Chapter Ninety-Three—"Finding Weaknesses"

Emma didn't know why she'd put this off for so long. She should have told her parents about Neal's proposal—or even about the contract!—X days earlier, but somehow, doing that would have made it real. And then she would have had to admit how she felt about marrying the man she had fallen in love with at seventeen.

In truth, Emma's feelings about Neal—Baelfire—were still a mess. Even on the morning of March 15th, nine days after the curse broke and four days after Bae had proposed, she kept trying to avoid thinking about it. Doing so wasn't fair to him, and it really was pretty stupid, too, at least in a strategic sense. If I'd said yes and we'd signed a piece of paper down at town hall—or wherever they're handing out marriage licenses these days—Cora sticking her hand in my chest would have broken the contract, and we'd be a lot better off right now, she knew. In the end, it was that thought that jolted her out of her terrified inaction, because Emma knew that if she'd just decided to face the fact that she was still in love with her ex-boyfriend, the fight against Cora might have already been over.

Some Savior I turned out to be, she thought morosely, sitting down at the breakfast table next to Henry. Everyone else was there already, because Emma had spent a lot of time in the guest bedroom that had somehow become hers just staring at the ceiling and telling herself to get over it.

"There's something I need to tell you. Something I should have told everyone sooner," she blurted out before she could stop herself, and every eye in the room swiveled to her—including Snow's, which meant she managed to spill scrambled eggs on the table instead of spooning them onto her plate like she'd meant to. That, at least, made Henry snicker.

"Well done, Snow," Regina mocked Emma's mother playfully. "You wouldn't think you had spent twenty-eight years learning to manage things like scrambled eggs."

"Oh, shut up," Snow grumbled, but she smiled.

"Emma?" David asked gently, bringing attention right back to her, just when Emma was starting to hope that they'd forget what she'd said. "What did you want to say?"

"Um, so Neal—Bae—and I were, um, well…heaskedmetomarryhim."

"He what?" Snow asked immediately, clearly understanding the jumble while Regina and David still looked confused. Henry, on the other hand, lit up like the proverbial Christmas tree.

"He did! That's so awesome! Are you gonna do it?"

"I didn't know you two were that serious," David said, looking a little wary. He didn't press—hopefully, he remembered their conversation about him playing overprotective parent—but he still was watching Emma closely.

"It's not as simple as that. And it's not about romance, not really," Emma said tentatively, forcing herself not to chicken out. "There's…a contract. Gold made Cora sign it when he handed over the dagger, and it protects his family from her. Like, if she tries to harm anyone related to him, some magic voodoo or another will make the dagger revert to him."

"My mother was dumb enough to sign a magically-binding contract with Rumplestiltskin?" Regina gaped. "And there I was thinking that he was the idiot for giving her the thing in the first place."

"But if all she has to do is abide by the rules of that contract, how does that make it bad for Cora?" Snow asked Regina. "Surely she knows—"

"Mother's never been good at keeping her word," Regina cut her off. "She'll want to kill Belle, if no one else, which means he'll get the dagger back." White teeth flashed in a predatory smile. "And then Mother is screwed."

"You guys are missing the point," Henry broke in, looking at her. "If Emma marries Baelfire, she's protected, too, right?"

Leave it to Henry to figure it out when everyone else was stuck on the details.

"It's more than that," she answered slowly. "The contract says everyone related by blood or marriage…so if Bae and I tie the knot, even if it's only temporary, that protects everyone here."

"I might be a bit of a stretch," Regina pointed out, not sounding offended at all. "But I'll take my chances."

"Emma," Snow said softly. "Do you want to do this?"

"Yes." The word slipped out on its own, but Emma quickly added, "No. I don't know. It's all so fast, and I haven't seen him in ten years, and I—we—look, he broke my heart, okay?"

"I thought you guys said that was August's fault?" Henry asked.

"That doesn't make it easier, kid." She didn't want to dash Henry's hopes, but she didn't want him to get excited about this for the wrong reasons, either.

"You don't have to do this," David put in before anyone else could speak, his voice firm as he and Snow joined hands. "We've always been willing to put our lives on the line to fight Cora. Nothing changes there, and you don't have to get married to protect us. The contract covers Henry either way, right?"

Emma nodded mutely, not sure what to say in the face of such parental love.

"Emma," Snow said again, reaching across Henry to take her hand. "Marriage is a big step, and not one you should take if you aren't certain you want to. And it's our job to protect you, not the other way around. Don't take this burden upon yourself, all right? We'll be fine."

Whatever she had expected, it wasn't this, and Emma felt tears wanting to gather in her eyes. She'd spent the entire morning telling herself how stupid she'd been to not marry Bae already, because then her family would be safe—but her family wasn't looking for her to make them safe. She wanted to protect them…but she wasn't obligated to. I guess I'm getting so caught up in being the Savior that I forget they can and do fight for themselves, Emma thought, forcing a watery smile.

"It would be a lot easier if you would just tell me to do it to keep everyone safe," she admitted in a whisper.

"Did you love him?" her mother asked gently.

"Yes."

"Do you still?" That was David, and damn it all if she hadn't found out that her parents were pretty wonderful people, as intimidating as being the daughter of Snow White and Prince Charming was.

Biting her lip, Emma finally let the truth out. "Yes."

"Then the only question you need to answer is if you need more time," her father continued. "You don't have to rush into this. You two haven't seen each other in more than ten years, and you've both changed a lot. Go on another date, and talk it through. You don't have to rush."

"Thank you."

It was a wonderful thing to hear, particularly from the two people who Cora wanted to make suffer more than anything. Except Emma knew herself. If she didn't rush into this, she might never do it…and she would never forgive herself if someone she loved died in while she tried to make up her mind.

Cora sent him down to the cage again when she was finally done with him after breakfast, and Rumplestiltskin didn't even try not to land in a heap. She had let him heal the gunshot wound in his shoulder, finally, but none of the rest of his injuries. He still felt faint from blood loss, not to mention the other tortures the Evil Queen had inflicted upon him in her rage. Fortunately, he was at least clothed in slacks and a shirt, though she'd left him barefoot again. He wasn't bound this time, though, which Rumplestiltskin found a small blessing—and immediately hated himself for feeling the slightest flicker of gratitude towards his captor.

Don't go there, he told himself firmly. If you start feeling grateful for when she doesn't hurt you or treats you a tiny bit less barbarically, you are going down a road you can't come back from. But knowing where that would lead and convincing his mind not to shatter were two different things entirely, and Rumplestiltskin knew he was fighting a losing battle. Nine days, he told himself, sucking in a shuddering breath that was almost a sob. How can I be this broken in only nine days? Anyone else would have faced this far better than he, he knew. But cowards never did handle pain or torture well, did they?

"So it is true," a voice said quietly from his left, and Rumplestiltskin realized with a start that he had a neighbor. Again.

Fool. You knew Ingrid was down here, his curse berated him—or was that his own furious thoughts? He couldn't tell. Separating the curse from his own mind grew harder and harder the longer Cora had the dagger.

"So what's true, dearie?" he snapped, trying to use anger to hide his pain as he struggled into a sitting position. Sitting hurt, but he wasn't going to lie there like some wounded animal when there was someone to see him.

"Zelena hinted that Cora hurt you," Ingrid said bluntly, meeting his eyes. "I thought she was smarter than that."

"Hardly." His vision swam as Rumplestiltskin leaned back against the bars of his cage, watching the Snow Queen dizzily. Doing so made the wounds on his back burn, but it was better than expending the energy required to stay upright.

"I can see that," she said calmly, looking none too great herself—much of which had been her doing. "That dagger really does exert that much control over you, doesn't it?"

"Yes." Biting that word out was a blow to his pride, but it wasn't like the entire town didn't know how well Cora could control him by now. "It does."

"I'm sorry I thought you were with her willingly, then."

The apology made him blink, which made the room spin; Rumplestiltskin was sure he was hearing things due to his difficulty focusing. "Excuse me?"

"I said that you have my sympathy," Ingrid replied, all dignity and a little brokenness of her own. "I can't say I completely understand your predicament, but given that Cora has my heart, I can certainly sympathize."

"I, uh…" Say the words. Don't be a coward. "I don't deserve your sympathy, dear. The reason Cora has your heart is because of me."

"What? No, Cora and Zelena took it from me."

Rumplestiltskin snorted, immediately regretting the action when it made a pocket of pain settle under his sternum. "They may have, but I fetched it back after the Savior and her merry band stole it from Cora."

"Emma had my heart?" Ingrid breathed, looking like that meant something to her. Rumplestiltskin searched his memory for why that would matter, at first coming up blank, until something out of Gold's old recollections came to mind.

Ingrid had arrived mid-curse. She'd convinced everyone—or seemed to—that she belonged, opening up Any Given Sundae, which had been sitting there closed up until her arrival. But she hadn't come over with the curse, and couldn't have, given that she'd been living in Arendelle. Which meant she had come for some reason other than Cora's vengeance…a reason that appeared to have something to do with Emma Swan. Come to think of it, Emma does bear a striking resemblance to her sister, Rumplestiltskin realized. She should have listened when I told her that she had the love of her sisters, and that was a much more powerful magic than anything else she could ever find.

But love was so easy to doubt. He couldn't blame Ingrid much on that front, having been there himself.

"She did until Cora sent me to fetch it," Rumplestiltskin told her honestly. "You were more free than you realized for a few hours there yesterday."

"I wish you had told me then," Ingrid said, looking sad and a little angry.

"Oh, believe me, dearie. If I'd had the spare time between playing Cora's performing monkey and the damn Savior shooting me, I would have," he said despite himself, a bitter laugh coming out that sounded almost as high pitched as his old imp's giggle.

"Emma shot you."

He rolled his eyes, which made the ceiling turn all kinds of colors. Bad idea. "A delightful experience, I assure you."

"You should just be grateful that she didn't kill you," Ingrid snorted.

"Dark One, remember?" Rumplestiltskin looked back at her. "A bullet won't do the job, even in this world."

"You look like you can be hurt easily enough," was the quiet response, but somehow there was no threat in her voice—had there been, Rumplestiltskin probably would have responded very poorly. As it was, he just glared at her tiredly, and Ingrid shrugged.

They sat in silence for a long moment, until Rumplestiltskin finally said:

"Tell me what is between you and Miss Swan."

"Why should I do that?"

He gave her a twisted smile. "Do you have a more pressing appointment?"

"Hardly. I think we're stuck here together, aren't we?" she laughed, shrugging again. "Well, at least it will pass the time."

"That it will," he breathed, and sat back to listen to the story of a woman looking for her sisters, who had become Emma Swan's foster mother, and had come to Storybrooke to cast a terrible curse.

There had not been time to tell Emma that Cora had called him to another meeting. Killian had to leave the private lunch he and Tink had been sharing on board the Jolly Roger in a hurry in order to make it to her house on time. Unlike many of her followers, teleportation was not within his admittedly varied skill set, and Killian often thought that Cora forgot that his marina was on the opposite side of town from her summer house. But he didn't try to argue, just got in his car and drove himself out there, resisting the urge to call the sheriff on the way. I'll tell them later. He didn't need the heroes to hold his hand. Independent action was needed, and that was what he would do.

Killian was the last to arrive, parking next to Cruella's showy car and heading inside. Once there, he found himself standing next to Cruella's lover, who gave him a pointed glare that told him that Ursula had never forgotten her history with him. Well, we both made our choices, Killian tried to tell himself. And it's not like she hasn't been quite content as a villain, given the company she's gleefully keeping these days. But he wasn't insulted when Ursula swapped places with Cruella, either; Killian just glanced around at the depressingly familiar faces, noticing how Zelena was fawning over Jafar more than ever and Cora had yet to show up.

She's probably off playing her sick little games with the Crocodile, he thought, surprised how nauseous that made him feel. But he really didn't want to think about that right now, so he leaned over to ask Cruella:

"Where's our ever-lovely Snow Queen?" he murmured, noticing who was absent. Ingrid had never looked happy to be in this exclusive villains' club, but even had Cora not possessed her heart, Killian would have thought she belonged with them.

"In the cellar, from what I hear," the black and white haired woman answered, her eyes dancing. "Apparently she tried warning the Savior, and our dear Evil Queen didn't take kindly to that."

Killian felt his eyebrows rise. "What would possess her to do that?"

"How should I know?" Cruella drawled. "Crossing the woman who holds your heart is certainly one of the dumbest things you can do."

"Perhaps she simply didn't like being forced into a life she didn't want," Ursula put in, but her blazing eyes were on Killian.

"That hardly excuses taking leave of your senses, darling."

Whatever response Ursula planned to make ever arrived; Cora strode in, with Rumplestiltskin—as always—on her heels. This time, however, the Crocodile looked far worse than he had before, bad enough that Killian actually felt a small flicker of pity for him. The circles under were darker than ever before, and Rumplestiltskin moved like he was in pain, stiffly and woodenly. His eyes seemed slightly unfocused and didn't meet the gaze of anyone in the room. There was obviously something wrong with him, and although Killian could feel a tiny bit sorry for any man who became Cora's plaything, he wasn't really interested in finding out what it was. After all, the Dark One isn't a man, he told himself, and focused on what Cora was saying.

Most of it was the normal drivel; Cora thanked them all for coming and reassured them that, despite the previous day's setback, she was still on track to regain complete control over Storybrooke. The heroes might have Regina's help, now—though Cora failed to mention who had woken her up—but their combined power was still no match for her allies. The words she spoke were perfectly poised and reassuring, but there was something just a little off in the delivery. There was just a touch of desperation in her voice that hadn't ever been there before, and Killian watched that realization wash over everyone in the room.

"That's all well and good, darling, but what are we going to do now?" Cruella interrupted Cora's reassurances, crossing her arms. "Needless to say, we all joined your side to win, so we're eager to be on with it and start ruling Storybrooke."

Cora blinked. "Are you questioning my methods, Cruella?"

"Not yet."

"I'd advise against that," the Evil Queen said softly, her eyes burning with a furious fire that Killian had never seen from her before. She didn't say another word, but the dagger in her hand twitched, and Rumplestiltskin lurched forward, power suddenly crackling in the air.

"Oh, do call your dog off," Cruella scoffed. "None of us are going anywhere. We're simply growing impatient."

"Of course you are." But the dagger still twitched again, and Rumplestiltskin's arm shot up. Magic hit Cruella square in the chest, throwing her back against the wall. She hit hard; Killian could hear the plaster behind her crack as he dodged sideways. What really caught his attention, however, was the way Ursula glared murder at Cora as Cruella picked herself up. This alliance is going to go to pieces soon, Killian realized. Suddenly, he was very glad to be the first to jump ship.

Cora did not notice how ready to kill her Ursula looked, though; she was busy looking at everyone else. "I will destroy Snow and her pitiful little followers, and I will do it in my own time," she said dangerously. "Do not question me. Or my methods."

The silence in the room was incredibly heavy this time, tense and thick. No one wanted to speak, to bring Cora's wrath down upon them. Even Cruella kept her mouth shut once she was on her feet, even if she looked furious. Seconds turned into a minute, and no one met Cora's burning gaze.

"Not to put too fine a point on it, Your Majesty, but there is one matter that needs addressing," Jafar spoke up carefully. "What would you like done about your other daughter?"

"No one touches Regina," Cora answered immediately. "I will deal with her."

"As you wish," Jafar inclined his head smoothly, and the meeting went on.

"That wasn't particularly encouraging," Ursula said after they were in the car and on the road, scowling at the dashboard.

"Tell me about it," her lover snarled. "Cora's losing her touch."

"You told me that we were picking the winning side," she couldn't help saying petulantly. "You said that Cora was undoubtedly going to win and that we should jump in head first."

Cruella looked away from the road to glare at her. "Do you want me to say I was wrong? Fine. I was wrong. Cora's losing it."

"You can say that again," Ursula muttered. "Watch the road."

The car had drifted while Cruella looked away, and when her head snapped back she overcorrected, as usual, swerving into the opposite lane at eighty miles an hour. Ursula didn't bother to twitch, though; driving with Cruella was always an adventure.

"Try not to hit the trees, will you?" she said lightly. "A car crash would only add to the bruises that the Dark One gave you."

"Crybaby."

She just snorted, and then turned serious. "What do you want to do, Cruella? Stick with her, or change sides and hope she doesn't send Rumplestiltskin to murder us?"

"That is the rub, isn't it?" Cruella scowled, whipping the car around a bend in the road and heading for Maleficent's mansion. "We need a bit of insurance on that front. Even beaten down like he is, Rumple's far too clever to avoid forever."

"Too bad Cora doesn't ever let go of that damn dagger."

"No kidding."

It went without saying that they both knew that control of the Dark One was the wildcard that could tip the balance of the war either way; if they could get the dagger, for example, they would be able to destroy Cora at their leisure. Rumplestiltskin would probably even be grateful to get away from her, though Ursula could think of a thousand and one reasons to keep control of him. There would be so many advantages to having that kind of power at their disposal!

Henry let Belle into the Nolan house with a smile. "Hey, Grandma."

"Belle will do just fine, Henry," she said, a surprised laugh coming out before she caught herself. "I'm actually only your step-grandmother, anyway."

"I know. But I think Dad likes you better than he liked his mom," the boy said, and Belle felt her heart melt just a little. She'd never expected to become a grandparent like this—not for so many years, until Gabrielle married and had children of her own—but she couldn't imagine having a better grandson than Henry, who was grinning. "And I know Grandpa Gold likes you better. You're his True Love."

I guess that's in his book, she thought, feeling the familiar warmth run through her at the thought of her husband. But the feeling was a little bittersweet, and still mixed with crippling worry. "Is that what you've decided to call him?"

"Do you think he'll like it?"

"I think he'll love it," Belle replied honestly and then forced herself to turn to the reason she'd come. "So, are your other grandparents here?"

"Yep. Mom and Mom are both here, too." Henry promptly raised his voice and shouted: "Belle's here! She wants to talk to people!"

Chuckling, Belle followed as Henry led her into the living room. Not very long passed before Snow, Charming, Regina, and Emma all piled in, looking as tired and stressed as Belle felt. I guess they all live here now, Belle thought. At least that makes it easy to find everyone.

"Is something wrong?" Snow asked immediately, and at least that gave Belle the opening she needed to address the problem openly.

"Unfortunately, yes. Jefferson called me yesterday, and Cora knows about our plan to send her to Neverland," she said. "She had Grumpy's heart, and was listening in."

"Yeah," David nodded. "He doesn't know when she took it, but I guess this tells us that she had it before our war council met. How did Jefferson know?"

"He didn't say, though he didn't know it was Grumpy's heart she had. Bae told me about that last night."

"Great," Emma muttered. "Just…great. Now what are we going to do about her?"

Belle glanced down at her hands, thinking about her conversation with Baelfire the night before. She'd promised him that she'd wait…but that didn't mean she wouldn't plan. "I have another idea," she admitted. "But I'd rather not go into it just yet…just in case."

"We pulled every heart out of Cora's vault," Snow said, sounding a little hurt that Belle didn't automatically trust them. True, they had been more accepting of her—and of Bae—than Belle had ever expected (far more so that her father!), but she was still wary.

Am I afraid that they will encourage me, or that they'll try to stop me? she wondered, but was saved from answering when Regina spoke up.

"No. That's smart. I wouldn't put it past Mother to squirrel away a heart or two where no one else can find them," she said bluntly. "From what I understand about the contract, anyone related to Rumple is safe, but other than that, any of us could be heartless and not know it."

Snow turned to look at her sister in surprise. "Robin woke you with True Love's kiss. Surely that wouldn't work without a heart?"

"Anything's possible. Until we take Mother down—or at least get Rumple back on our side—there's no way to know." Regina shrugged, and then shot Snow a smile. "But I did check to make sure I still have my heart, given that I was Mother's guest for so long. And I do."

"That's a relief," Snow said, but it gave Belle an idea.

"Couldn't you do that for others?" she asked. "I mean, obviously not everyone, but it would give us at least a group of people we knew for sure weren't being…manipulated."

Regina blinked, looking at her like she'd never seen her before. "That's not a bad idea. I guess Rumple didn't just marry a pretty face."

Leave it to Regina to couple a compliment with an insult, but Belle wasn't surprised. She'd worked with Rumple's star student before, after all, and knew Regina didn't really mean that. She knew Belle was smart enough, but probably hadn't expected her to have such a solid understanding of magic. So, Belle just gave Regina a droll look and refused to take it personally. Then a knock on the front door saved her from having to respond at all.

"I'll get it," David said, heading out of the room. Snow exchanged a glance with Regina, and then, surprisingly, followed her husband, leaving Belle alone with just Henry, Regina and Emma.

"Look, I wanted to say I was sorry," Emma spoke up quietly. "I didn't want to shoot Gold, and I hope he's all right. But I had to stop him somehow."

Belle was glad that Bae had told her about this, but she still had to swallow before she could respond. "I understand," she whispered. "It's just…you have to understand that he doesn't want to do any of this. I know people don't believe that, but he doesn't have a choice."

"We know," Regina cut in. "I might not know as much about the dagger as I hope you do, but I know he can't refuse commands Mother gives him. Besides, it was pretty obvious to anyone with eyes that he was distracting Mother so that she didn't notice the truck before David ran her over."

"He was?" Bae hadn't mentioned that, but then again, maybe he hadn't seen it. Oh, Rumple… Her heart broke for her husband, yet again, shattering into a thousand tiny pieces that she wasn't sure could ever be assembled again. That, of course, only doubled Belle's determination to do what had to be done, even if it meant risking her own life. Rumplestiltskin was worth it.

"Look, I know you and I have never really been friends," Regina replied quietly. "But I'll help you get the dagger back to him. Somehow."

That simple offer of help made the tears Belle had held back for days try to rise, and she nodded silently, unable to find words to express her gratitude. You have friends, Rumple. You don't always believe it, but you do, she thought, wanting nothing more than to be able to tell her husband that in person.

"Emma, you've got a visitor," David's voice interrupted before Belle had to find an answer, and she looked over to see Hook, of all people, trailing the Charmings into the living room. "He refused to leave until he saw you."

The pirate's eyes flicked around the room while Emma turned to face him. "Seems you've got quite the gathering here, Swan."

"It's a family affair," the sheriff retorted dryly, and that made Belle quirk a smile. Hook clearly didn't understand the joke, but his confusion only made it better. Then, strangely enough, it was Regina who met her gaze, rolling her eyes towards the pirate in an expression of distaste that Belle definitely shared.

"Is there a chance of speaking to you in private?" Hook said after a moment's hesitation.

"If this is about your betraying Cora, after you told me and Bae in the street that you wanted to help, you might as well just say it," Emma replied bluntly. "No one here is on Cora's side. Wouldn't you know if they were?"

"I suppose so," he shrugged, glancing around once more before speaking. "I have just come from Cora's, actually. She called another meeting."

"What's her plan now?" Snow asked immediately.

"It's more what she didn't say than what she did, actually," Hook answered, stuffing his hands in his pockets. Not for the first time, Belle wondered where Cora had acquired a second hand for him, but she supposed that was a question for another day. "Cora was firm enough in saying that she'll destroy you and your family—no offense meant, of course—but she failed to give details, and resorted to intimidation to keep people in line."

"That's hardly a new tactic for my mother," Regina put in dryly.

"Actually, love, it is. These people aren't allies she frightened into siding with her—like me, they chose Cora because they thought she would win," the pirate corrected her. "The idea was simple enough: heroes always ally to carry the day, so villains should do the same. But now it's not working. Cora's little alliance is coming apart at the seams because she's too angry to keep it together. You can't use the Dark One against your allies and expect them to want to follow you."

"You're saying that her alliance is falling apart?" Emma pressed.

"Aye, it's starting to. You won't see it from the outside for some time yet, but the cracks are forming."

Everyone in the room exchanged glances, some worried and others contemplative. Finally, it was Henry who spoke up: "That's a good thing, right?"

"It would be if it wasn't my mother," Regina growled, but Henry still looked confused.

"Cora will probably get vicious as she grows more desperate," Belle explained around the lump in her throat. "I think we all hoped that we'd be able to defeat her without letting her resort to that."

"I'm not sure she can be much worse," the ten year old said pointedly.

"She can, lad." Surprisingly, that was Hook. "She can."

Henry still didn't look entirely convinced, but he closed his mouth. Belle didn't know him as well as either of his mothers—or his adopted father, for that matter—but even she could tell that Henry was thinking about something. Regina, Emma, and David all glanced at the boy and then at one another, obviously thinking the same thing, but no one asked.

The gathering broke up shortly after that, though Belle thought for a moment that Hook wanted to say something to her before he left. The pirate hesitated, watching her for just a moment, and then shook his head and departed. Belle was glad to see that, because she really hadn't wanted to talk to him. The last meaningful conversation between the two of them had wound up with her falling through some broken stairs while she ran away from Hook, and while Belle didn't completely blame the pirate for that one, she hadn't forgotten what he'd been after, either. Hook wanted the dagger, Belle thought grimly. He might be helping us—or Emma—now, but that doesn't mean he's any less a villain.

"Hey," Emma said to her, catching Belle's arm before she could leave. "Is, uh, Bae at home?"

"He's watching Gabi," Belle confirmed. "But he'll be free as soon as I get there, if you're looking for him."

A tentative smile crossed the Savior's face. "Is it all right if I stop by?"

"Of course it is," she replied, her heart skipping a beat in excitement for her stepson's sake. "Bae will be happy to see you."

Did Emma blush? It was hard to tell when she turned away so quickly, mumbling and embarrassed thanks as Henry grinned from ear to ear. Belle didn't have to be a Seer to know what was going to happen that afternoon, so she headed home. And didn't say a word to Baelfire.

Two hours later, Henry made his decision.

Both his mothers had headed out. If he was going to sneak away, this was the time to do it. David and Snow were downstairs, talking about something or another—probably how to beat the Evil Queen, since that was all pretty much anyone talked about in this house these days—and Henry knew that they were distracted. They were worried, as well they should be, because Cora was dangerous. He'd been saying that for almost a year, ever since Belle had given him the Book, but no one had really grasped it until Emma had shown up and his mom had woken up. But Regina had headed out to talk to Maleficent, hoping that the dragon sorceress would join them, while Emma had gone to talk to his other dad. He knew exactly what Emma was going to do, even if Emma hadn't said, and Henry thought it was fantastic.

But it wasn't going to be fast enough. Sure, she and Baelfire would get married and then that would protect Emma, Snow, and David, too, but how long would it take them to get married? Something had to be done soon, and Henry couldn't believe that the adults hadn't figured out the easiest way to defeat Cora.

He had, though, which was why Henry had climbed out the window and was ready to do what had to be done. He'd done this before, swinging out to the tree near his room and scrambling down, and the second time was even easier than the first. After all, he'd been carrying his backpack and the Book last time. This time he only needed himself. And maybe a way to get a ride towards the edge of town, because otherwise it would be a really long walk.

Maybe Ruby would give him a ride if he got to the diner. She was usually pretty good about helping out, Henry decided as he hopped to the ground. Robin wouldn't be a good option because he'd know exactly where Henry wanted to go, and he probably wouldn't take him. Granny wouldn't, either, but Grumpy had a van. Or he could get Doc to take him in his Miata—

"Henry Daniel Nolan, what are you doing?" a voice said before he could even turn away from the tree, and Henry whirled around to find his adopted dad staring down at him, hands on his hips and a look on his face that said he remembered the last time Henry had snuck out like this.

He thought fast. "Um…going for ice cream?"

"Good try. The ice cream shop is closed, remember?" David said, and Henry's heart sank. "Next excuse?"

Growing up, even with both his parents cursed, Regina had always been the disciplinarian. This side of David, the quick-witted and forceful side, was one that Henry wasn't used to, and it was a little unsettling. He liked David like this—when he wasn't catching Henry sneaking out, anyway—but differences of this sort were the reason why Henry found it easier to call David 'Gramps' than 'Dad'. The dad he'd grown up with had kind of been swallowed by Prince Charming, and while Charming was infinitely cooler, sometimes Henry missed the dad who had played video games with him and let him get away with pretty much anything.

"I wanted to go talk to Belle. About the Book," he tried again, this time careful to come up with a more plausible excuse.

"I doubt that." David gave him a hard look. "Your Book is on the kitchen table, and Belle was over here earlier. Tell me the truth."

Swallowing hard, Henry decided that if anyone understood, Charming should. He knew about taking risks to protect those he loved, and Henry was only going to do what had to be done.

"I'm going to see the Evil Queen," he answered, squaring his shoulders. "She doesn't know that the contract applies to me, too, and after what happened yesterday, she's going to want to lock me up to get at Mom. Then Grandpa Gold will get the dagger back, and everything will be okay."

"Oh, Henry…" David sighed. "You know none of us are going to let you do that."

"But it's the fastest way to defeat her! I'm not a little kid, and I can help. She doesn't know, and—"

"And what if she tries to hurt you?"

Henry shrugged. "That'll make her lose the dagger, too."

"You do know that the contract won't actually protect you, right?" his dad/grandfather asked. "Cora would still kill you, even if it would break the contract, and I can't let that happen."

"She didn't kill me last time. She just put me under a Nightmare Curse."

"That's not a 'just', Henry. Not at all."

"But I'm okay!" he protested. "And the Evil Queen won't go after Belle or Bae—or even Emma once she realizes she and Bae are married—because she knows that'll break the contract. But she doesn't know about me yet. Please, let me help."

Taking him by the shoulder, David tugged him towards the house, and Henry let his dad lead him inside. He didn't want to go, but he knew that expression. Even David Nolan had worn it from time to time, and it told Henry that he really wasn't going to win. I can always run away later, he decided. They can't watch me all the time.

"I know what you're thinking," David said gently. "You're thinking that you can get away later, and try again."

"I—why would I think that?"

"Because I know you. But you can't do this. I know it seems like the best idea from where you're standing, but you have to understand that you are the one person who holds this family of ours together. Without you, the alliance we're building won't work at all. And it would break all of our hearts if Cora hurt you at all."

"But…"

"Especially mine," David continued, and Henry looked up to meet his grandfather's eyes. "I know this is hard because I'm so different, but I'm not going to stop caring for you just because I'm your grandfather and I'm not quite the same man I was when I was your dad, okay? I love you, Henry. We all do. But if you can't promise me—and I mean give me your solemn word—that you won't try to sneak out again, I'm going to have to ground you."

"I don't love you any less because you're not the same," Henry said quietly, feeling awkward.

"I know that."

David hugged him, and for a moment, Henry just held on tightly. He understood what David was saying, even if he didn't agree—he was still the only one who could tempt Cora into unknowingly breaking the contract, and someone had to do something soon. But he knew enough about the way things had been in the Enchanted Forest to know that this side of the family hadn't always gotten along with Rumplestiltskin, and if Henry was the one thing that held their alliance together, he wasn't going to mess that up.

"I promise not to sneak out and try to find the Evil Queen again," he finally said.

He'd just have to find another way to help.

A/N: Slightly early update since I'll be away tomorrow. I hope no one minds. ;) Also, a bit of information if you're interested—I'm anticipating 102-103 chapters total. I'm nearly done with Chapter 101 now, so we're definitely approaching the end game.

Stay tuned for Chapter Ninety-Four—"Breaking Barriers," in which Emma goes to tell Baelfire what she's decided, Regina visits Maleficent, Cora tries to send the Jabberwocky after a new target, Zelena gets some revenge, and Belle reconciles with her father. A little.