Chapter Ninety-Four—"Breaking Barriers"

"I turned the bug around twice and did six laps around town before I managed to drive here, so you'd better let me in before I run away," Emma said as Bae opened the door, making him blink.

"Come in, then," he said, stepping out of the way despite his confusion. Belle had come back from the Charmings' house earlier in decent spirits—or at least as good as she seemed to be most of the time, given what was going on—and Bae hadn't thought any disasters were brewing. Then again, the way things change in this town, you never know, he thought. "Is everything all right?"

"Yeah." Emma shoved her hands into her pockets as he closed the door, looking everywhere but at him. "I just…I suck at this, okay?"

"Suck at what? You seem to be doing everything pretty well to me," Bae said, still utterly lost.

"Relationships. Caring." Biting her lip, Emma looked up at him. "After I got out of jail, I promised myself that it would be just me. That it wouldn't matter. I knew I could do fine on my own, because I was never going to let someone in like that again."

Hearing that gutted him. Had he screwed up her entire life? Bae had always tried to tell himself that a girl like Emma would find a guy that actually deserved her, someone great who would be everything he hadn't been, and who would stand by her regardless of where she was from. He'd been too much of a coward to do that when he should have, and Bae had always known that he deserved her hatred for that.

"I'm sorry," he said for the hundredth time, knowing that he could say that a thousand times more and it would never be enough.

"I'm not asking for an apology," Emma shook her head before Bae could continue. "I'm trying to make you understand, okay?"

"All right," Bae nodded, making himself shut up.

"I tried anyway," Emma admitted. "I got in a couple of relationships, and after a while, I started thinking it was me. I didn't really want to stay with any of them. The first guy who ever seemed real enough to fall for was Graham, and it turned out that Cora had his heart the entire time. At least that one wasn't me, but it made me start to realize what the problem was."

"I—" he started, only to have Emma cut him off.

"Will you shut up, Neal? I'm trying to tell you that the problem was that they weren't you. I wasn't just young and dumb when we were together. I was in love with you," she said hurriedly, and Bae felt his eyes go wide as his mouth hung open. "I spent a lot of years telling myself that you were a dirtbag and you never loved me, and then here you are, trying to save the damn day and suddenly not what I thought you were. Then you ask me to marry you, and you try to be all gentlemanly and say it can just be on paper if it's not what I want, and that we can end it after everyone is safe…"

She trailed off with a shuddering breath, and Bae kept quiet for a long moment to make sure he wasn't interrupting again. Finally, when Emma seemed at a loss for words, he offered: "It can be, you know. We can even get a pre-nup that says that if you want."

"I don't," Emma whispered. "That's why I waited so long. It would have been a lot easier if I didn't want to."

"Didn't want to…what?" he asked cautiously, his heart hammering against his ribcage.

Finally, Emma's eyes found his, and they were wide and a little frightened—rather like Bae felt at the moment, actually. They stared at one another in spooked silence for a long moment, each afraid to scare the other away, until she finally said:

"I want to marry you. Not just as a contract. You." She bit her lip, and then shrugged a little self-effacingly. "Maybe we'll fall apart in a few years. Or even months. But I want to give it a go. We were…pretty good, once."

Her admission struck him speechless, and all Bae could manage to stutter was: "You're…you're serious?"

"If you just want it to be on paper, that's okay." Emma looked ready to run away. "I mean—I didn't—"

"Emma, I want to marry you. I love you," he said quickly. "I might have been a cowardly asshole to run away from you, but that never changed."

"Oh," she whispered, and they stared at one another for another very long moment, neither knowing what to say. Finally, Bae decided to go for broke.

"Will you punch me if I try to kiss you?" he asked with a crooked smile.

Emma's lips twitched into a grin. "Come find out."

She didn't punch him.

Mal's sitting room looked exactly like it had during the curse…with the exception of the old-fashioned bassinette holding her sleeping daughter. Before the curse, Regina had never understood how motherhood could change her friend so much, but now she decided that it looked good on Maleficent. She was no less dangerous, but she wasn't afraid to show that she cared, and Regina could see something coming back to life within Maleficent. Whatever Stefan had taken from her all those years ago was blooming within her heart, and Regina was happy for her.

"I understand that you made some sort of deal with my mother," she said delicately, watching Mal watch Lilith.

"She had my daughter," her old friend replied defensively.

"Hey, I'm not going to tell you that you shouldn't have," Regina answered quickly. "I get it, all right? I'd walk through fire to keep Henry safe."

"Fire is hardly a danger to me," Maleficent replied dryly, finally looking at her. "But I see your meaning. Yes, I made a deal with your mother to remain neutral. She kept her end of the bargain, for once."

"How neutral is neutral?"

A small smile tugged on Maleficent's face. "Well…I might have promised her that I wouldn't act against her when it actually came time to make our deal. I think Cora was a little too concerned about my desire to roast her alive to argue with my phrasing."

"I wish you had roasted her," Regina muttered before she could stop herself. Years ago, she would have flinched at the idea of her mother's murder, but now she knew it was necessary. Regina still didn't want to do the deed herself, but she would shed very few tears at her mother's grave. If any.

"What are you here for, Regina?" Mal asked bluntly. "Are you here to say hello to an old friend, or because you want help?"

"Both, of course." She shrugged. "I'll settle for the former if it's all you can give, but I'd have to be stupid not to want a dragon on our side."

"You and the heroes, you mean. That same sister of yours who rejected my last offer of assistance?"

"Snow has learned her lesson," Regina replied, wishing she could go back in time and kick her little sister for that stupid choice. At least Snow and Charming hadn't done anything else back then, aside from alienating Maleficent when she'd offered to help try to stop the curse.

"Has she?" the other sorceress asked archly.

"Yes. Hell, we're working with Rumple's son and his bookworm wife, too, so it's fairly safe to say that Snow and Charming have both become a little more open-minded," she said firmly. "They're finally starting to understand that there are degrees of evil, and that you're more of a softy than you let on."

That last line brought a scowl to Maleficent's face. "I've killed people for saying such things," she growled.

"Trying to kill me would wake your daughter up," Regina smiled sweetly. "Besides, I know how hard it is to get them to sleep at that age."

"Of course you do. How is your son?"

"Planning something sneaky. He gets that from the other side of the family, unfortunately—Snow and Charming wouldn't know sneaky if it crept up and bit them."

That finally made Maleficent laugh, and their eyes met. Yes, the old friendship was still there, and Regina could see that Mal had just been testing her, trying to see how deeply into the 'heroes' side Regina was, or if she retained enough of her old darkness to understand. Regina had always walked the line between dark and light, tugged one way by her mother and the other by her sister, finally finding a balance that she instinctively knew Mal envied. After a few moments, Mal spoke pensively:

"It so happens that my rather specific promise might just leave Cora's allies out in the cold, so to speak," she mused. "Or, where the fire is hottest, if you prefer."

"Now you're talking," Regina grinned.

"What do you have in mind?"

"I thought we'd start quietly. We don't want to waste our best hole card on something small, so all I really want right now is backup. If things start to get hot, well…can you come make them a little bit hotter?"

Mal's blue eyes gleamed. "That would be my pleasure. You don't mind if I roast your half-sister, do you? She's a horrific bitch."

"My boyfriend shot her in the face yesterday," she said lightly. "Roast away."

Part of Regina might always mourn for what she could have had with Zelena, but Snow was her sister. Snow treated her like sisters should treat one another. Zelena just wanted to be in Cora's good graces so badly that she didn't care who she hurt. So, Regina would mourn for Zelena if she died, but she wouldn't cry too hard if Zelena insisted on fighting alongside the woman who wanted to kill everyone Regina loved.

"Lovely," Mal purred. "I don't suppose your family's new open-mindedness applies to my friends as well, does it? Because I can tell you for a fact that Cruella and Ursula are none too pleased with your mother right now, and they might be interested in a new arrangement."

"Snow and Charming can bite me if they don't like it," Regina shrugged, knowing that she could bring the pair around to reason. "And, if Cruella and Ursula prefer just to be neutral instead of throwing in with us, we can work with that, too."

Regina had never played this kind of game before—this was usually Rumple's role—which was why it didn't occur to her that those two would never really stay neutral. Oh, they'd make promises galore, and maybe even mean it, but eventually, Cruella would get bored and Ursula would be dragged along for the ride. Mal might or might not go along with them, particularly now that she had a daughter to protect, but eventually, the other two Queens of Darkness would become a problem.

However, even if she had thought of that at the time, she still would have made the offer. They needed to deal with Cora, first. Anyone else was just a secondary problem.

"Do you think I'm crazy?" Jabber asked flatly, reading the subtle lines of fear emanating out of the Evil Queen. Oh, anyone else would not have seen it, but Jabber fed on fear, and she could see the way Cora's cold exterior was starting to fracture. Had the woman actually had her own heart in her chest, the fear would have been so much more radiant, but unfortunately, Cora's heart was in some location Jabber had been unable to find, and she was thus much more…muted.

"Excuse me?" Cora asked, staring at her incredulously.

"You want me to go after Ursula, all in order to frighten Cruella into line," Jabber drawled, ignoring the warning signs flashing around Cora. "Firstly, you're forgetting that Cruella generally doesn't feel empathy for anyone, even her lover. Secondly, have you forgotten the dragon that Ursula lives with? If I go after her, I'm likely to get roasted."

"If you don't, you're likely to get hurt," Cora snapped.

Jabber rolled her eyes. "Try threatening someone else with your pet."

She felt a little sorry for the Dark One; he stood behind Cora's right shoulder, absolutely radiating pain and fear. His fears had nothing to do with her, but Jabber could tell that Rumplestiltskin was very close to snapping. There was a deal between them, one she intended to keep if Cora was ever foolish enough to try order her around without the Vorpal Blade in hand, but for now, she could do nothing for him. And he can do nothing for me, she thought irritably. Particularly if she keeps hammering him like this. Then he'll be useless, particularly if his inner demon wins and I'm left with an entity of nothing save darkness that won't bother to keep our deal.

"Would you prefer to be pinned to a wall for another century or so?" Cora purred, suddenly back on balance. The Evil Queen was every bit as dangerous and unfeeling as Cruella, but in her case, it was because she wanted to be unfeeling. Oh, the tiny cracks were still there, but now her anger had overcome her fears, and Jabber had to be careful.

"Not particularly," she answered, backing away a step. "But I won't be very useful to you if I get charbroiled, either. Give me another target, one I can actually reach."

Cora's eyes narrowed ominously, but she didn't insist on Ursula. Not that day, anyway. Instead, she sent Jabber after one of the idiot kings who were still arguing over who got to 'rule' which section of Storybrooke. Jabber didn't argue. A meal was a meal, and the man's son was smarter than he was, anyway.

Her face still hurt a little.

Rumplestiltskin's healing job had left no visual reminders of the arrow that had pierced her left cheek and punched straight through right, but her face was still sore. I should punish him for that later, Zelena decided, and then spent several gleeful moments thinking about how she would make the Dark One suffer. Surely her mother would be done with him by this evening; Cora had said she had other plans, and it was certainly Zelena's turn! Still, she had the entire afternoon to waste, and when she'd gone looking for the outlaw who had dared to shoot her, he hadn't been home. She'd thought about doing a tracking spell to find him, but then she would have had to figure out what in the apartment belonged to him and what had belonged to his gigantic roommate, which would have just been a hassle. Besides, Zelena knew she could find him soon enough. Or she could just make Rumple do it, which was a far more appetizing thought.

Still, she was bored. Someone needed to suffer for Regina's escape, but her mother had forbade her from going after Regina! Zelena knew that she could beat her sister; she'd already done it once and then cursed her later for good measure, which meant there was no way Regina would ever get the upper hand. But Cora had 'other plans' for Regina, which left Zelena trying not to pout. That might have disappointed mother, just like the fact that Regina had gotten away while Zelena was supposed to be keeping an eye on her definitely had. Cora hadn't said much, but Zelena knew that her mother was unhappy, and she desperately wanted to fix that.

If that stupid puppet hadn't distracted me with a foolish tale about authors and—

Suddenly, Zelena sat up straight. "That little rat!" she swore, her rage making the room around her shake. It was obvious, now. The heroes had wanted her out of the way. August had distracted her on purpose!

Teleporting herself across town and straight into the puppet's father's apartment was easy. Zelena was a little surprised to see Geppetto in there, too, but in the end, she didn't much care. The two had apparently been eating a late lunch, but as far as she was concerned, the fact that the puppet-maker was around was just dessert.

"Hello, doll," she smiled at August as the former puppet lurched to his feet, eyes wide and terrified. His father did the same, moving more cautiously, but no less afraid.

"Zelena—I—what can we do for you?" August aske shakily.

"Oh, don't worry," she cooed. "I'm not here to take anyone's heart."

"That's, uh, really good to know."

"I'm here to kill you," she said, just to watch them both jump. And jump they did—Geppetto lunged for the phone, which she swept out of his reach with magic, and August tried to get between his father and her. Flicking her hands carelessly, Zelena pinned them to opposite walls, grinning as both fought unsuccessfully against her magic.

"You can't—" August tried to argue. "Not my father. Please, not my father."

She cocked her head at him, enjoying his pleading. "Ooooh, poor baby. You shouldn't have tried to trick me if you didn't want dear old daddy to die."

"Please!"

"No."

Zelena felt much better after two dead bodies hit the floor. There. That will remind everyone in this miserable little town that I'm not someone to be trifled with, and Mother will be proud of me, she thought, walking out the front door of the apartment and down the stairs. She left the door open and passed several people on her way—all of whom skittered out of her path with gratifying haste—because what did she have to hide? Her mother owned Storybrooke, and Zelena wanted them to fear her, too.

Belle was quite certain that she'd never heard Emma Swan giggling before, but it was a nice sound. Even though her own heart was heavy and Belle found being optimistic harder and harder every day, hearing someone else be happy actually served to lift her spirits. She didn't have to go into the living room to learn that Emma must have said yes to Bae's proposal; the pair sounded far too gleeful to be anything but engaged. He loves her so much, Belle thought, staying in the kitchen and cutting up vegetables for stew. Bae tried not to talk about how much he loved Emma, but like his father, once he opened up, his feelings were so very obvious if you knew what to look for.

Sometimes, a tiny sense of envy would rear up, but Belle managed to quash it as she listened to the pair laugh. She preferred to share joy rather than resent those that had it, and she knew that they would find a way to free Rumplestiltskin soon. In fact, Bae and Emma's happiness might just be the key to that, she thought, pulling out celery to chop. After all, Bae had told her that Cora had ordered Rumple to kill Emma during the brawl in front of town hall, and knowing Cora, she'd want to finish that job soon. If those two could get married first, even if it was just a quick marriage certificate with a ceremony coming later, that might end everything.

Belle knew that Bae wanted her to wait because of that. She knew that he didn't want her to put herself out in the open, which Belle felt was a little bit of a double standard. Sure, Emma was tough and apparently had magic, but Belle wasn't some wilting wallflower who was afraid to stand up to—

The sudden ringing of the phone cut her off, and Belle reached for it with a sigh. "Hello?"

"Belle?" her father's voice came from the other end, and her heart sank. Belle knew she should be brave, but she really wasn't emotionally equipped to deal with this right now. "Sweetheart, are you there?"

Swallowing hard, Belle forced herself to answer. "I'm here."

"I wanted…I wanted to apologize. I don't want to be cut out of your life again, even if it means I have to accept that—that—Gold."

She had to give her father a few points for managing not to call Rumple a beast, but Belle was still wary. She had to be, between Lacey's terrible memories of Moe French kicking her out and Belle's own experiences with her father's prejudices. She wanted to believe him, but common sense told her that one conversation, even if it included a metaphorical kick in the pants from Baelfire, was not going to mend their broken relationship.

"Are you only saying that because he's not around right now?" she had to ask.

"Sweeting—"

"Answer me, Papa," Belle cut him off, her voice hard.

"It makes it easier, yes," her father replied. "I won't lie about that."

"And when he comes back?" she pressed. "I love Rumplestiltskin. He's my husband, and the father of my child. And you owe him an apology for almost killing him."

"He seemed fine soon enough," was the mulish response to that.

"Because I brought magic here so that he wouldn't die!" Belle burst out, remembering how terrified and how lost she had been that day. She would bring magic to Storybrooke a thousand times, even knowing what the eventual cost would be. Cora might have been using that magic to control Rumplestiltskin with the dagger now, but Rumple was alive. And so was Baelfire. While there's life, there's hope, she told herself, trying to calm down.

"You…why would you do that, Belle?"

"Because I love him!" She was perilously close to shouting, but Belle didn't care. "Why can't you understand that?"

There was a long silence on the other end, and she started to wonder if Maurice had hung up. Then she started to wonder if she wanted him to. Finally, he said: "It's a lot to get used to. I suppose…I suppose I don't understand it."

"Well, at least that's honest," she said bitterly, the words slipping out before she could stop them.

"I do want to apologize, Belle. I don't want to lose you."

Oh, those were the words she so very much wanted to hear, but there was something else that Belle had hoped her father would mention—but now it was clear he would not. "David told me that you asked for their help 'rescuing' me."

"Why would he tell you that?" There was so much shock in his voice that Belle could picture Maurice standing open-mouthed on the other end of the line.

"We're friends," she retorted, figuring that calling David a friend was easier than explaining that David's daughter was going to marry her stepson. Or that they already had Henry tying the two families together. Her father really didn't need to know that, particularly if he still wanted to rescue her behind her back.

"He told me you aren't trapped there," her father said quietly. "That you've been helping them fight Cora."

"Of course I have." Belle felt a little offended. "Did you think I was just hiding in the house?"

"I thought you were a prisoner."

"I've never been Rumple's prisoner. Well, except maybe in the beginning," she allowed. "But even then, he treated me well." Even if he was busy coming up with excuses for the little kindnesses he offered. "Then, as I got to know him, I fell in love with him. That's why I went back after he let me go."

"He let you go?" Maurice sounded almost too shocked for words.

"He did. I traveled for two months, and I had a few adventures," Belle smiled, remembering. "But I went back, because I loved him. And that's why I've stayed. Rumple isn't as terrible as his reputation would suggest, Papa. He'd never keep me with him against his will."

"I guess I have a lot to learn, my girl," he said quietly, and Belle felt a huge weight lifting off of her shoulders. It wasn't a perfect answer, but at least it was a start.

"Maybe we can talk sometime, then," she replied. "After…after things quiet down."

Belle wasn't going to let her father back into her life without reservations, but she did want to give him another chance. Perhaps she was too kind, but she didn't like being at odds with her beloved papa—provided he was willing to accept her for who and what she was. Accepting her family came along with that, as did apologizing to Rumplestiltskin. She would make that clear when they met face to face. After we get Rumple back, she decided. Belle could only face one crisis in her life at a time, and Rumplestiltskin had to be her priority. Her father could wait.

After all, even though Maurice didn't know it, the terms of Rumplestiltskin and Cora's contract specifically prevented the Evil Queen from going after him, too.

"What did Regina want?" Cruella drawled, dropping into the chair across from Maleficent. Ursula followed at a more sedate pace, as usual, but flounced into the chair with greater drama. Also as usual.

Lily was upstairs in her own room and asleep by now; Mal was in her office going over the books and trying to decide if she wanted to go into some less repulsive business. Of course, she could remain a Madam, just with a far more voluntary workforce; there had been plenty of 'ladies of the night' in the Enchanted Forest, and many of them preferred that trade to the ones the curse had given them. Ironically enough, she'd been approached by two of them who definitely did not want to go back to their old pimps, and who thought that working for a dragon-sorceress might be an excellent career choice. The heroes wouldn't like it, but every town had a seedy underbelly, and Maleficent merely had to decide if she wanted to own Storybrooke's or not.

"An alliance, of course," she replied airily, sitting back in her chair and studying her friends. Yes, they'd enjoy the project of eliminating Storybrooke's rancid troupe of pimps, too, wouldn't they? None of the Queens of Darkness liked that type, and they were more prone to sympathizing with the downtrodden 'bad' types than the good.

"You told her about that promise of yours, of course," Ursula said, reaching out to claim a handful of M&Ms out of the bowl on Mal's desk.

"I did. I also told her that said promise didn't govern you…and that I only promised Cora that I wouldn't act against her."

"You might have mentioned that to us earlier, darling," Cruella grumbled.

"Did I forget to mention it?" She shrugged innocently. "So sorry."

They were friends, and always would be, but they did enjoy making one another work for it.

"You're giving us a way out," Ursula said bluntly.

"I believe I just did. Regina says her little allies would shut up about it if she told them to."

Cruella snorted. "Fat chance. They hate us."

"They hate Cora more," Maleficent countered. "She's using Rumplestiltskin far too effectively, and no one appreciates having the full power of the Dark One turned against them."

"I certainly didn't," was the grumbled response, and Ursula nodded in agreement.

"That bitch needs to go down. Zelena was already crazy, but Cora isn't going to leave room for anyone else to have power in this town," the Sea Witch said.

"And I think we all know that we don't want that," Maleficent added smoothly. "So, are we agreed, then? Nauseating as it is, we shall help the heroes...and then make our own way?"

Her friends exchanged glances before nodding, and Maleficent proceeded to tell them about the young women who had approached them. She'd already been half of a mind to kill Fagin; she could guess where Lilith had been, and although her daughter didn't have any serious health issues, she'd been able to detect subtle signs of neglect. Doing so would leave a gaping hole in Storybrooke's underworld, however, and if they were ready to step into that gap…well, things could get very interesting.

Let the heroes think they were simply working for the greater good. By the time this little war against Cora was over, the Queens of Darkness would be the hidden power in Storybrooke, and there would be nothing Snow White or her handsome prince could do about that.

"You want to go out and get dinner?" Bae asked about the same time Belle hung up the phone. "You, me, and Henry, I mean? He probably deserves to be the first to know."

Emma went a little pale. "He's going to be, um…"

"Enthusiastic?" he found himself smiling. "I've known the kid for, what, nine days? Even I can tell you he'll be over the moon."

"He's always reminded me of you," she said quietly, looking away.

"Hey, if you want to wait before we tell anyone—"

"No," Emma cut him off. "That was half the reason for doing this now, right? I mean, an engagement isn't covered by the contract, so we need to tell Henry and get on with this."

"Right." Part of Bae wondered if he ever would have convinced her to marry him under other circumstances—short of going to Tallahassee in the first place—yet he knew that was an answer he might never have. Provided we work out, I guess it doesn't matter, he thought, trying to be pragmatic. The possibility of marrying the woman he loved should have elated him, but man, things were complicated. "You know, we should take this slow. Aside from the getting married part, I mean."

Emma snorted. "You mean, like you still want to date after we get that little piece of paper signed?"

"If you'll have me," he said honestly.

"A few dates would be nice," she replied, sounding almost whimsical. "We never really got to do that. More like we were just…um, running and breaking the law. But real dates could be good." Then she grinned. "Can you steal some of those millions your dad supposedly has squirreled away?"

"Millions?"

"He's the richest guy in town. You think he got this huge pink mansion by accident?"

"Well, not so much accident as the curse. Pop's never been into pink, so I guess that I thought that was the curse or Belle's doing."

Emma laughed. "I don't think she's a pink kind of girl, either."

"So, um, a date. What do you want to do?" Bae asked, trying to figure out what else there was to do in this town. There was Granny's, but that was a diner. And the ice cream shoppe was now closed. They'd already done the Italian place, but there was supposedly some Indian restaurant that he hadn't been able to find yet. Storybrooke really was a sucky place to date a girl compared to New York, but at least the girl in question was a hell of a lot better than Tamara.

"Aren't you supposed to surprise me with that?"

"What, has being surrounded by medieval people suddenly made you less modern?" he shot back, and they laughed again.

Eventually, they settled on breakfast at Granny's, but this time with Henry along so that they could tell him what they were planning. Then they'd go tie the knot, and figure out where that meant life was going to take them.

A/N: Next up: Chapter Ninety-Five—"Null and Void", in which Bae searches for a ring, Cora attempts to mend fences with Regina, Jafar and Jefferson go on another trip, Emma and Bae break the news to Henry, and Cora sends Rumplestiltskin after someone he desperately does not want to hurt.

In other news, I finished the first draft of the last few chapters, and the final chapter count will be 102! I've got a few tweaks left to make, and probably a handful of scenes left to add (I typically wind up finding a few when chapters are done), but FOTS102 will definitely be the last chapter.

A note for ROC readers—I couldn't get the next chapter of ROC done last night because I got caught up finishing FOTS, but expect it on Wednesday. :)