Chapter Thirteen: What Happened to Fredrick?

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"So you already knew?" Belle asked hurt. "All of you? And you wouldn't even tell me?"

"Well," Mary Margaret began, "I thought you would rather see a doctor. When I found out I was pregnant with Emma, I was overjoyed. Because I didn't find out from some storybook," she finished pointedly.

Belle sighed. "Alright, but how did you know? What did the book say exactly?"

Everyone exchanged glances.

"Just that you looked at a test and figured it out," Emma said awkwardly.

Belle sighed. "You're still hiding things from me!" She cried. "What did it say?"

"Belle, go sit down," Emma said forcefully. "Gold, you need to leave."

"But it's his-"

"Not now, Belle," Regina cut across the woman. "Gold. Leave. We'll explain to her."

Gold dipped his head in defeat and left the house.

Belle had settled onto a couch and was huddled under a blacker trying not to cry. "Why are you hiding things? What are you hiding?"

David sighed. "I'll go wait with Gold. Maybe the women ought to handle this?"

"Aye," Killian agreed, "until, the lass tries to kill the Crocodile."

"I'm not going to kill, Rumple," Belle protested.

"Sure you won't," Killian said as he and David left.

"Belle, that baby might not be yours for long," Regina said straightforwardly.

Belle gasped. "What?"

"Gold, sold his second born to spare the life of Baelfire. This was all before he became the Dark One of course, so he never imagined needing to worry about any future child of his that he would surely never have," Regina explained.

Belle just stared into the flames in the fireplace.

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Enchanted Forest, Many Years into the Past

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"Aren't you ever going to fix this?" Belle asked as she held up the tea cup she had dropped when she first arrived in the Dark Castle.

Rumplestiltskin stared at her. "It's just a cup," he said pointedly. "No need to waste magic on something like that, dearie."

Belle sat on top of the table. "Someone could cut themselves. It's not safe."

"So don't let anyone use it," Rumplestiltskin answered annoyed. He turned on heel and began to walk away.

"Don't you ever get lonely?" Belle asked curiously. "I mean, you don't really invite friends to spend time with you, nor do you have a family to keep you company."

The Dark One paused. "Trying to learn the monster's weaknesses, ah! Nah! Nah nah nah!" He waggled a finger at Belle.

Belle rolled her eyes. "Well, haven't you ever considered having a family?"

Rumplestiltskin's cold eyes stared at her. "Once, never again. But no one will ever love me," he declared.

"I think someone could love you," Belle decided. "You just have to let them in first."

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Storybrooke, Present Day

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"Well, angry an woman hasn't stormed out yet," Killian said cheerfully. "So either Emma and Regina used magic or your wife is holding Belle at arrow point."

"She doesn't have arrows," David countered.

Killian shrugged. "It's a, what do you call it? Simile? No, no. That odd one? Onypeeuh? No it's onomonapia. No. Ah! A metaphor!" Killian grinned. "Is metaphorical!"

David rolled his eyes. "Congrats on that," he said sarcastically.

"Can you two take this seriously?" Gold hissed. "Belle will kill me dagger and Dark Oneness or not."

"Good," Killian snapped. "You deserve it."

"No one deserves death, Hook," David said firmly.

"Maybe," Killian mumbled.

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Enchanted Forest, Many Years into the Past

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"The library is beginning to look dusty dearie," Rumplestiltskin commented as he walked up the spiral stairs with Belle.

Belle shrugged. "I've been distracted lately. I can stop thinking about what you said. That no one will ever love you, and I think-"

Rumplestiltskin pushed her against the wall, hand grasping her throat. Belle struggled to get air. "Because no one ever will. Go back to your quarters, or would you rather I lock you in the library for the night?" He let go of her throat.

Belle hurriedly descended four stairs before turning back with a disgusted look on her face. "How can you be like this?" She shouted. "If you just gave me a chance! Gave someone - anyone - a chance, maybe someone would love you!"

"And when that woman expects a child?" Rumplestiltskin yelled back at her. "A child she will not have for more that a few seconds after its birth." He froze abruptly.

"What?" Belle asked curiously.

"Never you mind," the Dark One snapped. He vanished in a cloud of smoke.

Belle sighed disappointedly. "I'll break though, you'll be a man once more."

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Storybrooke, Present Day

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Belle gasped. "I already knew!"

"You did?" Emma asked in relief. "So you knew what you we getting yourself into?"

Belle shook her head. "No, once when I was in his castle back in the forest, he accidentally let slip that the woman would not be able to keep her child for more than a few seconds after its birth. He basically told me and I never once figured it out!" She berated herself.

"Look, Belle," Emma began, "we'll do everything we can do to make sure you can keep this baby."

Belle sighed. "How?" She asked tearfully. "Unless you go to the underworld yourself, you can't-" her eyes widened. "You're not going to bargain with Hades are you?"

Emma scoffed. "No, I will look to the past, er sorry, our past, this world's future."

"Emma," Mary Marget said softly.

Emma cut her off. "I'll go get Gold." She left without another word.

Once everyone was back inside, Mary Margaret glared at Emma. "As I was saying before Emma interrupted, I've been thinking, and in private, between us all, I want to go by Snow again." She smiled sadly. "I think that maybe we've been fighting too hard to recapture old memories, when we should've been making new ones instead. New ones as ourselves! Not as Storybrooke us!"

"Deep," Emma commented. "Very deep, Snow White."

Mary Margaret - Snow White - flushed.

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August's motorcycle was parked outside Granny's Diner. Emma arrived at the same time that August was leaving.

August smiled. "I've been meaning to bump into you. Matter of fact, I was hoping we might grab that drink you promised."

"See, I have a policy – I won't go out with guys who won't tell me their names," Emma said calculatingly. "I find it weeds out the ones who like to keep secrets, like they're already married or they store body parts in their freezer. It was nice talking to you."

Emma walked past him to enter the diner, but August called after her. "It's August. August W. Booth." August smirked. "But I'm guessing you already knew that."

Emma rolled her eyes. "Really? With the middle initial?"

August shrugged. "W's for Wayne. So, there goes your reason for not coming with me to a good watering hole." He gestured to the motorcycle. "Hop on."

"I have a boyfriend you know," Emma muttered as she walked towards the bike.

"Killian Jones," August mused. "Where ever did you two meet?"

"Shut up and drive," Emma told him.

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Emma and August reached a well at the edge of the forest. They got off the bike and walked over to it.

"So how did you get that book?" Emma asked August. "About me, Killian, Henry, Regina, Robin, Mary-er sorry-Snow White, David, Belle, and Gold?"

August smiled. "I opened my box one day to get something and I found that book. I read it and learned about the time traveling group. I knew I would have to wait until I arrived normally for any of you guys to not suspect me of anything, but you, Emma, I should have known you'd figure it out."

Emma leaned against the well. "Did you? Well, how do I know we can trust you?"

August chucked. "Oh, Emma. Don't you remember? I'm dying. I will become wooden and unmoving until you break the curse. I can't really do anything much else, can I?"

"Alright," Emma said flatly, "I guess so. For now." She stared at the well. "You know, they say there's something special about this well. There's even a legend. They say that the water from the well is fed by an underground lake, and that lake has magical properties. So, this legend. It says that if you drink the water from the well, something lost will be returned to you."

"You read the plaque," August decided.

"Nah, just remembered what you said years ago."

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"Major identity crisis here!" David yelled over Snow's wails as Emma rushed frantically into the apartment.

"My baby!" Snow wailed in agony. "Neal! We have to get back to him!"

Emma froze. "Neal! Oh my gosh! Neal! I forgot he existed in all the excitement of fixing things!"

"Wait!" Henry called from the doorway. He held the new book in his hands. "I think I'm back for good now," he said happily. "Look!" Henry held up a section of pages. "I wrote these I think. It's stuff from the underworld, but occasionally I write about our arrival and events up till now."

Snow gingerly took the offered papers and read them silently. "He heard us!" She whispered softly. "Oh, if only we had this for Emma, David! We could have told her we loved her everyday."

"Better?" Emma asked.

Snow nodded. "Yes, a bit. Thanks, Henry."

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"This council meeting is brought to order!" Regina said dully. "Does anyone have any concerns?"

Sidney raised his hand.

"Yes, Mr. Glass?"

Sidney stood. "I still think-"

Emma groaned. "Shut up, will you? We've gone over this already!"

"Moms." It was Henry. He looked worried. "Crisis."

Emma and Regina exchanged concerned looks.

"Granny, Ruby," Regina said distractedly. "You two are in charge."

Snow, David, Gold, Belle, and Killian hurried after the two women.

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"The Robin issue might be harder than we thought," Henry said nervously. "See, I don't think Robin actually came back because it would be physically impossible."

"Why?" Regina snapped.

"Robin died," Henry said solemnly.

Everyone's heads whipped around to look at Regina. Her face was stark white.

"Dead?" Regina whispered.

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A/N: Oh dear. Now they know Robin's dead. They still might try to bring him back from the Enchanted Forest, but I'm not quite sure yet.

Chapter Fourteen: Dreamy; Miners Day Celebration, Leroy/Astrid, and a heck of a lot of comforting Regina.