(PopPotter777: Maybe it isn't as stupid as you may think. When someone makes a curse, they usually don't intend for it to be broken. So why would they waste their time trying to figure out a way to do so? This is kind of like what happened in season 6: when the Queen casted that curse on Snow and Charming, she didn't know how to break it either, and she really didn't care. Hope this clarifies. Also, you really don't give up trying to guess, do you? I like your resilience. But by the way, you still weren't able to guess the person I was talking about.)
Right after poofing Belle and himself to where he was ordered to, Adda's new house, Rumple found himself in front of Adda, who looked even more menacing than the last few times Rumple had seen him. He showed in his expression that he was angrier, maybe he even felt betrayed, and to that, Rumple couldn't help but smirk.
But what made him even more menacing, was the fact that he had a heart in his hand, a very red shaped heart, whose glow could be seen reflected in Adda's face. Rumple knew that had to be Belle's heart.
"Will you be so kind as to hand me the dagger?" Adda leaned his hand towards Belle, knowing she would have no choice but to obey. He may have lost Robin, but he realized he didn't need him anymore. Not while he had the dark one at his service.
Belle turned to Adda and slowly handed him the dagger. She tried to fight the urge she had to give him something that powerful, but she couldn't do anything about it. She just felt trapped in her own body. Everything she seemed to say and do, was something she would never say or do in normal circumstances. She was still trying to scream, to move, just do something, but nothing happened.
"How is this possible? How did you get her heart?" Learning what happened wouldn't change anything, but Rumple still felt like he needed to know how and when.
With the dagger on his hand and the heart on the other, Adda turned to Rumple and laughed. "Well, it wasn't easy I must admit. But let's just say you should start keeping a closer eye on your wife. You may have been with her most of the time ever since I arrived, but you got a little lazy last night. You see, while you were trying to break the spell on Emma, you left your wife all alone in that house." As Adda made a pause, Rumple thought of how that couldn't explain what happened. There was a protection spell around the house, there always was.
"You're thinking about the protection spell, aren't you?" Adda had spent centuries looking into Rumple, watching him. So long, that he felt he knew him better than anyone. "Come on Rumple, you really don't think a silly little spell was going to stop me, did you?"
Because he was usually the smartest and most powerful person in the room, Rumple wasn't used to being double crossed, to being worried someone would break the spells he casted. That had always been over him since... forever. And he couldn't get used to feeling like he wasn't powerful enough. But with the dagger on his hand, Rumple feared that was about to change.
"You may be immortal, but so am I. And you can't get a whole of that dagger forever. And when the opportunity comes, be sure that I'll take it." Rumple may have been feeling scared, helpless and defeated, but he was definitely not going to show it. He knew Adda would eventually make a mistake, everyone does, and when that happened, he'd take it.
Adda looked at Rumple amused and laughed. "Well, that is quiet a threat, Rumple. But worry not. I'm not the one who is going to be controlling you. You see, I have my own source of power, but she doesn't. Or should I say didn't?"
As soon as Adda finished, Cruella walked into the room, smirking at Rumple and Belle. Adda handed her the dagger, and she gladly took it. Adda knew there was probably no one in his team that he could put his trust more than Cruella; no one he could count on more to get some dirty work done. After all, like him, she was a psychopath who killed her entire family because she was bored. The only downside was that she wasn't very powerful. Of course Adda could give her some of his magic, but he was greedy and wanted it all for himself. That's why he had always planned to give her the dagger.
Rumple was clearly not comfortable with any of that. He thought it would be bad to be controlled by Adda, but Cruella was far worse. He had her as a mere pawn when they were working together, one he didn't even hesitate to sacrifice to get what he wanted, but the situation had clearly changed. Cruella looked back a Rumple, with the dagger on her hands, and started walking to him. "Oh, don't worry darling. I'm sure we'll do great work together." She put her hand on his cheek and slowly slid it down his face. "And what about her?" Cruella pointed at Belle, never taking her eyes off Rumple.
"Well, I'll definitely save this for a rainy day." He squeezed Belle's heart a little, seeing as she unsuccessfully tried to hide the pain. "But aside from it, we don't need her anymore. So why not just send her back to her friends?" Adda smirked to Cruella and waved his hand, sending Belle to wherever she had come from.
...
"What the hell was that? What happened?" Regina threw her arms to the air in despair. Everything happened so fast, she didn't even have time to move. One second Belle had the dagger in her hand and in the other they were both gone.
"I think you may have been too late, Robin. Adda probably had her heart already." Elsa was there to help, in fact, when she got the note she knew she had to go, after everything they had helped her and her family with, but she had started to realize that unfortunately there was not much she could do.
"I didn't know he already had it, I swear." Robin knew no one saw him as a villain, but he still felt like he needed to come clean.
"Where is grandpa? We have to get him back. We can't let Adda have the dagger." They all knew Henry was right. Rumple may not be powerful enough to defeat Adda, but he was a powerful asset to the team. Not to mention that, after all, he was family.
"I know Henry. And we will." Regina sighed. She wanted to make everyone feel better, but they all knew that was an empty promise. But she also knew they couldn't afford to lose Rumple to the other team. Especially since they didn't have Emma either.
Right when she was about to speak again, Regina saw a cloud of black smoke appear, and when the smoke faded, she saw Belle. "Guys! Cruella has Rumple. We need to help him."
"We'll try." David's anger for Adda just kept growing and growing as he saw all that. He couldn't believe what was happening. Adda was tearing them apart one by one. First Snow, then Emma, and Rumple being the latest. "What happened?"
Belle told them all what had happened, and after they were all filled in, they all knew they had to do something. They knew they couldn't just take another strike and not hit back. But as much as it pained her, Belle knew she couldn't go with them. "Adda has my heart. You guys can't trust me right now. You need to lock me up somewhere."
"Belle, what are you talking about? We can't lock you up." Regina knew Belle was right, but she couldn't lose someone else. Especially knowing Belle would start being their prisoner, instead of Adda's.
"Regina, you have to. I can't go with you, and you can't tell me what you plan to do next, because if I know it, then he'll know too." Belle knew they had to save Rumple, but she couldn't go with them. And that was the truth, as much as she hated it.
Regina sighed, looked at everyone and poofed Belle to one of the cells in the Sheriff's Station. They really had to find her heart, because Regina hated leaving Belle there, alone. "Are we really going to do what I think we will do?"
Everyone looked straight at Regina. They were sure they were thinking the same thing, but David made it his job to say it out loud. "We need to go get Rumple and Belle's heart. No matter what!"
"But if we do this... well." No one wanted to say what could happen, but they all knew what they were getting themselves into. They all knew the risk they were taking.
"We need a plan then." Henry stepped forward, ready to help. He wouldn't let himself be left behind. Not again. He was sick of always sitting in the sidelines. He was going to help them, even if he had to go alone.
Regina shook her head at her son. "Henry, no. Absolutely not. You're not coming with us. It's too dangerous." She looked at Henry's face and she knew exactly what he was thinking. But there was no way she would ever let that happen.
"Which is why you guys will need all the help you can get." Henry stood there, determined to not let them take that away from him. They were heroes, and if they were willing to sacrifice themselves for their cause, then he was too. When he realized his mother was going to continue to say no, Henry started again. "I am going with you guys whether you like it or not. And the only way you can stop me is if you lock me away like you did to Belle. But even then, I'll try everything I can to get out."
Regina raised her eyebrows surprised. She knew her son was resilient and determined, but who would have guessed he was so much like her? Every mother would want their child to be like her, but Regina really didn't in that moment.
David patted Henry in the back. "He's right. We can't leave him here alone. If Belle's situation taught us anything, is that none of us can be alone, because then we are much more vulnerable. We're going to have to take him." David wasn't much of a fan of the idea either, but they really could never leave Henry alone. And they also knew they couldn't afford to make two people stay behind. Not when they were already so few.
Regina sighed. David had a point and maybe it would be for the best. She would keep him under her sight. "Fine. But you are not going to leave my side. Ever!" Henry nodded, excited. Excited and afraid. But he knew that Adda was playing a long game. He had everything figured out probably since a long time back, and if he wanted to kill him, he would have done it after Henry gave Cruella the power to kill.
Sure they were going to storm an evil lair unprepared, outnumbered, outpowered and scared, but they were surely going to make a plan. And the more she thought about it, the more Regina realized that, even though she wanted to save it for later, she would have to use her secret weapon.