Chapter Seventeen

Rumplestiltskin slipped out into the hall, still fighting with himself over where he should be. Silas had nearly killed his son. Just a few moments later and he could have slipped beyond his reach as he slipped back into death. The dagger - his dagger - had ripped a hole in him, slipping through his ribs and puncturing a lung. Bae would have drowned in his own blood had he not been able to get to him in time to heal him, or worse, he would have killed him on orders of the cleric that held his dagger. He hated that Belle was in pain, but without her actions Bae would be dead by his own papa's hand. Rumplestiltskin could barely bring himself to think on it.

He stood outside her a son's door, indecision and thoughts of what could have very easily been holding him there. Every time he reached to knock his hand froze and he'd pull away. He was a coward. He had always known that, and now he didn't want to face anything, but at the same time he couldn't crush the need to be with them both.

The door opened and Bae stood in front of him. He was pale, but other than that he looked well for a man that had nearly bled out on the floor downstairs. He offered a crooked smile. "Hey."

Rumplestiltskin gave a tight one in return. "How're you feeling?"

"Tired, but otherwise okay I think. I know I used to complain as a kid when you tried to use magic to heal me, but it turned out pretty useful." He paused, and Rumplestiltskin felt dark eyes that were the same colour as his own studying him carefully. Bae leaned against the doorframe. "This wasn't your fault, Papa."

The words only cut the ache a little deeper. "We both know what happened," he whispered. "What would have happened if Belle hadn't been there."

Bae's smile thinned out and he motioned into the room. His papa followed him, glancing back towards the barely propped door he'd left open so that he could hear Belle call if she needed him. His son took a seat on the bed, looking tired. "How's Belle?"

He opened his mouth only to close it again. Traumatised? No, that wasn't his Belle. She was strong and she was brave. She would get through this, but he hated that she was suffering now. Her pure heart wasn't made for taking another person's life, even if it was a man bent on killing the man she loved and his son. It had needed to happen, but that didn't make it any easier on her, and Rumplestiltskin would have given anything to have eased that burden.

Bae reached out and took his hand, grabbing his attention. "She'll be okay, Papa."

"I know," came the automatic response.

"You just wish you could have done it for her to keep her safe."

Rumplestiltskin met his son's eyes suddenly. Bae had always been intuitive, but even he shouldn't have been able to guess his thoughts so precisely. It was true that Rumple would have done the deed himself, but by the time he'd finished patching Bae up Silas was gone. Likely Belle's shot had killed him very quickly, but even he knew that wouldn't comfort her. Bae seemed to know that, though, and it set an uncomfortable feeling deep within his father's chest as he was reminded that one other act that had been meant to save him had left him with the knowledge of even those darkest corners of his mind that he didn't often venture into.

"Sorry," Bae offered, looking a little sheepish as if he knew exactly what he'd done. "I know that you don't like people to pry. Even me. I get it, though. Sometimes I wish I knew what I do now then. You know, before I came to the Land Without Magic. I think things would have worked out a lot differently."

Rumplestiltskin blinked, finding that Bae was having a hard time meeting his gaze as he spoke. He steeled himself with a deep breath before taking a seat on the bed next to his son.

"Guess Henry wouldn't have been born then," he sighed. "You always did say that things happen for a reason-"

"I'm so sorry, Bae," Rumplestiltskin said in a rush. His son knew exactly what had nearly happened. He'd been there when Zelena had controlled him and knew how absolute the orders were that came from the person who held the Kris Dagger. He might be dancing around it because neither of them really wanted to admit it out loud, but they couldn't let it fester either. Rumplestiltskin had lost his son too many times to allow anything to ever come between them again. Honesty might not have been the best colour in him, but he could at least pretend for Bae. He deserved that much.

"It's not your fault, Papa," he tried again and Rumplestiltskin shook his head.

"It wouldn't have mattered had Belle not been there."

"But she was and you saved me. You weren't the one that hurt me."

"But I would have."

"Not because you chose to." He offered an attempt at a smile and leaned to the side, his shoulder nudging Rumplestiltskin's and causing him to meet his eyes. When he did, he saw his son's open palm waiting for him. "We're going to get through this," Baelfire promised. "All of us. I trust you, Papa."

"I trust you too, Bae," he managed, trying to ignore the way his voice broke and he took his son's offered hand and held tight. "I love you more than you'll ever know."

The younger man chuckled. "I've got a pretty good idea," he answered and squeezed it. "You still want to use your dagger to cast this spell?"

"The fact that this is our best chance to end it hasn't changed." He pulled in a deep, steadying breath. "I need to make sure that you, Belle, and Henry are safe. I can't do that while Magnus is able to hurt us like he is."

"He's not going to stop, is he?"

"Not as long as he's fool enough to feel that he can kill me. He'll destroy everyone that I love to try to do it, and I won't let that happen."

"How long will it take?"

"I'll have everything in place by morning. You should get some rest."

Bae frowned a little. "I was planning to go over to Emma's after all the craziness died down."

"You'll have time for all that, I promise, son. For now, let's focus on keeping our family safe, shall we?" He stood, offering a smile. "If you need me, let me know."

"You'll get some sleep too, won't you?"

Rumplestiltskin's lips quirked as he started for the door. No reason to lie to his son when Bae would know it anyway. There was no sleep for him tonight, only preparation. Come first light, this had to end.

Bae sank back to the bed heavily and fell against the pillows. The lights were still on and he knew his father would retreat into his and Belle's room for the night for any preparation that was needed for the spell. He wouldn't have been able to focus on what he needed to unless he were within shouting range of them both.

A sigh escaped and Baelfire chuckled. His father's overprotective nature had taken many forms over the years, but sometimes it was warranted. More so in recent years, it seemed. No matter how hard they fought - no matter how hard his papa tried to find something close to the right path to take, at least for those that he loved - something always seemed to come crashing down around them.

He stretched, pulling his shirt up to inspect the mostly-healed wound that had nearly killed him less than an hour before. His papa's magic had likely already dealt with their dead cleric and Magnus would be raging by the morning hours. A pink scar was all that remained of the jagged wound left by the Kris Dagger and while it felt a little stiff, the pain had nearly completely subsided. He would be ready come morning for anything that they had to face.

The buzzing sound coming from his jeans that had been tossed into the corner of the room - blood soaked and dried into them to the point that they'd likely be thrown away when he had more time to think about it - caught his attention and Bae rolled off the bed reluctantly. His old cell phone had come through with the second curse, landing itself in his father's home in a pile of stuff, and he'd found it several days before. His papa and Belle had been the only ones that had called him on it, so he was surprised to see Emma's face light up the screen. He found himself smiling at the memory of when he'd snapped the photo of the very reluctant model. It'd been before they knew that Pan had followed them from Neverland and he'd wanted so desperately to have just one more chance with her. Now maybe they'd actually get that chance. He tapped the answer button, the smile not fading. "Hey, Emma."

"Hey," she answered slowly, as if he'd been the one to call her and she wasn't quite sure what to say. "You uh… got any more information out of your dad?"

"Yeah. He has a spell that can strip Magnus of his magic." He sat back on the bed, feeling the room spin a little.

"Seriously? Why haven't we tried this yet?"

"It takes some preparing, I think. And it's risky."

"To who?"

"To my dad. He has to use his dagger for a power source."

"And he's willing to do that?"

"Yeah. He's willing to do a lot to protect his family."

"Guess that runs in the family, huh?"

Bae blinked, wondering if he'd heard that right. "I… My dad is really good at grand gestures. Sometimes too good, you know? To the point that he goes overboard. I just do what I can."

Emma snorted softly on the other side of the line and he could tell she was trying to be quiet, like she'd snuck away to call. Knowing her family, she probably had. "Yeah, because dying so that we could defeat the Wicked Witch wasn't a grand gesture."

He sighed, gripping the phone. "I'm sorry, I didn't know what else to-"

"That's not what I meant!" she argued instantly, cutting him off. "I'm not bashing you for it. You saved us all. You were a hero. You are a hero."

"Nah," Bae chuckled, just happy that it sounded like she wasn't trying to blame him for dying again. "I'm just a spinner's kid from the Frontland that lands himself in all sorts of crazy things. Like a crazy cleric that wants to wipe my dad off the the face of the worlds and put the woman I love under a Sleeping Curse." He stopped, his breath catching as he realized what he'd said. Sure, he'd woken her up from the curse, but that didn't give him the go ahead to assume that she was going to act on the love that she apparently felt. She'd already told him in Neverland that she loved him, but that it hurt too much.

"I love you too," she whispered on the other end, pulling him from his thoughts.

"But?"

"No buts. I love you too. I… I've been trying to stay away because I thought it'd keep you safe."

"Well, if it helps any, I can manage to find danger all on my own." No need to tell her the specifics of the fact that he'd almost bled out in his father's front hallway that evening. Those kind of stories could wait until after they'd defeated Magnus.

She laughed. "Yeah, and together we're always bound to find it. I'm just… I guess I'm just scared."

"Me too."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah, but we're in this together. If you want to be."

"I do."

Bae found himself grinning like a madman. "I love you so much, Emma. I just… Should I come over?"

He heard her groan. "No. Everyone's still here. The only way I got away from my parents' crazy overprotective run is that I said I was tired and needed some sleep before tomorrow. Seriously, who sleeps after a Sleeping Curse?"

"You want to sneak out and come over here?" Bae asked with a growing grin and Emma laughed.

"Yeah, because that wouldn't send everyone into mass panic."

"True. Guess I'll see you tomorrow for the big day, huh?"

"Guess so. Fighting evil and saving Storybrooke. Our crazy life."

"Sounds like it."

"Sleep well, Neal."

"You too. Give Henry a kiss for me."

"Will do." Then she was gone and Bae felt like he was floating. Or sixteen years old. He fell back against the pillows grinning and closed his eyes. Emma loved him. She wanted to be with him. With those two things confirmed, he thought he could face anything.

She heard him come back in but didn't stir. Instead Belle just listened, mentally following her husband's soft footsteps as he walked into the little study they'd set up in the sitting room at the other end of their bedroom. She could hear him set the books he was carrying down before padding his way over towards the bed. Rumplestiltskin paused there, and she could feel his eyes on her before he leaned down and pressed a light kiss to the side of her head, but she didn't dare move. She couldn't. He would ask her how she was feeling and she couldn't lie to her True Love. No matter how many times that she told herself that she'd saved both of their lives she couldn't quite banish the vision of the cleric lying dead in their front hall, blood spilled out around him, and eyes staring vacantly at the ceiling.

The door to the bathroom squeaked a little as Rumple pulled it closed behind him and Belle sighed, letting her eyes drift open. She'd killed a man. How could she ask her husband to be better if she had done the same thing she'd once asked him not to do? She could feel the darkness pulling at her soul and threatening to take it under. She wanted him to be better, to make the right choices, but had she done so?

Belle heard the water switch on in the bathroom and she sat up. It all came down to choices, she knew. One choice led to an action that eventually ended in a result. "I chose to protect my family," she said softly to herself, walking through each step in her mind and forcing herself to think about it logically. "I chose to make sure they were safe. I took action to protect them, and that brought about a murderer's death." The words sounded cold to her, but they were also true. If she hadn't acted, Bae would have died and Rumple would have been taken off to Magnus - after being forced to kill his own son - and Magnus would have killed him in turn. She hated it, but it was what had happened, and in the end she was willing to bare the price of guilt if it kept her family safe.

She tossed the sheets off of her and swung her legs over the side of the bed, padding over to where Rumple had left what he needed to cast his spell. She looked over it, not touching anything for fear of knocking something out of balance without knowing she would do so, and she could almost feel the power radiating off of the books that he'd chosen. Her husband might have teased her for her own literary loves, but he was well read and very quick to pick up any subject that he chose to study. His clever mind clung to knowledge like a liferaft, and from everything he'd told her of his time before he was the Dark One, she thought she understood why.

The water shut off and a few moments ticked by before the door opened, loosing steam into the room. Rumplestiltskin walked out in a pair of sleeping pants and was towling his damp hair off. His wife watched him as his gaze drifted first to the bed and then to where she stood. "Hey," he greeted.

"Hey. How's Bae?"

"Tired, but he'll feel better by morning."

"Not planning on sleeping tonight?"

"This needs to be done. Caiden followed directly by Silas… Magnus will be out for blood and I'd like to meet him with something prepared. I'm tired of playing on the defencive with this man."

Belle couldn't begin to wrap her mind around the hate that Magnus felt for the man that she loved. She understood wanting to banish the darkness, but he was going about it in all the wrong ways. He didn't see the human that resided beneath the curse. Rumple was different than his predecessors, and that should have mattered, but they were just as desperate to kill him as they were any of those that had come before him. "Is there any way that I can help you?"

"You really should get some rest, sweetheart," he said, taking a seat and picking up one of the books. With a twitch of his hand a pad of paper and a pen appeared and he leaned forward to the table to scribble something down already.

His wife scrunched her nose up at the thought. "I don't think I will. Not tonight."

He looked up at that and she knew that he understood why. He had seen horrors in his many years of life, and he knew the nightmares that they brought with them. "Will it distract you if I sit with you?"

"It may, but I'm willing to risk it," Rumple answered with a small smile quirking the edges of his lips. Belle returned it and kissed his cheek before taking a seat, pulling one of her own books from a stack she kept next to the antique love seat that they were now sharing. She curled up into it, legs folded up under her and Rumple continued scouring through parts of the spell books that he needed. She wasn't sure if he was writing his own spell or if he was simply covering all bases to keep them safe, but whatever the case was, her husband was a clever, clever man and his mind was working quickly on the problem at hand.

Belle leaned closer to him, kissing his bare shoulder and her hand lingered on his back. "We'll win this."

"I know," he answered, his pen only pausing briefly.

"I love you."

He turned, his dark eyes focused entirely on her for a moment before he leaned in and pressed his lips against hers. The kiss lingered and she found his fingers tangling themselves in her hair and she held onto him as if her life depended on it. The power of True Love's Kiss rushed through them both and she felt better, if not entirely herself. If she had not killed that man then Rumplestiltskin would not be with her now, and she was not willing to trade her time with him for anything in the worlds.

Morning dawned far earlier than Regina would have liked. She met Henry at Granny's first thing to drop Roland off with him there - both promising very sincerely that they would stay until everything was dealt with. She then fastened a small charm around either of the boys' necks and kissed them on top of the head, her teenage son offering a smile up to her as he wrapped his arms around her. "You wouldn't let anything hurt us, Mom, and I won't let them hurt Roland."

"I am so proud of you sweetheart," she answered and returned the hug. "More than I can say." He was growing up and someday he might not let her hold him quite so close. Then again, Henry was so very different from other boys his age, and he knew so much more. His family was everything to him and he was everything to his family.

"They'll be safe, Regina," Snow promised her, setting baby Neal's carrier down and offering her step-mother a smile. "Between your charms, Granny, and me, nothing is getting to these boys."

"And me," Leroy protested.

"And you, of course."

Regina's dark eyes swept over the bow and arrow that the younger woman had slung over her shoulder and then to the cross bow that the innkeeper had on her. Charms had already been laid - she and Maleficent had come over the night before to make sure of that - and she'd done everything she could to protect her son and the boy that had already begun to call her mama. "And the blue bug still hasn't shown?"

Snow's green gaze faltered and she found something just beyond Regina to look at as she sighed. "David went by the convent, but the nuns won't or can't say anything about it. I don't think they want to get involved."

"Makes it easy for them in not choosing a side. I guess they come out winners every time, don't they?"

"They've chosen sides before, Regina, but this must be hard for Blue. She trusted Magnus."

"She also said she'd help us defeat him," the former Evil Queen groused.

"You guys don't need her," Henry offered with a bright smile. "You'll win because you're doing what's right. You'll come out on top."

His mother sighed and pulled him into another hug, kissing his head again. "I hope so. As long as you have faith in us, I'm sure we'll be okay."

"I'll always have faith in you, Mom."

The door to the diner jingled and Robin stuck his head in. Roland's eyes grew wide and he rushed his papa, the outlaw sweeping him up into his arms. "Hey there, little man. Are you going to watch out for baby Neal today?"

"Yes, Papa," Roland answered immediately.

"And you'll listen to Henry, won't you?"

"Yes, Papa."

"And do what Granny and Snow tell you?"

The little boy huffed. "Yes, Papa. Do you have to go?"

"I do, but Regina and I will be back for you. Promise."

Regina felt her heart melt just a little more than the puddle of goo her own son had reduced it to and she tried for a smile. "We'll be back," she concurred, and reached into her pocket for the final pendant. She handed it to Snow. "I don't think they'll go after Neal, but just in case."

The young woman that she'd chased down for so long looked touched by the gesture and might have started going on and on about it had Regina not rolled her eyes and turned towards the door. "Just keep my sons safe, won't you?" she ground out and joined Robin at the door.

"Sons?" he asked as they heard it close behind them and Regina had to struggle not to turn back to the boys one last time. If she did, she might not leave.

"He called me mama."

Robin grinned and took her hand as they started towards the pawn shop.

Having the people that had fought against him for so long standing behind him now was a change. He thought it was a welcome one, but it was so new and so strange that Rumplestiltskin wasn't quite willing to take that leap and call it that just yet. Instead, he was content to watch them as they gathered in his shop, shifting through the protections only because they had permission to do so. He was determined that this would be on his terms, though a vision that had hit hard the night before did tell him that this was the moment. This was their only chance at winning now. The alternative wouldn't be pleasant for any of them.

The so-called heroes of Storybrooke stood around his shop, conversing with villains and choosing the grey rather than the strict black and white that they'd clung to for so long. Charming stood looking a bit awkward as Maleficent smiled her devilish smile and reminded him of their oh-so lovely encounter, as she called it, and mentioned that Emma had had a similar one after. The blonde savior did her best to ignore the conversation, instead speaking lowly with Bae who looked much better this morning. He looked ready for a battle with his cutlass in one hand and Rumplestiltskin was once again faced with the fact that his son had grown up, though at least he had grown up well. He'd never known what he would find when he came looking for his boy in the Land Without Magic, just that he would find him alive. It hadn't surprised him, per se, that Bae was a man and no longer a child, but it did make his papa's heart ache a little at times. He was standing with him though, and that was more than he could have ever asked for.

Regina and Robin strode in the front door of the shop after having gone to drop the boys off. The person that followed behind them - possibly just to ride in on their acceptance into the shop - was not expected. From the looks on the others' faces, it looked like no one had really expected Captain Hook to show, but there he was, looking a bit sheepish in his arrival.

"Killian," Bae greeted, stepping forward a little. "Hey-"

"I thought I'd lend a hand - or a hook - if you lot would have me," the pirate said, his voice strangely uncertain and his gaze lingered on Emma. "No expectations, love," he assured her at the uncomfortable look she met him with.

"Killian, you get that this guy is after my dad, right?" Bae asked seriously. "You know, my dad that you've been trying to kill for the last three or so centuries?"

Hook smirked at that and turned bright blue eyes on Rumplestiltskin who frowned in return, but said nothing. "I'm not doing this for the crocodile. These people attacked Emma, and they've attacked you. She may have chosen you, Baelfire, but that doesn't make my feelings for her any less real." He paused, looking as if he were forcing himself to meet Bae's gaze. "Or the fact that I once counted you a friend before I spoiled it."

A slow, crooked smile perked Baelfire's lips. "Yeah, you did screw that up pretty good, didn't you?" he teased and Emma sighed heavily at his side. Bae turned his gaze on Rumplestiltskin. "It's your call, Papa."

The Dark One pulled in a deep breath, studying his old foe, but it was his wife's hand on his arm that stopped him from kicking the pirate out right then and there. "Rumple," she said gently and he heard everything that she didn't say. It was time for new beginnings and time to give the trust he'd received.

He loosed the breath and his dark eyes caught the blue gaze of the pirate. "It's not like we have time to kick you out anyway."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Hook demanded.

Regina turned towards the door and she was the one that answered. "He means that Magnus is here."

TBC

Notes: Is anyone else a little disappointing in the direction Rumple seems to be running in the show? Maybe I should wait until next week. I'm really hoping they're just trying to misdirect us into thinking he wants to take over the world.

So we're winding down on Where Nightmares and Darkness Meet! Just two more chapters! If time permits, I'm going to make an update Wednesday and then another one of Friday to go ahead and wrap this story up.

Next time - The final battle with Magnus is here.