Chapter Fifty-Six—"Bait and Switch"

5 Months Before the Curse

She had listened to Rumplestiltskin's advice, in the end, and struck out on her own. Even if she had not done so in the manner he had suggested, Zelena had decided to show her mother that she was a powerful sorceress in her own right. So, she had returned to Oz, to the home her mother had sent her to, determined to show Queen Cora that Zelena could and would make herself the most powerful individual in any realm. Oh, she'd been sidetracked a little by Glinda's two-faced attempt to befriend and then defeat her, but in the end, Zelena had won. She'd beaten all three witches, dethroned the wizard, and made herself the sole power in Oz. She'd enjoyed that, too. She could see why her mother was such a powerful queen; it had to run in their blood to rule.

But the problem with being in Oz was that her mother couldn't see her successes. So, Zelena finally decided to return to the Enchanted Forest, having heard through one of her many spies that Queen Cora had been unjustly ousted from her throne. Surely her mother needed her help now. There wasn't a power in the Enchanted Forest that could stand up to the two of them together, even Rumplestiltskin. Zelena just knew that this was her chance; her mother would see her worth right away, and they would be able to regain everything Cora had lost, and then more.

She did not, however, expect to run into a pirate when she was waiting to be seen by her mother. The castle was awfully busy for a supposed Queen-in-exile, and although that gave Zelena heart—of course her mother would not ever admit defeat!—she really did wish there was a little less red tape. It was demeaning, having to wait like this, and some of these idiots were giving her odd looks because of her green skin.

Had they not been her mother's servants, Zelena would have cursed them already. But she had to be on her best behavior for her mother's sake.

"Lost, love?" the pirate asked, playing with the hook he wore instead of his left hand. Really? Zelena thought with a sneer. Who replaces their hand with a hook?

"No, I'm not," she snapped imperiously. "I'm here to see my mother."

"I hate to tell you, but I've not seen anyone else with your particular skin tone in Queen Cora's court," he replied with a smirk that made Zelena want to turn him into a toad. Or maybe a crow. He definitely didn't deserve to be one of her precious winged monkeys. He was too annoying. The pirate was even laughing at her. "But if I see anyone, I'll be sure to let them know that you're here."

With an effort, she held on to her temper. Barely. But she had to turn away from him, lest Zelena do something her mother might not like. "That won't be necessary."

"Of course it won't," the pirate said, and his entire demeanor set her on edge. "What's your name, darling?"

"Zelena," she snapped, turning back to face the all-too-pretty pirate. "I'm the Wicked Witch of the West!"

Her hand came up, and with a loud crack the pirate turned into a shiny, black crow. With a hook in place of one webbed foot. Serves him right! The crow squawked at her in confusion, hopping around on that one foot and the hook while looking distressed. Snickering, she watched the bird flap its wings uselessly, almost falling over when it tried to get in the air. She felt no pity for the idiot, after all. He'd brought it on himself. Didn't pirates know not to antagonize witches?

"Zelena, dear, what have you done?"

Whirling to face her mother, Zelena felt a grin split her face. "He was annoying," she explained with a dismissive gesture. Surely her mother would understand!

"Annoying he may be, but Captain Hook has his uses," Queen Cora replied, sweeping into the room like she had never been defeated in her life. "Turn him back, darling. It does not do to abuse your followers, particularly when they are loyal."

"Yes, Mother." A flick of her hand, and the crow became a pirate—apparently named Hook (how unoriginal!)—once more.

He glared, blue eyes narrowed and focused on Cora, but the queen gazed at him levelly. Then Hook turned to give Zelena a dour look. "You might have mentioned who your mother was," he grumbled.

"Where would the fun have been in that?" she retorted with a sweet smile, glad to see that her mother was on her side.

"Do leave us, Captain. My daughter and I have important matters to discuss," Cora got in before the pirate could reply, and Zelena caught the faintest of scowls crossing his face. But he still gave the queen a sweeping bow.

"Of course, Your Majesty."

Resisting the urge to giggle in delight was hard as the pirate left, waved off by one regal gesture from Cora. Then her mother actually beckoned Zelena to follow her into her inner sanctum, and Zelena followed her eagerly. She had been worried at first that her mother would dislike the green skin she had not ever been able to shake, but at least it proved how powerful she was. Cora had to see that, didn't she? At least she hadn't mentioned it.

Together, they walked into a plushy furnished room, paneled with beautiful tapestries and expensive frescos. It was unlike anything Zelena had ever experienced in Oz, even in the luxurious palace that she had taken off of the so-called 'Wizard'. Cora motioned her into a chair and took one herself; meanwhile, Zelena tried very hard not to stare. Rumplestiltskin's castle had been nothing like this. This place oozed power and prestige. It was a room fit for a queen. A queen like her mother.

"What brings you here, Zelena? I was under the impression that you were doing quite well for yourself in Oz," Cora said, studying her.

Despite the intensity of that gaze, Zelena's heart leapt. Her mother knew what she'd been doing! That was more than she'd dared to hope for. That meant that Cora cared, and she had sent Zelena away for her own good, so that she could grow more powerful than her sister, more powerful than anyone's wildest dreams.

"I heard what happened. I want to help," she replied eagerly. "There's no one that can stand up to the two of us—I've only grown more powerful in Oz. I can help you, Mother. Just tell me what I need to do."

"You dear girl. I would have kept you," Cora said slowly, looking regretful. "I wanted to. All those years ago. But a spiteful princess—later a queen—got in the way. And now her daughter has exiled me."

"Snow White," Zelena spat the name like a curse.

"Indeed. Her mother, the late and unlamented Queen Eva, was much the same. Shallow, self-important, and concerned for no one's happiness but her own. If she had not intervened, you would have grown up as a princess."

"Like Regina," she couldn't stop herself from saying, feeling envy rear up. But she didn't quash it. Despite what Glinda had told her, her emotions gave her power, dark as they were. And she hated her sister.

"Oh, no." Cora straightened, and now Zelena could see anger in her mother's eyes. "Regina has always been ungrateful and rebellious, which I imagine you would never have been."

"Of course not!"

"I so regret that circumstances have only now brought us together," her mother said sadly, and Zelena wanted to reach out and take her hand. But she sensed that such an emotional gesture might not be welcome, so she remained still. "If only things had been different."

"All we can do is move forward from here," she replied, very much looking forward to the future. "Tell me how I may help, and I'll do whatever you need."

"I believe you, darling," Cora said, a genuine smile warming her face. "And I do have a task for you—a very difficult one. But only if you're willing."

"I am," she reassured her mother.

"I'm going to cast a curse," the Evil Queen explained. "One which will take away everyone's happy endings save for the few that I know are worthy of happiness. But we have many enemies, and I cannot expose you to them. So, I'll need you to remain hidden some of those enemies reveal themselves. Can you do that for me, Zelena?"

Zelena's heart hammered against her ribcage. Her mother needed her. She was going to be able to help Cora, to be the daughter that she'd always wanted to be. Regina wasn't important. Even Cora was angry with Regina! Zelena was going to become her mother's favorite daughter, so she didn't hesitate for a moment. "I'll do it," she gushed. "And I'll be ready when our enemies try to act against you."

Chloe Zephyr had walked into Cora's office ten minutes earlier. Now Zelena sat, composed but excited, in the chair across from her mother. Cora tried not to be too critical when she studied her eldest daughter; Zelena was not Regina, but she would do nicely. She was certainly more loyal, always eager for approval and infallibly ready to do whatever Cora wanted her to. Of course, Cora would have preferred that Regina, the daughter she had raised, finally fulfill her obligations to her family, but that was not to be. Instead she now had Zelena, who was more than willing to do whatever her mother required. She really is a sad little thing, Cora thought dispassionately. Give her a few words of approval, and she will do anything for me. Still, I suppose I will be able to shape her into a worthy successor. It will serve Regina right to have to bend knee to her elder sister after what she has done.

"You'll start your new job in the morning, darling," she said now.

"Of course, Mother. I'm happy to be of assistance," her elder daughter replied, far more collected here than she had been in the Enchanted Forest. Cora was glad to see that the addition of magic had not brought back Zelena's terrible green complexion; really, Rumple should have made sure she hadn't gone down that road. Then again, given how he used to look, had he even cared?

"And I am terribly glad to have you back," Cora told her, reminding herself to lay the gratitude on thickly. Zelena was easy to manipulate when she felt wanted.

A glowing smile split the younger woman's face. "I see Regina is causing problems again."

"She's chosen her side. I'll not protect her from the consequences of her choices," she shrugged.

"Good," Zelena said with perhaps a bit too much relish. Still, Cora let it slide. She wasn't going to protect Regina. She'd wait for her younger daughter to come crawling back to her before she did anything for her.

"Do be careful with your magic, darling. It is very different here. Whatever Rumple did, he's been very cagey about it."

"He's awake, then?"

"Oh, yes. He has been—well, I admit that he's been awake even longer than I knew. Be wary of him. Rumple is ever on his own side."

"He won't be once you get his dagger," Zelena predicted, and Cora felt a real smile crossing her face. Zelena was very intelligent, and she'd already figured out that part of her mother's plan.

"Indeed he will not," she agreed. "Watch him, darling. Do not let him know that you're awake. I need you to be my secret weapon."

"Of course, Mother," her daughter—and now the mayor's new principle assistant—promised.

Cora just smiled. Regina and Rumple might think they had all the cards on their side, but they had no idea just what kind of power she could bring to bear against them. Zelena was only the beginning.

The sheriff really was a hard woman to pin down, but August had finally managed to sit down across from her at lunch three days after his father had been attacked, beating that damn marina owner by a few seconds. O'Malley—who August had figured out had to be one of Cora's flunkies from the old world; he just hadn't figured out which one—was downright possessive over Emma, and that drove August insane. She needs to break the curse, you idiot! he wanted to scream. Then you can romance her all you want!

Not that August wanted Emma to wind up with some minion of the Evil Queen's. It was bad enough that her son—Neal's son; I really screwed that one up, didn't I?—had been adopted by the Dark Princess. Emma deserved so much better.

"So, how's it going?" he asked her as lightly as he could, trying not to think about his own papa, who'd just recently been released from the hospital after being attacked and robbed in his own shop. August had to get the curse broken soon so that someone could stop the Evil Queen. Otherwise, he was pretty sure that his father was going to wind up dead. Or worse, now that there was magic here.

"Lunch was going pretty well until you interrupted," she shot back dryly, and August tried not to take it personally.

"Look," he leaned forward to say in an undertone, "I know you don't want to believe in the curse, but you've got to. The Evil Queen did something and brought magic here, which means it's getting dangerous for everyone. I know you don't want to hear it, but you're the only one who can save these people, and they need your help."

Emma groaned. "Do you have any idea how many times a day I hear that from Henry and Regina? Now even Gold's chiming in," she grumbled. "Oh, and by the way, apparently he's the one who brought magic here. Not Cora."

"Huh?" August blinked.

"That's what Regina says, and I figure she'd know."

"You can't trust her," he told the Savior for the thousandth time, cursing himself for arriving late and letting Regina get in first. Back in their world, Queen Snow had been convinced that her stepsister wasn't evil, that every bad thing Regina did was the Evil Queen's fault. But August knew better. August remembered, and he wasn't going to let the Dark Princess ruin everything! She was undoubtedly doing her mother's bidding still, leading Emma astray and trying to keep her from breaking the curse. And Gold—whoever he was—was undoubtedly on their side as well. Cora used to have a half-dozen minor sorcerers as allies, and he was probably one of them. Particularly if he was working with the Dark Princess.

The persistent ache in August's leg, however, brought him back to the present and reminded him that he didn't have much time. Now that magic was here, he expected to turn to wood even faster. He had to hurry things along.

"Look, do you want to take a ride with me? There's something I'd like to show you."

Emma had been looking down at her phone, but that made her tilt her head up at him and scowl. "Are you serious? I'm the sheriff, and I'm in the middle of two investigations. One about why two normally upstanding citizens suddenly decided to beat the hell out of a guy over a girl, and the other about a certain place that you're supposed to be helping me with."

Oh. Right. August had forgotten all about trying to get into the Basement between his worry for his papa and his rush to get the curse broken. "I keep trying," he lied quickly. "But aside from going on one date, I haven't gotten an invitation back."

The last part wasn't untrue, although he really hadn't done a thing to try to learn anything about the Basement since Cora had told him not to. Emma, however, seemed to catch onto the lie, and August flinched when she turned a narrow-eyed glare on him. Stay short, he told his nose desperately. I'm not wood yet. Don't grow.

"Is that so?" she asked testily.

"Emma, I—"

"No, it's fine," the sheriff cut him off. "If you don't want to help, that's just fine. You're not on the payroll; I can't make you do anything. I just figured you were so into helping people with all this curse breaking stuff that you might give a damn about girls who are being forced into prostitution and worse."

"It's not that I don't care. It's just that…" He'd almost told her that Cora had threatened his father. What was wrong with him? Swallowing hard, August snapped his mouth shut and fiercely told himself to stop talking before he hurt himself.

"Just that what?" Emma pressed.

"I don't think I'm cut out for this undercover stuff," August said, the words coming out in a rush. And they weren't a lie, at least. Trying to sneak around behind Emma's back was going to give him gray hairs long before he turned back into a puppet.

Another hard look. "All right. Like I said, you don't work for me. Just stop trying to get me to do favors for you if you don't want to do any for me."

"Curse breaking isn't a favor!"

Emma just shrugged and stood up. "I've got to get back to the station."

"What about your lunch?" he asked stupidly, struggling to find a way to get her to stick around.

"I'll get it to go."

And just like that, Emma Swan strode out of Granny's, leaving August with the distinct impression that she was intentionally walking away from him and his attempts to help her. She didn't want to hear him talk about the curse anymore. That much was obvious. But what was he going to do if she never started believing?

How had things gone so wrong?

5 Months Before the Curse

"I don't know what I can do for you," Pinocchio heard the voices distantly, so he crept closer to the war room to listen. A princess from the sea had come to beg Queen Snow for help, he knew; his papa had told him all about how a mermaid princess had fallen in love with a prince, and had been granted legs to walk in their world so that she could be with him.

But then everything had gone wrong.

"I can't even go near him," the red-haired mermaid—Pinocchio liked her already; her hair was like his—said sadly as he peeked his head around the corner. "If I do, I'll kill him. There has to be a way to break the curse."

Queen Snow squeezed the mermaid's hand. "I've spoken to Regina," she said softly, kindly. Queen Snow was always so nice. "She says that there is no way to break the Lovers' Curse except True Love's kiss, and if Eric doesn't already love you—"

"She did this to me!" the redhead cut in, her voice rising unhappily. "This is her fault. Why are you even talking to her?"

"Because it was Cora's doing, not Regina's. The Evil Queen forced her, Ariel. Whatever you have heard about Regina, it's wrong."

Ariel glared. "I've heard she likes keeping people away from their True Loves because she can't have hers."

"That's not true," Queen Snow replied, but even Pinocchio knew that she always saw the best in everyone.

"They call her the Dark Princess," Ariel continued angrily. "I think it fits."

Pinocchio didn't bother to listen to the rest of the conversation. He didn't need to. Queen Snow was so nice that of course she believed the Dark Princess when she said that it wasn't her fault, but everyoneknew that Princess Regina really was working with her mother. Everyone knew that. Pinocchio's papa had told him that part of their job was to protect Queen Snow from her own kindness; she wanted to believe the best of everyone, particularly her stepsister, and that sometimes meant that she forgot the Dark Princess really was evil. After all, she'd saved her life when she should have been executed seven months earlier (even if they had been trying to kill the Evil Queen). But his papa said that the Queen should have just let Regina die. And then they should have found the Evil Queen and killed her, too.

Five months later, he went through the wardrobe too early to see Regina battling her mother to give David a chance to get his daughter through to safety.

The problem with bringing magic, Belle reflected, was that it brought as many problems as it did solutions. The cursed magic users were enough of a risk—though most of them seemed not to have lost control of their emotions (and therefore their magic) so far. Unfortunately, there were other complications, too. One of which was really complicated when it came to her friend Ruby.

Ruby and Lacey had become friends while under the curse, and Belle had maintained that friendship after she woke up. She hadn't known the other young woman back in their world, but she liked her, and she wanted to stay friends with her once the curse broke. She hadn't, however, expected her husband to bring up the waitress and tell Belle that she was actually a werewolf in the Enchanted Forest…and that February 2nd, the very day that Rumplestiltskin had returned home, was the full moon. The timing, Belle decided, slipping into a chair at the bar, could have been a lot better.

She wanted nothing more than to spend the night with her husband, and judging from the way he'd kissed her when she left, Rumplestiltskin fully agreed. Belle had no idea if he was up to anything more than cuddling—she knew he still had a little healing left to do—but she wanted to bewith him, if nothing else. Not here at Granny's slipping a drug into the water bottle that Ruby always kept behind the counter. Lacey had known her friend too well; when Ruby was working, she always had a bottle of water. Rumple had assured her that the sleeping drug would be tasteless and not too quick acting, yet it would keep Ruby unconscious through her transformation tonight. After all, explaining wasn't an option. There was no way that Ruby would believe she'd be a wolf by the time it got dark.

"Hey!" a cheerful voice interrupted just as Belle tried to sneak the water bottle back into its hidey-hole. "What are you doing with my water bottle, Lacey?"

Caught, Belle felt her eyes go wide before her brain could catch up with her guilty look. "Checking to make sure it isn't vodka?" she asked, dredging up Lacey's memories of getting drunk with Ruby during community college they hadn't ever actually attended.

"Very funny. Granny would kill me dead if I was drunk on the job," her friend replied, snatching the bottle playfully away from her. Then Ruby's voice dropped into a stage whisper: "Besides, I'd have shared it with you already if it was."

Grinning, Belle tried to push back her guilt as Ruby took a swig of the water. "Well, it's good to know that some things don't change."

"Not at all." Ruby put the bottle away and leaned on the counter, asking lightly: "Gold's not even back for an entire day and he's already driving you to drink?"

"No," Belle laughed, and this time it felt more honest. "I just suck at cooking, and he's not up to it, so I came to pick something up."

"Where's the munchkin?"

"Torturing Gold through the third re-watching of Beauty and the Beast," she replied, remembering how purely cursed Gold had been so very sick of the song 'Be Our Guest'. Lacey had found his grumbling about the song amusing, but now Belle thought she knew why Rumplestiltskin's buried subconscious had hated it. It was his castle, doing crazy things he couldn't control. He'd have destroyed the plates if they'd ever started dancing back home! she thought behind a smile.

"Glad to have him back?" Ruby asked next, and Belle could have hugged the friend she'd just drugged.

"Yeah, I am," she said quietly, thinking of the contrast between the friend she'd gained while under the curse and the father who hated her husband in both worlds. "The house was too quiet without him."

"Well, then, let me take your order so you can head home," was the easy response, and Belle handed over the sheet of paper where she'd written down what her family wanted for dinner. Ruby just took it with a smile. She'd never asked Lacey what was between her and Gold, but Ruby had always known Lacey well enough to know that there was something going on. Lacey had been grateful for it then and Belle was grateful for it now; loving someone when everyone told you it was wrong was just hard. She wasn't going to give up on her husband, of course, but listening to everyone say what bad decisions she made was exhausting.

Just like lying to a friend was draining. Ruby was halfway through the water bottle and already yawning by the time Belle left, and Belle just hoped it would be enough. She'd apologize to Ruby once the curse broke, but for now, they had to keep both Ruby and the town safe. Having a werewolf rampaging around Storybrooke before the curse broke would be an utter disaster, and Belle knew enough about Cora to know that the mayor certainly wouldn't take care of the problem. Rumplestiltskin had only done it out of self-interest, or maybe because Ruby was her friend, she knew (her husband wasn't altruistic, even on his best days), but Belle was glad he was forward thinking enough to have seen the problem.

Officially, David had taken Henry to the park Saturday the fourth of February so that he could be a typical ten year old and play tag with some of his classmates. Unofficially, of course, David was there so that he could talk to Mary Margaret. The fact that his adopted dad (actual grandfather) thought that Henry didn't know what the real reason he was there was kind of funny; Henry had been telling David that Mary Margaret was his True Love for months. But, being an adult—and being under the curse—David was a little slow to believe that. Henry supposed he shouldn't blame him; he was cursed. And the curse really did make people do funny things.

Like today. There was an older woman staring at David from the benches near the swings, and Henry couldn't remember ever having seen her before. That wasn't unbelievable—Storybrooke was much bigger than most of its residents thought—but he still couldn't figure out why the old woman was staring at his grandfather like that. Or not until he pulled his book out, anyway. He had to really look to find her, because there was only one picture, but once Henry found the right story, everything all started to make sense.

After that, arranging for the two of them to meet was child's play. He 'tripped' near the bench where the older woman was sitting, dropping his backpack and letting all of his books (but not The Book; Henry didn't want to damage that one) spill out. Like any mother, the old woman immediately came over to see if he was all right—and Henry could see David and Mary Margaret hurrying over, too.

"Are you hurt?" the old woman asked kindly, and Henry gave her a smile. She was family, too, after all, even if she didn't know it.

"I don't think so," he said as winningly as he could, feeling a little guilty about tricking everyone. But it was for a good cause.

"Henry, are you okay?" his adopted father asked, jogging up.

"Yep, just fine." Henry tried pretty hard not to call his grandfather 'Dad', anymore; it would just make things awkward when the curse broke. He always added a 'Gramps' onto the end in his mind, though, and he decided that he liked that. "I just tripped on some rocks, I think."

Mary Margaret gave him a quizzical look, and Henry supposed that he should have checked to make sure that there actually were rocks there before claiming to have tripped on them. But she didn't call him on it.

"Here, let me help you pick these up," the old woman said, bending to do just that.

"I can get it," Henry piped up just a moment too late, noticing the way David immediately went over to help, too. Both his adopted dad and the old woman reached for his math book at the same time, and then their eyes met.

"Do I know you?" the old woman asked, her face softening.

"I don't think so," David said slowly, blinking in the way cursed people did when they should know someone that they didn't. "I'm David Nolan."

"Dimitra Selby," she introduced herself, but Henry knew that her real name was Ruth.

He and David left a few minutes later; Mary Margaret had to head back to work at the diner, and Henry claimed to be sick of playing tag. He'd only wanted to go there so that David could hang out with his True Love, anyway. And now he wanted to head home so that he could talk to Gramps about this new development.

"So did you recognize her?" he asked as they walked.

"Who?"

"Ms. Selby," Henry replied, trying not to roll his eyes. He knew that his real grandpa, Prince Charming, wasn't nearly this dense. It was the curse's fault, not David's.

"I don't think so," David said, but he sounded like he doubted himself. "Why would I?"

"Probably because she's your mom," Henry told him matter-of-factly, and watched his adopted father stop cold.

Her conversation with Zelena the previous day had been productive, but there were other pieces in play. One of them in particular required a bit of prodding. While Cora was certain that she had August well in hand—particularly since he was terrified of fully returning to his wooden form—Hook was not so easy to cow. August was selfish, and she had his father to use as leverage. Hook fancied himself her ally as much as her servant, and although Cora would be the first to admit that the clever pirate had his uses, she also couldn't afford to ignore the way he was chaffing under her rule. She'd already decided that she should turn him loose against Rumplestiltskin, but in the meantime, she needed other ways to keep him in line.

"I need you to do something for me, Captain," she said, walking into his office after blowing right past the idiot girl who served as his secretary—and probably as a bedmate from time to time. Killian really was rather predictable in that respect, even if he did fancy himself a gallant lover rather than a seducer of young women.

To give him credit, the pirate never seemed to visit a bed where he was not wanted. And he did indeed have a pretty enough face to turn many a woman's eye, even pretty enough to turn many women into fools over him. She'd never been that type, of course, but Cora was not surprised to see it happen time and again. In fact, she was rather counting on it working one more time.

"And what's that?" Hook asked, looking up warily.

"Seducing someone, of course," Cora replied with a smile, settling into the comfortable chair by the window. "Par for the course with you."

"As much as I appreciate being your residential Casanova, love, it does grate on the nerves a little," the pirate replied immediately. Yet Cora allowed herself a small smile when he relented immediately. "Still, I am always happy to help the cause. Who can I bring to your camp this time?"

"Lacey French," she answered immediately, thinking of the way the annoying little librarian continuously visited Rumplestiltskin in the hospital. She wanted Lacey away from Rumple, not warmly in his house and in his bed. Cora knew better than anyone how violently Rumple would react if his chosen lover left him for another man—particularly this man. Knowing that she was dealing with Rumplestiltskin and not Gold only made her more eager to possess him, but the first thing she had to do was pry Lacey away.

And after all, helping Lacey find a new and better love (particularly one that tarnished her forever in Rumple's eyes) was not harming her. Cora was quite certain that Hook would make sure the girl even enjoyed herself. He did pride himself on his skills, after all.

But now her pet pirate was wincing. "Ah, that won't be so easy, I'm afraid."

"Why not?" she demanded sharply.

"I've already tried to pry her away from the crocodile. She seems remarkably…determined to stay with him," Hook scowled. "And remarkably uninterested in me."

Oh, that stung his pride. Under other circumstances, Cora would have enjoyed seeing that, but not when it was Rumple's little doxy refusing to leave. He's been awake for some time, she reminded herself. And Rumple has always been able to be kind. He's playing hero for her, isn't he? Rescuing her from homelessness after the fire, playing with her little girl… The mental image that brought up made her want to snarl out loud, but queens did not pace and rage where their servants could see them. Instead, Cora restricted herself to a mild frown.

"Pity. It would be far safer for her in the long run, but I suppose the poor girl is not to know that."

"I don't know what she sees in him," Hook grumbled. "Milah always said he was rather worthless all round, without the power."

Cora barely resisted the urge to roll her eyes and tell the pirate that 'his' Milah seemed like a terribly short-sighted woman, and that the thought of Rumple having killed his first wife had always added a certain spice of danger and darkness to her own relationship with him. Had Cora been in Milah's shoes, consorting with a pirate when her husband turned up as the Dark One, she would have been the one asking Rumplestiltskin to rip Hook's heart out and returning to the Dark One at all costs. What was a pirate compared to the darkest and most powerful sorcerer known to their entire world? Milah had been an idiot, in her opinion. But that hardly mattered.

Neither did her plan to break Rumplestiltskin's heart again, via Lacey French, apparently. Again, Cora had to fight back a scowl. I'll deal with her if the curse breaks, she decided. Once his 'pleases' stopped working, she could always take the girl's heart and turn her against Rumple that way. Or just kill her. The possibilities were endless, but for now, Cora needed the curse intact.

"Then concentrate your efforts on Miss Swan," she replied after a moment, her mind working on the problem. Perhaps she could lead Hook in the right direction indirectly; the please not to hurt Lacey or her daughter meant Cora could not send the pirate after them, but if he got the idea on his own, and didn't mention it to her… "Seduce her. Distract her. I want her not thinking of the curse, and instead thinking of herself."

"I can do that," he said immediately, and Cora pretended not to see the flicker of doubt in his eyes. She didn't really care what Hook felt; he could pine after Milah or that silly fairy in the Basement for eternity for all she cared. So long as he did his job. Then his next question was music to her ears. "And…Gold?"

She shrugged. "Do what you like. But if you do acquire the dagger, my dear Captain, bring it to me. Do not try to kill him with it. You'll only find yourself under his curse, and I trust that you prefer to remain as you are."

Telling Hook that had always been a calculated risk, but she knew he liked his pretty face too much to mar it with that much darkness. Now, having known that for some time, he just scowled. "And what will you do with it? I have a hard time believing you'll make him suffer adequately."

"Oh, I will," she smiled. "And I will certainly let you have your vengeance in return."

"Good enough," the pirate agreed. "Is there anything else, Your Majesty?"

"No, that should be enough for now." She'd planted the seed of revenge without being able to kill Rumplestiltskin in his head, and coupled with the knowledge that Lacey wanted nothing to do with him…well, Cora could count on Hook starting to think that he should take away Rumplestiltskin's love the way Rumplestiltskin had done to him.

Then Rumple will remember who he is, and drop this foolishness. And together, we'll be unstoppable.

The crafty old bastard was obviously taking advantage of the situation to sit at home on his arse and do nothing, Regina reflected, glaring at the fancy double doors in front of her. For a moment, she was tempted to blast them in with a fireball—heavens knew, Rumple could fix them with a twitch of one finger—but instead she contained herself. Lacey and Renee were inside, and although Regina would have no problems frightening Rumple's little concubine (or whatever she was), she did draw the line at terrifying a three year old. Being a mother had taught her to be better than that. Good think Henry is at the park with David, otherwise he would have wanted to tag along now that he knows Gold is awake, and how would I explain my temper to him?

So, she knocked like a normal person, burning to just teleport herself inside like the sorceress she was. But that wasn't a good idea, either, and not just because she might traumatize a little girl. No, the more Regina used magic in this world, the more she realized how different it truly was. Her mother had mentioned something about it being love based before Regina had quit her job and shoved Cora out of her life, but that still didn't mean Regina felt the need to go poofing herself around before she was certain she wouldn't leave bits and pieces of her body behind. That would be even harder to explain to Henry than blasting Rumplestiltskin's front porch into next week, so Regina just tapped her foot impatiently and waited.

Of course, Lacey French opened the door, her expression wary when she saw Regina. "Hello. What can I do for you?"

"You can't do anything for me, dear," Regina snapped, her patience already warn thin. Rumplestiltskin had been home since the 31st, and it was now February 4th. He hadn't done anything since then, and she was ready to strangle him. "I assume Gold is home, so why don't you step aside and let me see him?"

Interestingly, the doormat of a librarian's eyes narrowed. "You could ask nicely, you know."

"I could, but I'm not always a nice person."

Lacey crossed her arms, and Regina couldn't believe that she was having this conversation with the woman. Really, what kind of ideas did Rumple let the librarian get? But then again, she remembered that somewhat nauseating exchange that she'd spied on in the hospital. Rumplestiltskin couldn't actually be in love with the woman, no matter what he said—because that was downright impossible—but apparently he wanted Lacey to think he was. Which probably leads to this. Regina barely managed to fight back the urge to roll her eyes. Playing nice, however, took a much larger effort.

"Is Ru—Gold home?" she asked, trying for politeness. "I really do need to talk to him."

"He is." Lacey obviously hadn't fallen for the semi-nice act, but hopefully she hadn't noticed Regina's near-slip, either. "Won't you come in?"

"Thank you." The words came out from behind gritted teeth, and Regina followed the former librarian into the living room, where Rumplestiltskin was sitting on the floor with Lacey's little girl, playing with blocks, of all things. The pretty little domestic scene almost melted Regina's entire mind, and she had to blink twice to be sure she was really seeing it.

Fortunately, her old teacher looked up as she was led in, absolving Regina of the need to figure out what to say.

"Impatient, are we?" he said by way of greeting, and Regina scowled.

"It's been four days," she retorted, crossing her arms.

Rumplestiltskin, however, ignored her, instead turning to the three year old by his side. "I'm afraid we're going to have to finish this later, sweetie," he said softly, with none of the awkwardness Regina remembered from the few emotional moments they had shared. "Will you let your Mamma help you for now?"

Renee French gave him a dirty look. "Do I have to?"

"I'm afraid you do," Rumplestiltskin chuckled, leaning in to kiss the little girl on the forehead. "I'll be back in a bit."

"Oh-kay."

Rising, he exchanged a look with Lacey that Regina couldn't read, but she was mostly preoccupied with the fact that Gold's cane was nowhere in sight. Well, I guess I shouldn't have expected him to limp when there's magic around, should I have? she thought wryly, and then followed him when he gestured her into his study. Once there, Regina closed the door rather firmly behind herself, and then cast a silencing spell on it, just for good measure.

"That really isn't necessary, dear," he said easily, lounging back against his desk. Looking at him like this made Regina do a double take; she'd been too distracted by the fact that Rumplestiltskin was sitting on the floor with a kid to notice the fact that he wasn't wearing a jacket, vest, or tie. In fact, the top two buttons of his dark purple shirt were unbuttoned, something she had never even wanted to see.

"I don't want your little woman eavesdropping," she retorted, her voice sharp to hide how uneasy she was with this change.

Rumplestiltskin shrugged. "She's no threat to you."

"You didn't have to deal with her when you were in the hospital. She's playing you, Rumple."

"This again?" He did an admirable job of looking unconcerned, rolling his eyes and sighing. But Regina would not be deterred.

"Look, I know you better than most people, and I know that you're capable of caring. I also know that you're not really good at interpersonal relationships," Regina reminded him. He looked ready to say something dismissive, so she snapped: "And I'm worried about you, Rumple, so don't you dare brush me off."

"I'm not trying to brush you off."

Arguing with him was like yelling at a rock wall, just less productive. Regina snorted. "Then why don't you tell me what the hell you are trying to do, because from here, it feels like a brush off," she said shortly. "And while you're at it, tell me why in the world you trust her so much."

Brown eyes narrowed. "Are you referring to some specific incident?"

"Well, I know you weren't in any shape to go brew up whatever you did to bring magic here, and since you trust me to do it, I can only assume you used her."

That hurt more than she wanted to admit. If Rumple needed help, Regina would have hoped that he'd call her. She was a sorceress. She knew who she was. Lacey French was a bookworm who the curse had given a relationship with Mr. Gold. Yet here Lacey was, wearing designer clothes and swanning around in Rumple's house like she owned the place. What the hell was Rumple playing at, letting this girl get so close to him now that he was awake? It was one thing for him to do it while he was Gold, but now he was Rumplestiltskin, the Dark One. He was certainly the most powerful sorcerer anyone knew of in the Enchanted Forest, and he was widely believed to be the cleverest one as well. So, what the hell did think he was doing?

"You mother has too many ways to control you," her old teacher replied bluntly. "I couldn't risk her using one of them—such as your son—to stop you. Don't take it personally, Regina."

He spoke sense, but that didn't help soothe Regina's ire. She just crossed her arms and glared at him. "Whose side are you on here?"

"My own, of course. Nothing has changed on that front."

He was an immortal trickster, a master strategist, and perhaps a demon underneath his human exterior. Why had she ever trusted him? And yet here she was, yet again, ready to lean on his shoulder when she had no one else to turn to. Not for the first time, Regina wondered how sane doing so was…but she was in too deep. She had trusted Rumplestiltskin too many times, and heavens help her, he'd never let her down. That doesn't mean I trust Lacey French, though, Regina thought firmly, frowning at her old teacher. His expression was unreadable, as always, but there was something lighter in his eyes than she had seen in a long time. Was it just because there was magic here in Storybrooke now, or was there something more?

"I don't know why I trust you," she grumbled after a moment.

Rumplestiltskin's smile was thin. "Probably because our interests lie in accord."

"Why should I believe that you even want the curse broken at this point?" Regina pressed, narrowing her eyes. "Why shouldn't I think that, now that magic is here, you're not just going to be happy to play house with your little whatever-she-is?"

"I'm hardly content with this little cursed life, dear," he retorted dryly.

"Well, I can't imagine that you'd prefer Lacey to wake up and realize that she's been living with the Dark One."

That made him snort. "Do you think that I would trust someone to bring magic who didn't know who I was back home?" he asked, and that jerked Regina up short. "I know very well who Lacey French is, m'dear, and I am able to trust in that."

"Then who the hell was she?" Regina demanded before she could stop himself.

"I acquired her as a maid some years ago," Rumplestiltskin replied easily, with the little wiggle that told Regina he was amused and enjoying himself.

"You let your maid have a child?" she asked incredulously.

"I've always liked children. Don't forget that I played with you as a child. I brought you some of your favorite toys."

Flabbergasted, all Regina could do was stare. "You're unbelievable, you know that?" she finally managed to ask.

Rumplestiltskin only laughed, and for the first time in twenty-eight years, Regina heard an echo of the imp's giggle.

A/N: Oh, dear. Zelena's awake, and she's going to prove a wildcard. What do you think she and her mother will get up to first? (Also, don't be too frustrated with Emma. She's mad at August, and suspects he's lying, so she's playing at believing less than she does).

Stay tuned for Chapter Fifty-Seven—"Leaking Through," where Hook tries to ask Emma out again, August receives ominous instructions from Blue, Regina spies on Rumplestiltskin and Belle via mirror, Emma meets 'Chloe Zephyr', and Henry discovers something interesting. Back in the past, Hook meets Tinker Bell and Cora threatens to destroy the Charmings' happiness forever.