Hey guys! It's Sunday! Lol! New episode, new chapter! I hope you enjoy it :) please leave a review! Questions and suggestions are more than welcome! Like seriously guys give me some suggestions! Lol!
"So...where's Belle?" Henry questioned as he walked around the perimeter of the room looking at all the objects on the shelves and in the cabinets. He spared a look Rumple's way though and he saw what he knew he'd find. Sorrow, anger, self hatred.
"I do not recall the name," he smiled simply and waved his fingers at the boy.
"She's not dead you know," Henry nodded and Rumple's gaze became more focused than ever, "I can bring her back to you. She misses you."
"You know nothing of the sort," he snarled and the boy continued around the room, shrugging and turning his attention back to the objects around him. Rumple watched the boy walk for a few seconds more and when he showed no signs of speaking any further on the topic, Rumple got frustrated. "Belle is dead. Her father tossed her aside and she killed herself," he bit out and Henry looked back at him with his hands clasped behind his back.
"Nope. She's very much alive."
"And how would you know such a thing? Hmm?"
"I know a lot of things."
"How am I to believe a word you say when everything that leaves that mouth is so very far fetched?"
"I suppose you'll just have to trust me."
"I trust no one."
"How about we make a deal?" Henry offered with a smile and Rumple cocked his head and then gave a toothy grin of his own as he straightened his posture a little while he remained leaning back against the table.
"Oh?"
"You remove whatever spell you have up that's keeping the queen from using her magic to get to me, you free her from under your thumb and your puppet strings so she can live the life she wants without any interference from you unless she requests it, and you leave me to be with her to help her until I go home. In return I have Belle returned to you with a sketch of Baelfire's face as an adult as well as a method of transport to get to this land without magic that will take both you and Belle without a cost. And if I fail to give you any of those things then you may play out any loophole you found in this deal. What do you say?"
Rumple stared hard at the boy, the gears turning in his head as his thoughts ran through every possible course he could think of. What business would this boy have in hindering him though really? Yes he knew more than he should but his focus was solely on Regina and what she was doing. Henry wanted nothing to do with him but to get him out of the way of the beautiful queen. And he was now obsessed with knowing if he was telling the truth about Belle. And a way out of this world.
He stepped forward slowly and when he was in front of the boy he looked him up and down one more time. And then he extended his hand and Henry reached forward and took it, "deal."
"Deal," Henry nodded and smiled and then the next thing he knew Rumple was flung across the room to the nearest wall and his mother was on top of him with a sharp silver dagger she had summoned to her grip from the glass box it had been housed in that he had been looking at only moments before. The sudden motion had Henry jumping with a small gasp of surprise and even Rumplestiltskin looked to have a noticeable amount of fear in his expression for a moment or two.
When two hands grabbed his shoulders he gasped and tried to get away as he spun but when he recognized that it was David trying to comfort him and keep him close, he relaxed and leaned in to him.
"You took him! While everyone was sleeping you took him from my home!" She bellowed through a truly vicious and maniacal snarl and then summoned a second dagger to her other hand and jabbed it up in to his ribs causing him to cringe and grit his teeth for a moment, "you crossed the line!"
"What have you done to me!?" He pushed out furiously through his bared teeth when he found he couldn't magic himself away from beneath her. And he didn't even try to fight her off him because he knew he didn't have a chance against her enraged muscles that had been infused with her magic.
"I am a quick learner, dearie," she singsonged lividly and twisted the dagger in his side which had him shouting furiously in her face, "I can replicate any spell you throw my way and I have taken a particular liking to the one you put up around your borders that had me walking for hours on end!"
"You can't kill me," he reminded with a laugh through his teeth and she merely grinned and leaned in closer and as she did he started to feel both daggers grow hot.
"No I cannot. But I can most certainly give you a few thoughts before you ever try to take that boy from me again," she snarled through her grin, her eyes wild with rage and the thrill her darker side took when causing pain to those she loathed. Rumple gave another enraged roar of pain when the red hot metal of the daggers seared the skin of his neck and whatever the blade was touching as it remained buried to the hilt inside his ribs.
"If you so much as dare cross me again I will make you suffer for it," she growled with a slow shake of her head. And when she felt Rumple's magic start to come to life to push her off him she pulled both daggers from him and stepped back, using the lightning speed of her magic to send the daggers flying once more. One stuck firmly in his shoulder and the wood behind him, causing him to shout and grip his able hand around the hilt to try and remove it while the other red hot dagger stuck in the wood right next to his head so it burned his ear.
And then without so much as another word Regina spun around and walked to Henry and David, the both of them staring at her wide eyed. Then with a fluid movement of her arms they were enveloped in purple smoke and as it dissipated they found themselves standing in Regina's castle once again.
Still vibrating with rage, Regina took a moment to calm herself down. Flexing her fingers, closing her eyes, and taking deep breaths. It was a slow process and it was a practice she was not at all good at yet but she was trying. It became so much easier and the rage was almost entirely gone when she felt Henry collide in to her and wrap his arms around her tight enough to make it hard to breathe. Quickly her arms were around him and her face creased in adoration and pain for the boy as she nuzzled her face in to his hair.
"I knew you'd find me," Henry whispered against her and she hummed softly and combed her fingers through his hair.
"Of course I would."
"How did you anyway?" He questioned curiously as he lifted his head from her chest and looked her in the eye with a smile and she smiled in return as she continued to run her fingers through her hair.
"Your mother tethered you to her with her magic. A simple and harmless spell. I simply sought out that tether and followed it to you," she smiled and he hummed happily. But then his face fell in to confusion and his smile disappeared.
"But...if I'm tethered to her then why isn't she here? Why hasn't she come to get me?"
"Because she can't. You are worlds away from her so the tether is stretched thin. But she can feel you," she assured and he hung off her every word as she pushed his hair behind his ear, "she knows you are alive and well. But she cannot come."
-3 Days Later-
"So..." Henry started and wrung his hands together slowly while he sat cross legged on her bed and she came out of the closet wearing yet another gown and looked herself up and down in the full length mirror, turning to one side and then the other, "I sort of...made a deal..."
"With whom?" She questioned distractedly as she huffed at the grey gown in displeasure.
"Uh...Rumplestiltskin..." he answered and watched as her eyes went wide as she looked at him through the mirror and then spun around to look straight at him.
"Henry-!"
"I know! I know what you're gonna say! But this one is different I promise!" He put his hands up and she shook her head in small sharp movements, "the stakes were really high! He couldn't help but accept it! Plus this'll be great for everyone!"
"What exactly was this deal, Henry?!"
"Okay hear me out. In exchange for him giving you your freedom and not bringing any harm to you or me in any way, I give him a sketch of his lost son so he knows what he looks like as a grown up, I give him a two seats to a cost free method of travel to the land without magic, and-"
"Two seats?! Who the hell-?!"
"Belle," he nodded and she huffed a long breath out her nose, her jaw tight and her eyes rather hard, "we give him back Belle," he finished and she stared at him for a few seconds longer in silence before she spun on her heels and walked back in to the closet murmuring furiously to herself. "It's a win-win-win!" He called after her, "you get your freedom, he gets Belle and a way to find his son, and the Enchanted Forest is free of the Dark One forever!"
"Something will go wrong."
"I don't think it will!" He argued and could practically hear her eyes rolling, "Rumple wants this too badly to try anything when he knows I can make sure he never sees Belle or a Baelfire again in this timeli-what is that, take it off," he pointed and barely bit back a laugh when she came out of the closet wearing a lavender gown with a skirt so overly puffy and decorated with lace it was comical.
"I had to find the most hideous thing in that closet so I could readjust my view on what is really unwearable," she drawled out as she turned in the mirror with a look of disgust on her face, "needed something else to compare the others to."
"Well you've succeeded so, you know, burn that," he nodded and she laughed, "and go find something else to wear," he laughed and she gave a playful twirl to show off the awful gown before she walked back in to the closet, "why do you even have that?!"
"Snow had it made years ago so we could match. I promise you I never wore it. I enchanted one of my own gowns so that when people saw it and looked at Snow they found her to seemingly be wearing the same one but when Snow looked at it she saw that purple monstrosity that matched the one she was wearing."
Henry laughed as he shook his head and felt his heart warm at the small tale. There really was a point in time where she cared for Snow. Perhaps it could still be salvaged. "So will you let Belle out? Or do I have to search every tower in the castle and find her myself?" He laughed the question and heard her sigh from inside the large closet.
"I suppose I can let her out. So long as you accept whatever consequence should this deal collapse on you."
"I will, I promise," he grinned and bounced a little on the bed in triumph. He was getting through to her. Finally. "Thank you."
"Yes yes, hush up about it," she shook her head and smiled when she heard him laugh some more. Her smile left her though on purpose as she walked back out of the closet wearing a new gown.
"That one," Henry nodded and she walked to the mirror, "that one for sure," he smiled and she turned in the mirror. It was a simple gown made of a royal blue coloured satiny fabric. It had long sleeves and a long skirt that trailed behind her about a foot and a half and the fabric over her breasts was given a single twist to lend the gown a sweetheart neckline. It was simple and soft and made her look much more like the woman she was striving to be.
When she pulled her long wavy hair over one shoulder so she could clasp a necklace around her neck, a single diamond on a thin silver chain, Henry smiled and cocked his head, "why is it so important today what you look like?"
"No reason at all. I just couldn't decide what to wear," she smiled at him in the mirror and then moved her attention to her fingers as they pushed small dangling emerald and diamond earrings through her ears.
"Well whatever your reason is, you look beautiful," he smiled and she hummed through her smile.
"Thank you, dear."
...
"What do you mean you don't know how to make an apple pie?!" He laughed as he plucked another apple from her tree and put it in the basket she held.
"I've never learned," she laughed as she picked an apple herself and took a bite.
"What? My mum learned from the chef in her kitchen when she still lived on the estate!"
"Well I guess there is our first difference," she chuckled and turned her apple a little to take another bite, "we couldn't very well be exactly the same. It wouldn't be a very alternate Alternate Universe then would it."
"Well you'll have to learn!"
"Or I could simply not," she laughed and took a bite of her apple.
"It is probably for the best, boy," Henry Senior laughed quietly as he sat on the wall around the tree that the boy stood on, "the last time my daughter tried to cook something she set the entire kitchen on fire. And the time before that she nearly cut all her fingers off. Oh and the time before that she nearly poisoned us all. And then before that it was the-"
"Alright Daddy," Regina laughed through her breath and he laughed happily at himself while Henry laughed as he continued to pick apples.
"Well then you are a disaster in the kitchen while my other mom is a genius in it," he laughed with a shrug of his shoulders and a rock of his head while the older man and Regina laughed happily.
"Her majesty is a disaster in the kitchen?" David questioned playfully as he walked up behind her with Ruth in tow. When she looked over her shoulder he felt his chest warm and his heart skip at her beauty and his want for her. Her smile was stunning, her make up was softer, her jewelry was more subdued and elegant just as her gown was, and her long dark hair was left to hang behind her back in silky waves, only a few pieces of it pinned back out of her eyes.
"Oh most definitely," Regina laughed with her words and he breathed out a laugh in return while Ruth smiled in amusement behind him.
"You would make a horrid housewife. Can't cook, tendency to murder," he shook his head and clicked his tongue, "shame really."
"Hmmm well I make up for any shortcomings in the bedroom I assure you," she replied smoothly with a smirk and David laughed while her father scolded her quietly and the boy laughed under his breath and shook his head.
"You look lovely this morning, Regina," he complimented with a smile and she nodded with a reined in smile of her own, "love the dress," he nodded as he stepped up beside her and next to Henry who was still on the ledge.
"Thank you. You don't look so bad yourself. For a shepherd prince anyway."
With a shake of his head and a look in to the basket she held he breathed out a laugh and asked, "if you cannot cook then why are you gathering so many apples?"
"Target practice of course," she smirked and David raised his eyebrows curiously.
...
"Elbow," she scolded lightly and he lowered his elbow obediently, "good. Shoulders," she nodded as she walked around him and he rolled the tension from his shoulders and took a deep breath, "better. Now you aim and on your exhale you let the arrow fly," she instructed and he nodded and took another couple of slow breaths and then uncurled his fingers.
The arrow flew straight and fast and skewered the apple right through its centre and Henry barely held back a victorious cheer. Instead he stayed focused and drew back another arrow and aimed at the next apple while Regina stood over him approvingly. At the touch of her hand between his shoulder blades he rolled the slight tension from them once more and took another deep breath as he repositioned his feet before she could correct him on that. She must have seen him make the adjustment himself though for she hummed a soft pleasant approval that made him smile before he let his second arrow fly.
It hit the apple right through its centre once more and now a grin was starting to pull at his mouth. He had learned quickly how to use the bow and now he was just refining his new skill so he could show everyone back in Storybrooke.
Regina stepped with him when he moved to the side so he was in line with his third apple and when he stopped she gave him a moment to aim his arrow before she lightly swatted his stomach with the back of her hand and with a swallowed laugh he tightened his core and in return his shoulders were more square and his posture was improved.
David breathed out a quiet impressed laugh when Henry hit the apple right in its centre once more. He absolutely adored how Henry responded correctly and obediently to every one of Regina's touches or swats. Very much like a mother and son. He could tell that Henry was reining in his excitement with every apple he hit so he could stay focused and explode with joy when he was finished. However it was Regina that stole his gaze. Her head was held high and her posture was strong and tall as she watched Henry with kind but scrutinizing eyes with her hands clasped behind her back. He was fascinated by the way she moved. So smooth and calculated. Like a predator that was always hunting. He wanted to moved his hands over every inch of her and feel those smooth and controlled muscles, he wanted to press himself up against her and feel all of her, he wanted to breath in that sweet scent and taste that soft skin.
He wanted to break her of her smooth and calculated movements and see what would happen to her should he have her screaming and clawing at him for more. Quickly he blinked away the images and swallowed thickly as he made a point to watch Henry and not Regina. These fantasies were growing more frequent and easier to inspire. Ever since he had her virtually dead body in his arms when they went to retrieve Henry from Rumple he found himself wondering what it would feel like to kiss those full lips.
What sounds would she make? Would her breath catch if he were to lean in close? Would she shiver under his touch? Would she let him hold her? Would she enjoy his fingers playing in her soft hair while she nuzzled herself in to him? Did she steal the blankets in the night? He wanted to know.
She did not feel the same for him though. Of that he was certain. Every chance she got she was making some snide or cruel remark, rolling her eyes, hissing at him through a snarl. She was, after all, the Evil Queen. Just simply not nearly as potent as before. Her true colours were starting to shine through the darkness but the darkness had not left. It was merely fading between waves of light. However he was still developing feelings for a woman he should not want. Especially because he was with Snow.
He couldn't even blame it merely on her beauty and his physical attraction to her because he knew quite well that his growing feelings for her were not simply just that he wanted to sleep with her. They were running far deeper than that.
It was unsettling to say the least that his mind wandered to such a dangerous woman and entirely forgot about his dear Snow. Was it odd that he hardly missed her these days? What did it say about his relationship with her that he hadn't so much as even tried to reach out to her? Even after coming to such a realization he didn't feel remotely motivated to try and send her a note. He was quite content where he was. In the castle keeping the company of the queen and her strange boy.
He was brought back from his thoughts when Henry cheered loudly after hitting his last apple. The boy hollered and shouted as he threw his arms up in the air and Regina laughed happily with him and that sound had David smiling all the more.
"Can we start doing moving targets next?!"
-Storybrooke-
"Regina," he called as he closed the front door behind him. He didn't get a response but that wasn't all that uncommon. So he followed the delicious smell of food in to the kitchen and found her standing with her back to him untying her apron. Slowly. As if it took all the effort in the world to untie the simple bow in the narrow ties. "Smells great in here," David complimented with a smile but it didn't stay long for he knew the atmosphere didn't call for smiles.
"I made too much. Again," she stated and then furrowed her brow as she tried not to be overwhelmed by her desire to cry. She was so tired of crying. But she couldn't find it in her to stop. Not with Henry gone.
"That's alright. It'll get eaten," he assured as he stepped up beside her and glanced at the round platter of orange creamy pasta on the counter in front of them.
"I'm not even hungry," she whispered with a shake of her head and watched her hands slowly deal the apron over her arm, "I just wanted to do something...familiar. But I've made too much."
"It's alright, Regina," he soothed softly and she shook her head, her face creased with the effort it took to keep her tears from falling.
"I am not accustomed to cooking for only myself. For eleven years I have been cooking for a ravenous little boy. My fridge is full of left over meals that I have made but I can't bring myself to clear it all out just in case today is the day that he comes home and he's hungry," she told him quietly and her tears rolled down her cheeks, "I don't want to get used to cooking for only one person," she whispered and her heart ached.
With a quiet exhale and a shake of his head, he looked at the pasta and then back to Regina. She was simply falling apart and he now understood why she was so heartbroken over simply making too much pasta. Slowly he reached over across her shoulders and placed a hesitant hand on the shoulder blade furthest from him. At the gentle contact her eyes fell shut and she leaned forward so her elbows could brace her weight against the counter and she could hide her face in her hands as she cried. Nearly silent cries that shook her small strong shoulders beneath his slow moving hand.
They didn't say another word to each other. She simply remained bent over the counter crying quietly in to her hands while he stood silently next to her with a hand between her shoulders and a frown on his mouth. Other than that the large home that smelled of a delicious home cooked meal, was silent. And empty.