will you kill him?"

"I don't know."

"With his powers gone, you may not have to.."

"I know, but…" He didn't want to finish it. They both knew what kind of man he was. He wasn't a saint. He wasn't even a good man. He wanted to kill Magnus for everything that had happened and all the pain he'd caused, but he knew that the people that he had allied himself with would disagree, just as they had with Zelena. He'd killed the Wicked Witch as she stood defenceless in her cell, and he'd likely do the same to the cleric who had lived with the sole purpose of destroying the Dark One since the curse had first been formed. He would have to find his own reason if he were to choose to leave him alive. He couldn't bring himself to let him live strictly on the wishes and wants of others. It had to be balanced. There had to be a reason.

"You'll do what you have to, Papa," Bae said as he opened the door and stepped out. "No one will blame you for finishing this."

"Bae," Belle admonished softly from her place and Rumplestiltskin's son shrugged.

"These guys are lunatics, Belle. They're not going to stop. If it's Magnus or my dad, I'll choose my dad every time."

It was said so easily that Rumplestiltskin paused halfway out of his old cadillac, his chest tight, and he looked back around. That was something so many of them didn't get: there wasn't always a third option that kept your hands clean. Often it boiled down to one person surviving or the other, and the fact that Bae was so willing to side with him, even though he likely knew that his love's side of the family would be thoroughly against even Magnus' death - even if he did say no one would blame him, all parties involved knew how black and white the Charmings tended to see the world - said much for their relationship and how far they'd come from that sputtering moment in a little apartment in New York City. "Thank you, Bae," he managed.

Bae grinned crookedly. "I said whatever you need, and I meant it. Now can we get inside before it starts snowing again?"

Rumplestiltskin chuckled, shaking his head a little as he closed the door behind him. Belle smiled brightly and looped her arm through his. "We'll win this," she promised him.

"I know."

The three of them started towards the house and Rumplestiltskin paused, gaining both of their attentions. Something wasn't right. His wards felt off. No alarms had gone off and no warnings seemed to have been given, but he knew his own magic well enough to when something was wrong.

Bae was already at the door and as he opened it he turned, his whole stance screaming worry. "Papa," he started, but his father was at his side in a moment. Rumplestiltskin's dark eyes went wide and he moved past him into the house, taking in the destruction. Furniture was overturned, papers strewn out, and glass littered the floor from where it had been shattered. Someone had gotten past his wards - a truly powerful feat as they hadn't even tipped him off that they'd broken through - and had ransacked his home.

"How did they get in?" Belle managed from behind.

Bae stepped up next to him and Rumplestiltskin could feel the anger rolling off of him in waves. Bae might not be able to control magic with any sort of precision, but if he ever chose to study it and reach for it inside of himself, there was a chance he could be incredibly powerful. He'd certainly been touched by it enough over his lifetime. "And are they still here?"

That's when he felt it. They might have found a way to hide their intrusion into his home, but there was no way to cover the grip on his very soul. Rumplestiltskin thought his knees might give out suddenly and he turned towards the room where his dagger was hidden under a loose floorboard. These people had gotten into his home and past all of his woven magics - or at least through his woven magics - so it was safe to assume that they knew what they were coming for.

"Rumple?" Belle called.

"Papa, what is it?"

"Oh it's nothing," a familiar voice said from the hallway and Silas stepped into view. In his hand was clutched the Kris Dagger. "He just realized that he's been beat."

Emma didn't know where to begin. They'd been running so hard and so fast - really since the day the curse broke - that there was no clear point of beginning to the chaos anymore. One horrible thing led to the next, piling and compiling on top of each other until she felt like she was drowning beneath it.

But then she looked around her. She had her son and her parents, and apparently even she couldn't deny how much she loved Neal. Her family had been found and expanded like she could never have imagined and they loved her. Emma Swan realized that no matter how much she complained, no matter how much she threatened, or how crazy it got, she would never give these people up. Not one. Heroes and villains and everything in between had come together and it was beautiful.

"How are you feeling?" David asked as he took a seat next to her. "Sleeping Curses are pretty intense."

"Okay, I think," Emma answered after a moment.

"There are usually lingering effects from it, but your mother and I are here for you. Anything you need, you know that, right?"

She didn't hesitate to throw her arms around his neck. "I'm so glad I stayed," she admitted softly and David tightened his grip on her.

"I'm glad you stayed too. We all are."

"I just... All my life I've spent so much time running. I don't think I'm very good at being loved."

David offered her a quirked smile. "Well, there are a lot of people here willing to remind you, and not just in this room." He grinned at her. "But I think even Regina has gotten a little more fond of you," he said in tone that said he knew that the former Evil Queen would hear him.

"Don't get ahead of yourself," Regina groused from her spot where she was securing a ward to keep the clerics out. "I put up with you. That's a long way from being fond of someone."

Henry snorted from his place on the couch with Roland and Robin and received a glare from the mother that had been speaking. He raised his hands in mock surrender. "Hey, don't get mad at me. You're the one that's not being entirely truthful. You always told me not to lie, so I guess I just expected the same from you."

Regina balked. "One year. That's all you were away for and she's turned you against me." The words that might have been spoken with feeling once, and true ire, now left her lips laced with quiet humour. Henry grinned and Robin chuckled, leaving the room with a warmer feeling than Emma could have ever thought possible. For all their talk, somehow they really were a family and she really wouldn't trade that for anything. For the first time she felt something she thought might be peace.

The dark haired mayor motioned her over though, and Emma had known that the reprieve wouldn't last. There was a seriousness in her expression and she turned so that her back was to their son. "We're going to need you on this. You may have your magic back, but can you use it?"

"I think so," Emma said quietly. She'd felt it since they had left the hospital. It was warm and powerful, bubbling up inside of her and intensifying when she felt the need to protect those she loved. "I want to."

"Well look at you," Regina murmured with a small smile. "Congratulations."

"For what?"

"I think you've finally accepted who you are supposed to be."

Emma rolled her eyes. "Did that a while back, don't you think?"

Regina turned a studying gaze on her. "Did you?"

The blonde savior blinked. "What do you mean? I accepted who I was ages ago."

"Not all of you. Magic is just as much part of being the savior as running around and slaying villains. You can't be frightened of it."

Emma watched her former rival carefully and found that Regina didn't appear to be trying to push buttons for once, and the argument died before it ever reached her lips. She had been afraid and she had blamed herself for Neal's death, even when no one else did. If she was going to use her magic, she wanted to use it to help those she loved, not hurt them. "How do I make sure I don't hurt someone I care about again?"

Regina snorted. "You're coming to the wrong person for advice on that," she grumbled, her dark gaze flickering to Henry and her lips twitched downward. "But I'm not sure there's anyone you could ask for advice, because I don't think it's possible."

"What do you mean?"

"People get hurt, Miss Swan. There's no stopping that, but they will if you use your magic or not, and using it gives you a definite advantage."

She nodded slowly, letting the words sink in. Who would have thought she'd ever receive training and advice from Regina Mills? "Thanks."

"We have to be in this to win it."

"I am."

"Good, then you can start by helping me with these wards."

She saw the terror in his eyes as he stared at the man who held his dagger as his prize. It was the same terror that had been there when Zelena had taken him prisoner. Belle couldn't imagine what it felt like to have your soul held in someone else's hand. It must have been a frightening experience to know that at any moment the person could force you to do harm to the ones you loved most - or even end your life - and you were helpless to stop it. She didn't think that she wanted to know what that would feel like, but in the same way she wished that her love didn't know either. He did, though, and from experiences that she'd hoped he would never have to relive.

Silas stood in their home, the Kris Dagger held loosely in his grip and a smile that made her skin crawl. He turned his gaze on her and she stiffened under it. He lifted the dagger just a little, motioning with it. "The real one, in case you weren't sure."

Belle felt her temper - usually so well in check - rise at the words. "Give that back."

The smile didn't falter. "You really do think that you care about him, don't you?" He turned his gaze back to Rumple as if she were inconsequential. His smile grew. "I never could imagine the power that comes with this. I'd heard, of course, but nothing can truly prepare you for it."

"You'll regret laying hands on it when I get it back, dearie," Rumple growled dangerously.

Silas snorted, gesturing with the dagger and Rumplestiltskin flinched. "You're all bark and no bite now, Dark One. I have complete control of you. You'll do whatever I say."

Pleading with this man was pointless. He was enjoying the tight, uncomfortable look that Belle's husband wore. He was enjoying it so much that he didn't see Bae moving just off to the side.

"Down." The young cleric motioned to the ground with the knife and Rumple grunted as he hit his knees, unable to fight the command. "You murdered my brother and you killed Caiden. I won't let you hurt anyone else."

"Your brother attacked Belle and Caiden attacked me," Rumple answered, his voice strained.

"Shut up," Silas snapped, the command slamming down so hard that Belle could almost see it hit. "I'm taking you back to Magnus and he will end you himself. There's nothing you can do to stop it now."

"Maybe he can't, but I can," Bae growled. Silas turned towards his voice just in time for the elder man to land a painful sounding blow against that would likely blacken his other eye. It sent the cleric to the ground, but he kept a tight hold on the dagger even as he fell.

Bae didn't waste any time following after him. He made a grab for the dazed cleric, but Silas must have had enough of his wits around him to see it coming because he rolled, jumping up to his feet and taking a swipe at Bae that just barely missed him. "You don't have to die here," he said. "You can still walk away from this and have your family. Magnus will let you."

"I'd sooner rot in that hellhole that he created for the rest of eternity," Bae answered roughly.

Rumple remained on his knees and silent, just as he'd been commanded, but his dark eyes were wide and frightened as he watched his son and the cleric scuffle. Baelfire was better suited for a brawl than his younger attacker though. Years in Neverland had likely taught him a great deal about survival and he moved quickly, dodging an attack that would have dealt a nasty cut before he came around to land a blow hard enough to shove Silas into the wall, shaking it and nearly sending a breakable teetering off the shelf. Silas launched himself forward, using the steady wall to push off from and he swung out with his fist this time.

Belle had to dodge as they stumbled past her, but she didn't dare move too far in case Silas lost control of the dagger and and she could scoop it up. She bumped against a small stand and looked back. Rumple still kept pistols in the house, and one was kept tucked away in the drawer within reach. They were left over from the days before he brought magic to Storybrooke, she imagined. The days when he felt helpless, just as he likely felt right now. As Bae and Silas slammed around and Rumple remained stuck to the hallway floor, Belle reached back behind her for a backup plan, fingers searching blindly for the knob to pull the drawer open, but she froze as Silas slammed Bae into the wall, gaining the upper hand on him.

It only took seconds for him to move, but it was like watching it in slow motion as Baelfire's eyes went wide and Silas struck forward with the dagger in his hand, burying it deeply in his side. Bae made a small, pained sound as the cleric tore it back out and his knees gave way, sending him sliding down the wall and to the floor.

Silas turned his angry gaze back to Rumple who looked ready to break. Tears stood in his eyes and his expression was tight, as if he were fighting the command to remain on the floor and silent with everything he had within him. "I could have let him live, you know, if you'd just come quietly. This is your fault, and now you're going to be the one to finish him."

"What?" Rumplestiltskin managed shakily.

"You heard me," Silas growled, holding the dagger up so that the lamplight from the hall caught the name scrawled across it. "Finish him."

Point this, pull the trigger, and the gun'll do the rest for you, Rumple had told her once. It felt heavier than she remembered in her hands, but she didn't have time to think about that as she pulled it from the drawer and pointed at cleric that was threatening her family. "Please don't," she said desperately. She wasn't a killer and she knew that, but she wouldn't - couldn't - let this happen.

Silas turned on her and snarled something as he started forward. The gun went off and his eyes widened where he stood. It took a moment - she couldn't have known how long - and his fingers loosened around the dagger and it clattered to the floor. Rumple stopped where he was and pulled in a sharp intake of breath as his battle with his own curse came to an end and the demand for his son's death vanished. Belle knew she should be diving for the dagger even as Silas dropped to the floor with crimson soaking through his clothes, but all she could do was stare blankly at him, frozen in place.

"Belle," Rumple's soft voice filled her ears and she felt him pulling the gun from her hands. "Sweetheart? Look at me."

She wasn't sure when he'd moved and she blinked, realizing he was right in front of her. "Bae."

"Are you alright?"

"Yes. Help Bae."

He leaned forward and she felt his lips brush her forehead before moving quickly to his son's side. Baelfire was conscious, if still dazed looking and they spoke lowly for a moment before Rumple's hands began to glow with healing magic and it wrapped in and around the deep wound. Bae closed his eyes against it, his expression pained, and Belle made herself step around Silas' still form to kneel on his other side.

Rumple was focused on the task at hand and she didn't dare speak. Instead she took Bae's hand, one dark eye cracking open in response. "Good shot," he managed through gritted teeth and the statement that was likely supposed to be a thank you made tears gather in her eyes.

She pushed them back and squeezed his fingers. "I'm just glad you're okay."

Baelfire grunted in response and leaned back. It was several long moments before Rumple finished, his magic knitting the wound back together and Bae loosed a breath, eyes fluttering back open. "Better?" his father asked and he nodded. Rumple offered a tight smile. "The wound's closed and healed, but I can't do anything for the blood loss. You'll feel a little light headed when you stand, so take it easy."

"Thanks, Papa. You too, Belle. You both just saved my life."

She felt his gaze on him, but she couldn't quite meet it without feeling like she might burst into tears. She'd done what she had to and she knew that, but there was a heaviness settling down on her as she looked over to the dead man sprawled out in their front hallway. Slowly, numbly, Belle stood and moved to pick up the Kris Dagger to return it to her husband.

Bae stood carefully where he was and mumbled something about getting a change of clothes from upstairs. Rumple let him go, even if he watched him as he climbed the stairs, and stood slowly to move closer to his wife. "You saved my son's life today, Belle," he murmured softly. "I can never offer the kind of thanks that deserves."

Belle tried to smile for him. "You don't need to think me, Rumple." She handed him the dagger and he took it, Bae's blood immediately falling from it as magic wiped it clean. She could feel his clever gaze studying her, and she wasn't sure how long she could hold the crushing feelings in.

Rumplestiltskin stepped forward and Belle found herself wrapped in his arms. He held her close and the dam broke, tears flooding down her cheeks and a sob bubbling in her throat. "I killed him," she managed and he tightened his hold on her.

"You did nothing wrong, sweetheart. You saved Bae's life and you saved me from the unthinkable. You did nothing wrong. Please believe me."

"He was a horrible man, but…" She looked up, trying to find a way to put the whirlwind of emotions into words. "Why do I feel so terrible?"

Rumple grimaced and leaned forward. His lips pressed against her forehead. She leaned her cheek against his chest and held on, his heart beating strongly in her ear. The sound was soothing, even against the knowledge of what she had done. The world felt like it was spiralling around her, but he was steady. Their love could anchor her through this. She had to believe that or she thought she might go mad.

"Let's get you upstairs," he murmured in her ear.

"What about him?"

"I'll take care of everything, dear. I promise. It'll be like it never happened."

She couldn't imagine it would ever be like that, but she didn't have a chance to argue as he lifted her up into his arms, holding her close against him. She was safe and warm amidst the raging fear and terrible understanding of what she had done. She clung to him as he carried her up the stairs and felt tears pouring down her face.

Rumple settled her into their bed, pulling the covers up around her. "You should check on Bae," she whispered.

"I made sure he was okay," he said, but she could see the conflict shining in his eyes. This was his son that he'd searched so long for and lost so many times already. She knew he needed to be with him and to see for himself that the healing at worked through and through.

"Go. I'll be right here. I'll be fine."

"Are you certain?"

"Certain. Don't be silly. Go."

She thought he might argue again, but instead he leaned down and pressed a kiss against her lips. Belle felt a surge of warmth flush through her, helping to push back some of the pain. "Go," she said again when they broke.

"I'll be down the hall. Call me if you need anything."

"I will."

She watched him leave and the warmth left with him. Belle tucked herself further beneath the quilts and closed her eyes, trying to remind herself that she'd done what she had to do to protect her family.

TBC

Notes: So, these last few chapters are a bit crazy and fast paced. Hope you're enjoying reading them as much as I did writing them. I finally have an end number for this: 19 chapters, meaning we're in the last few here. After that I have a couple of two-shots and then another full-length that I've started writing away on called Burn the Worlds. I'll let you know more at the end of this story :)

Next time - Belle comes to terms with what she has done, Bae and Emma have a chat, and everyone prepares to face Magnus.