19.
Emma had never seen him so angry before. True, she knew that he was worried about his dad, but Neal was livid. It was like Regina's arrival had sparked something, and that her affirmation that whatever it was that this Magnus guy had force fed Gold was from their… world - she still had trouble with that - set him off in a beeline with one goal in mind. What that goal was, she wasn't entirely sure. She wasn't sure she wanted to be there when he found said goal, either.
But she was going to be. Because she loved him.
If she thought that the search would end within the hospital walls, she was mistaken. She followed her boyfriend down the steps and he continued to storm down the street. She was partially relieved that he didn't make a go for the car, because Emma was fairly certain that having him behind the wheel right then would be a bad choice for anyone not quick enough to get out of his way.
Finally, they rounded the corner on the edge of the main street and as far as the blonde was aware the only thing in the new direction he was taking was the graveyard and some old convent. "Neal?"
He turned, almost as if he hadn't realized that she had been trailing behind him the whole way. His eyes were dark, his shoulders set back, and it looked like he might boil over at any time. "You should go back to the hospital," he said tightly.
"And what are you going to do? Barge into a church and demand to see their groundskeeper? Those poor ladies won't even know what's happening. If you don't scare them to death you'll end up going to jail."
"They'll know," he answered and turned back around.
Emma's hazel eyes drifted up the path and towards the nunnery just beyond. It was quiet and peaceful, set just off from the graveyard and the only sign of movement she could see was one nun sweeping the front porch. The teenager gave a small sound of panic when she realized that Neal was stalking right towards her.
"I need to speak to Mother Superior," he demanded leaving no room for argument.
The nun with the broom blinked owlishly at him. "I…. Is there there something we can help you with, young man?"
"Yeah. Mother Superior. Or I could just bypass her all together and see Magnus, but that's really up to you."
The poor nun was thoroughly confused, but the door behind her opened and apparently Neal's voice had been loud enough to draw the attention of others. The lead nun was among them and she shooed the others off immediately, turning a tight smile to the two young people on her steps. "Baelfire," she greeted and Emma let out a startled sound as Neal took the remaining two steps and the nun stumbled back in the wall.
"Where is he?"
"I'm sorry, but who are you-"
"Magnus."
She swallowed hard and turned dark eyes towards the blonde teen a few steps gaze lingered for a moment as she regained her composure, but there was something strange there. It was only a flicker, and it was pushed aside instantly, but it left Emma feeling uncomfortable. "I'm afraid I don't know his exact location-" His hand came up when she tried to twist around him and pushed her back against the wall.
"Don't lie to me. He poisoned my father. Where the hell is he?"
"Neal, she's a nun," Emma tried to reason. Neal had a temper, she knew, even if he kept it pretty well and it was never directed at her. She'd seen the stray idiot at a bar rial it before, but she'd never seen him like this. This was the expression of a man that was desperate for answers. Desperate enough to attack a nun, apparently.
"She's the Blue Fairy," he corrected and turned his dark gaze back to her. "And she's working with him."
"Come on, really? A nun working with the bad guy? Anyway, aren't fairies good or something like that. That's what all the fairytales say, even..." She trailed off, realizing in the last second that Gold likely wouldn't want her commenting on the book of fairytales to anyone outside of their closely knit group.
Mother Superior looked around to Emma, her dark eyes meeting hazel ones and they were pleading. Whatever strange terror she'd felt when she first laid eyes on her was pushed behind a wall of some kind and Emma knew this woman was lying. She could spot a con a mile away. "He's confused. Please, I'm not sure-"
Neal snorted. "You don't get to play innocent anymore. Where is he, Blue?"
"If you're looking for me, boy, you've found me. No need to take poor Mother Superior off her feet."
Emma turned as Neal did, finding a man with white hair standing and staring through him, rather than at him. His eyes were pale, sightless, and in his hand he held a stick meant for feeling out the path in front of him. He might have been imposing once, but now age and likely deteriorating health had hunched his shoulder, leaving him leaned forward as he walked with the help of a young man by his side. He didn't look like much, this old, blind groundskeeper that Neal seemed to have met before, but something was off about him. Neal tensed at her side and took a step between them like he was worried something might happen. She didn't move. After his meltdown a couple weeks before over the danger he thought she was in, she didn't dare.
The man at Magnus' side stood with squared shoulders, his spine straight enough for them both, and he was dressed in a suit. Where Magnus' gaze was vague, his was sharp and direct, and aimed at Neal. "Baelfire, this is no longer your concern."
Neal's dark eyes narrowed. "Seriously? How do you figure that?"
"Your father made a deal. This is between he and Magnus. As long as you do not level an attack on Magnus, you're safe from this."
"Level an attack?" Emma snorted. "Who do you people think you are? Some sort of cleric mafia or something?"
The tall man's gaze swiveled over to her, but so did Magnus'. For just a moment, if Emma didn't know better, she would have thought he was staring right at her. "Miss Swan," the groundskeeper said, lips thinning into what might have been a smile. It made Emma's skin crawl and Neal positioned himself entirely between them.
"If you think I'm going to just sit here and let you hurt my family - any of my family - you're crazier than I thought."
"Some things are greater than you could wrap your mind around, boy. Stay out of the way."
Neal's lips quirked at the edge and Emma couldn't imagine why he seemed entertained by the obvious threat. Okay, maybe the nun was working with the bad guy, but this bad guy had already proven himself dangerous enough. Her boyfriend didn't seem intimidated though.
"Here's the thing Magnus. You and my dad are very different, but there's one thing you have in common. You both rely on magic way too much. Guess what? This is the Land Without Magic. At least my dad had the courage to meet you face to face with his threats. I think you know you can't win head on against us."
"Caiden, take the girl and kill the Dark One's son."
He still hadn't woken, not that the doctor had given any indication that he would. Somewhere after they'd taken him to the back of the hospital Rumple had slipped so deeply into unconsciousness that by the time that they allowed Belle in to see him again, he'd slipped further than she could reach him. That hadn't meant that she'd been able to leave his side, of course. It had been Bae that had called Regina and Emma that had gone for a change of clothes from the house. Belle had stood watch.
"Miss French?"
Belle turned, finding Dr Whale standing at the door with his notes in hand. He looked like he was at the end of his rounds and more than a little exhausted. She risked a glance back to her sleeping love and stood. Regina would likely be back shortly from her trip to her vault where she hoped to uncover something useful and Belle was counting on Bae and Emma coming back soon without mishap. Until then, she would have to risk stepping away.
She bent and pressed a kiss to his forehead before meeting the doctor at the door. He offered a tired sigh. "I've never seen anything like this," he admitted. "We've run tests, checked blood work... Everything that should give us some indication as to what was used to poison him. There's nothing that we recognize."
"You're saying that you can't help him," Belle breathed.
"We're going to keep trying but... I'm saying you should probably get his son back here to get his affairs in order. It's not looking good." Whale paused and looked a little uncomfortable. "If you need anything..."
"Thank you, Dr Whale," Belle acknowledged and he gave a curt nod. In a place where time didn't move, a doctor would likely get very used to only good news if any came at all. One of the few good things about Storybrooke's curse was that no one really died under it unless someone with a great deal of power made a very conscious effort. Someone like Magnus.
He nodded and turned back down the hall, leaving Belle with a nurse that had slipped by. The man was the same one that held held poor Baelfire back when they first arrived, and he looked just as sleep deprived as the doctor did. "How is he?" she ventured as the man took down Rumple's vital signs.
The nurse grunted, but didn't really acknowledge as he flipped a couple of switches. Belle watched curiously, unsure of what he was doing. She was no expert on the equipment that they used, but she had watched the various hospital staff move in and out since Rumple had been put into the room. No one else had bothered with it like this man was.
A monitor gave a soft sound as it went blank and Belle took a step forward. "What are you doing?"
For the first time since he'd entered, the nurse turned to look at her. "Speeding things up."
Terror swept through her as the man, seemingly unworried by her presence, peeled back the oxygen mask that had been fitted over his nose and pulled the pillow from beneath his head. It didn't take a great leap of imagination for Belle to understand what would come next and she darted forward, her small hands around his much larger arm and she pulled to stop him. "Haven't you people done enough?" she demanded.
The man turned, his light brown gaze falling on her. "Have we done enough?" he asked, surprise flittering across his expression. "Do you know who this is? What he's done?" He paused, studying her. "Of course you don't. This damn curse."
"Rumplestiltskin," Belle answered firmly and revived a startled blink in response. "His name is Rumplestiltskin. He has a son named Baelfire, and I love him, so if you think I'm going to let him go without a fight, you don't know who I am."
"He's the Dark One. He leaves destruction and terror in his path. Manipulation and threats are what he lives by. His very existence is a threat to everything good and-"
"One man?"
He stopped and stared at her. "What?"
"One man is the worse thing you've ever run across?" Belle asked and she was working to keep her anger in check. She was no match for this man physically, but if he had an ounce of sense she might be able to reason with him. Or at least delay. "You sound like you're talking about a monster from a child's bedtime story. Have you ever seen real destruction? Ogres broke into my home, killed my mother, and even when we pushed them back they kept coming. There was no hope and they left destruction in their path. Until Rumple stepped in. He saved us."
"At what price?"
"What does it matter? Where were you people, with your great words and your talk of preserving good? You weren't there. He was. That day he was our hero and to deny that he has the potential for that is to choose to be blind. I know the man beneath the monster. You only know what you've been told."
"I know the truth," he growled.
"Stop right there," a voice said from the door and Belle sun around. Graham stood in the doorway, gun drawn and looking very uncomfortable in the position he was in. Regina stood behind him with her arms crossed over her chest and a smug look plastered across her painted lips.
The nurse froze and glared. "I see you have all sorts of puppets at your disposal, your majesty."
Regina blinked innocently. "I'm not sure what you're referring to, but it would be wise of you to take a step back. No one is killing Mr Gold today."
Belle thought she might have stopped breathing for a moment as the man made his decision. Finally he tossed the pillow to the side and showed both hands to the sheriff. "This isn't over," he warned Regina as Graham slapped cuffs on him and led him out.
"How did you know?" Belle managed as soon as they were gone.
Regina glanced warily behind her. "I've had Graham on standby since I found out he was admitted into the hospital. Where are Neal and Emma?"
"Still not back."
The Evil Queen frowned. "Call them. Get them back here."
"Why?"
"Because there is no cure in Storybrooke. So far I've only found one viable option."
Belle didn't like the sound of that. "What would that be?"
"We're going to have to send Rumple over the town line."
On the list of all the utterly stupid things he'd done, this might have topped it. Bae had let his emotions run away with him and he had barrelled into a situation that he had no exit plan for.
Never break in somewhere unless you know the way out.
Well, he didn't have an out, and even worse, he'd gotten Emma sucked in with him. If she got hurt, he'd never forgive himself. He had been so wrapped up in trying to find a way to save his papa that he'd risked everything without even meaning to.
The nuns remained hidden inside the convent, but several of the clerics could be seen slinking out. Rumplestiltskin may have made a deal, but he wasn't there and Bae and Emma were on their own.
"Don't guess you have that sheriff on speed dial?"
"No, but we have Regina and she does." His dark gaze followed past where Caiden was approaching and to where Magnus was turning to leave. "Hey!" Baelfire shouted. "You don't get to just give an order and leave!"
"Your father and I have a deal," the blind cleric answered with a shrug. "I won't lay a finger on you."
"Son of a bitch," Bae growled and heard Emma dialing her phone. She was positioned behind him and he turned, shoving her towards the graveyard. "Go!"
She took off and he was in her heels, unable to shake the terror that rose up in him, born of centuries of being chased by Lost Boys. Thankfully he and Emma were fast, and he heard her telling Regina they had a problem. Understatement. How had he been so stupid?
"Split up," Bae said as they hit the graveyard, the trees just beyond them. Emma split off left and Bae went right, a yelp of surprise escaping him as he was thrown off his feet by someone slamming into him.
They rolled, Bae catching his attacker in the middle with his foot and shoving hard, using the momentum to flip him over and send him tumbling. He rolled to his knees, crouched and ready, only to see Caiden shaking off the blow and stumbling to his feet. He wasn't a brawler, and anyone could have told that, but Bae knew he'd already severely underestimated the situation once that day. He wouldn't risk doing it again.
The two young men were still, watching each other carefully for a sign of the other's next move. Finally, Caiden dusted at his suit, glancing behind Bae and towards the convent. "Go."
Dark eyes blinked hard. "Say what?"
Caiden sighed, running a hand through his blond hair. "Your death does nothing for us. Leave Storybrooke, pick up the pieces of your life. There's no reason to die here."
"What, you don't follow Magnus' orders?" Bae scoffed.
"There are times when he focuses too much on his anger and too little on the goal."
"So what? You let Emma and I leave? In exchange for what? My father's life?"
Caiden's lips thinned out and he shook his head. "The girl can't go. She has to break the curse. We can't allow her to leave."
"What? You just going to keep her here until the time's right?" He watched the cleric's reaction carefully. No. That had never been their plan, and he'd be damned if he'd let them hurt her. Just like Bae wouldn't leave his papa to these people. He glanced around, finding them alone in the middle of the graveyard. The others had scattered off into the trees, chasing after Emma.
Bae took a step forward and Caiden tensed. He offered a lopsided smile and showed that both hands were empty. "You have any family left?" He watched blue eyes narrow and Bae loosed a breath. "You know, up until recently I would given that same look. I was pissed at my dad. He let me go, dropped me through a hole, and I barely survived those first few months alone. He left me. He abandoned me. I was never going to forgive him." Dark eyes studied the cleric, careful to focus on him and hold his attention. He had it. "I lived for centuries alone. And then I met Emma. Then my papa crossed worlds to find me. You really think I'm going to give up my family just to run? I just got him back and I just found her. There's no way in hell."
Pale blue eyes narrowed. "Then you'll die for nothing," he answered, but then stiffened as Bae's gaze shifted behind him. He didn't get turned all the way around before a thick branch slammed into his temple, taking him fully to the ground in an unconscious heap.
Emma stood grinning. "Family huh?"
"Yeah," he answered a little sheepishly, glancing down at the cleric at their feet. "You okay?"
"Oh yeah. Those guys have nothing on the cops we ran into out in Southern California last summer. Three turns and they lost the trail."
Bae reached forward and pulled her into a crushing hug. "Let's just be thankful they don't have magic."
"Yeah, but if they did your dad and Regina would too. Might make things easier." She paused, looking up at him and he tried not to cringe at the idea. "Speaking of Regina, she gave us an out. Come on."
"An out?"
"Yeah, she said that there's a tunnel system under the town. She said it would let us out into her office. She also said that she has an idea to save your dad."
Bae lit up at the news. It was a crazy little alliance they had found themselves in the middle of, but if there was going to be some kind of battle, he thought he might be more okay with the so-called Evil Queen than he had originally thought he would be. They could save his dad and beat back Magnus. Maybe, just maybe, they could relax a little. The weeks of reprieve had been wonderful, and he knew now that he wanted those. He wanted his family safe and happy more than anything in all the worlds. He would fight however hard he needed to to make it happen.
Regina did not like being backed into a corner, but that was what was happening. She could almost feel the strain on the curse, as if Magnus were fighting her for control. It was subtle, as all changes in it were, but they had to move quickly. A cursed town wouldn't understand or get behind the idea of moving a dying man over the town line. The doctors certainly wouldn't.
"What happens once we cross?" Belle asked, and to her credit her voice didn't tremble. If she were afraid of what was happening she didn't show it. Her clear eyes were determined as she looked through the bags Emma had dropped off earlier and Regina tried to remain unimpressed.
"The curse is designed not to let anyone cross, but Rumple wrote it. With him there, you should be able to cross over. I'll drive to the town line with you to make sure."
Belle paused. "Why?"
The Evil Queen paused. "Why what?"
"Why would you help us get out?"
Regina pulled in a deep breath and glanced at her mentor who lay unconscious. "Because, if I like it or not, he is my best chance to survive this. He knows Magnus like I never could, and if he dies, Magnus will come after me." She set her shoulders back. If the clever little bookworm thought she was going to get beneath the queen's protections and get her to admit some sort of affection for her former mentor, she'd be waiting a long time.
The door to the hospital room opened and both women tensed, relaxing only at the site of Rumple's son and Emma as they came barreling through, covered in dirt and looking entirely conspicuous in the middle of the clean hospital. Emma had said that they had run into trouble, but by the looks of it she'd downplayed the whole affair.
"What happened?" Belle demanded, springing towards them worriedly. Neal's shirt was torn and dirty and Emma looked like she'd waged war with a thorn bush and lost with the scrapes she had against her hands and face.
"Neal decided to face off with this cleric guy and I hit him with a tree branch," Emma said with a shrug.
"Emma said you have a way to save my dad," Neal said, deflecting any questions that Regina might have asked.
"We're taking him over the town line," Belle offered.
"The poison is from the Enchanted Forest," Regina explained. "While we can't reach magic here, the curse is the link. As long as he's here, it will affect him."
"So if we leave he'll be okay?" Neal asked.
"That's the best theory I have. It...should work." It needed to work.
"Well we better get on it. Those guys are out for blood," Emma said, glancing behind her.
As if to back up her, shouting came from down the hall. Regina wasn't going to be able to manipulate the situation much longer. If they were going to go, they needed to do it then. "You'll have to go to the townline on your own. I'll distract them. Get Rumple out."
"Magnus isn't going to hold back, Regina," Neal pressed. "Come with us."
"He's not going to outright kill me. He can't. Without his magic I have the advantage." She paused, knowing that she sounded like she was convincing herself as much as them. "When Rumple wakes up, just be sure to tell him he owes me."
Neal nodded slowly. "I will. You know he'll make good on it. We'll come back for you."
"You better." She squared her shoulders. "Get him and go."
Surprisingly enough, it was Belle that reached out. "Thank you, Regina."
The Evil Queen didn't trust her own voice as she started down the hall. She knew that she was walking straight into trouble. She just hoped her theory was right.
Baelfire had slipped his grasp, taking the girl with him. Magnus had assumed - incorrectly, it would seem, and that was always dangerous for those that surrounded him - that sending Caiden after them would ensure their capture, but the boy had returned with a blackening eye and empty hands. If he weren't raging enough by the situation, word had come in that the Evil Queen had provided the distraction that they needed to whisk Rumplestiltskin over the town line. He was gone, and all the cleric had for his troubles was an angry mayor in their custody. He was seething and Blue stood quietly and hoped that she wouldn't be caught in the eventual explosion.
"This is madness," she said softly, hoping to quietly reach out to any sanity he had left within him.
"Your opinion on the matter no longer concerns me, Reul Ghorm," Magnus responded from his place.
"Don't be a fool," the Blue Fairy answered, her voice pitching up with urgency. "They took him over the town line to cure him. If you bring magic to this place - if you even can - you'll hand him the power of the Dark One as soon as he returns. All of this will be for nothing."
The cleric snorted. "Magic will be more different here than a Dark One can possibly come to grips with so quickly. I will send trackers for him and they will bring him to me."
"Trackers?" Blue echoed, but Magnus ignored the question as if it didn't matter to him at all.
The door opened and two of his clerics dragged a less-than-dignified looking Regina Mills into the room by either arm. "This is outrageous," she snarled. "Do you know who I am here? I'll have you arrested. I'll-"
"No, you will not," Magnus cut her off and motioned for the clerics to bring her closer.
He had spent the time between the news reaching him and this point laying down the preparations that he needed to move forward with his maddening idea, and now he only needed a final ingredient to pull magic that had long since been buried deep below the surface of this world up and to his own uses. It terrified the lead fairy more than she liked to admit. She had known Magnus for many, many years, but this man was overcome by revenge. If his eyes focused or not, he was blinded by it.
"As of today, Madame Mayor, this town is not yours. It is mine."
The queen snorted. "And why, exactly, would you believe that?"
He reached forward, snatching her by the wrist as if he could see her. Magic pulsed just below the surface and Blue found no comfort in it.
Regina tried to pull away from him, but he held her firmly. "Because you're going to help me."
"Magnus, please," the fairy begged again, but he ignored her as he drew a knife from his belt, the blade sharp, and he held the Evil Queen's wrist so that her palm was turned upward. To her credit, there was only a small flinch as the blade bit deep enough to draw blood and she must have understood that fighting it now would do no good.
He forced her down, palm against the floor and the magic lurking just below sprang upward like a geyser. The blood of the curse's caster was more powerful than Regina likely knew, and as magic washed over all of them Magnus turned what had previously been his sightless gaze down to the queen that had been forced to her knees. He stood slowly, straightening, and loomed over her.
"You're insane," she breathed. "Completely insane."
For once, the Blue Fairy agreed with the Evil Queen.
The smile only broadened and with a wave of his hand Regina was redeposited elsewhere. Magnus turned to Blue, his milky white eyes focused on her and she couldn't quite hide her terror. "Tell me, Reul Ghorm, what side do you choose?"
She stared at him with wide brown eyes. He would rip her to shreds if she defied him now, and as the one who had brought the magic to Storybrooke, he'd likely have the power to do it. "Our goals have always been aligned," she answered carefully.
"And shall they remain?"
"As long as your wish is to banish darkness, then yes."
Magnus's twisted smile only broadened and he reached out, his hand taking hold of her shoulder. "Then come, my dear. We have much to prepare for. The game grows more interesting by the moment."
Notes: So, I'm moving slower on this, but have faith that I will actually post! It just is taking a bit longer to work through this part of the story. Things should be getting a little crazy from here on out. Poor Regina is not amused. :)
Next time - As Baelfire, Belle, and Emma escape Storybrooke, Magnus proves to Regina just how little power she currently has. Magic sweeps through a town that doesn't understand it and the cleric seeks a way to cross worlds.