The world was in such chaos he didn't even mind the fact that he walked down Main Street with Hook close by. On a normal Tuesday, something like this would have been fodder for the gossip column of The Mirror, but on a day when another Curse was coming into view, no one really cared that the Dark One was in close proximity to Captain Hook and wasn't trying to kill him. Little did they know…
But unlike the rest of town, walking into that diner with Hook carrying the method of extermination in his hands would cause a stir among those inside who actually knew what they were dealing with. So when they got into the patio area, he willed Hook closer and ordered, "Go around the back and wait. You'll know when you're needed."
And because he had his heart still in his bag, now stashed away in his car for safekeeping, Hook listened. And obeyed.
He'd given Belle plenty of time to work with the fairies, enough time to feel like she'd done something important, time enough for the curse to advance. Now, it was time to attempt to get her away from them and absorb the fairy magic. They were still a while out from sunset and the curse hitting, but he didn't want to leave it to chance. He wanted her sealed into the shop as soon as possible for her own sake and her own safety. Still, the second he climbed the stairs and stepped into the diner, he could feel the tension in the room rise a few notches as the pests examined him, sneering and casting sideways looks at him.
"What do you want?!" Mother Superior snapped when she spotted him coming closer to Belle.
"Excuse me, but I'd like to borrow my wife," he answered, trying to maintain an air of politeness only for Belle's sake.
Gods, this was such a better plan than taking out Emma. There would be so much less guilt in wiping out the fairies, knowing that the world would be a better place without their harsh judgments of good and bad.
Fortunately for him, Belle went along easily, allowing him to lead her away from their leader without hesitation. He only hoped this next bit also happened without hesitation.
"I need you at the shop for a short while," he stated breathlessly.
"She's working! We need her!" Mother Superior argued.
For fuck's sake…
"Mother Superior's right, this is too important," Belle agreed. "We're really close here, Rumple, please? Please be patient?"
Patience was his fucking virtue, wasn't it? He didn't want her here anymore; he wanted to protect her and keep her safe so that Hook could come in and add their magic to the hat. The earlier he got that into place, the sooner they could leave Storybrooke after the curse hit. It would be far safer for Belle!
But of course he couldn't say any of this. Not to her. Even if he did intend to use a memory potion on her and on Henry later, he wanted as many of her real memories to be preserved as possible. And he also wanted to come off as a supportive encouraging husband in those memories, one who believed she could save Storybrooke and pushed her to do just that.
Fuck. He couldn't say no. Not to her.
But maybe he could get someone else to say no for him.
"Of course," he answered. "Well, until you can go, I'll just, uh…I'll just keep you company."
He said the words loud enough that a fairy or two might hear him, loud enough that Mother Superior might hear him. Given their relationship, he was hoping that the bug might just object to his being there, that she would try to run him out and Belle would go with him, or that she would urge Belle to leave in order to keep him out. Either way, he would win.
"Perhaps I'll be helpful."
Behind Belle, the head of the swarm slammed something down on the table loud enough to make Belle jump before she came charging in his direction. "This is Light Magic, Dark One!" she argued, eyes practically ablaze with fire at the suggestion that the Dark One could ever be "helpful" when it came to Light Magic.
"Well then, maybe I'll learn something," he smiled back, making no effort to keep the venom out of it.
The woman sneered at him, looked him up and down like he was the flea and not her, then glanced at Belle. "This is your theory, your idea! When you are done here, we still require your assistance," she snarled before turning on her heel and heading back to the table she'd been working at.
His heartrate shot up at the way she'd talked to his Belle, at the disrespect she'd shown and before he knew it, he was taking a step in her direction, more than willing to use his own magic to finally teach her who she was dealing with!
And then Belle placed a hand on his chest.
"Rumple!" she exclaimed with a look in her eyes that told him she knew exactly what that fairy had triggered in him and exactly what he was willing to do to her because of it. "Just a little while longer," she promised. "They won't need me nearly as long as they think they will. Just…sit here," she pushed him back into a seat beside her purse and coat. "The first chance I have to get away, I'll take it, promise."
He nodded, looking out at the chaos the creatures were wreaking on the diner. He had hoped that one of them would object to his presence and insist he leave. The way they moved away from him now, he wasn't entirely convinced that wasn't going to happen yet. He only hoped it was sooner rather than later.
This bit in the diner in this episode was difficult to divide up. There's a lot of time that Belle and Rumple spend here, but just like when Rumple was outside the Mansion and the interesting bit was happening inside, the interesting stuff in this episode isn't happening in the diner. Emma and family have the more interesting storyline of the episode. And it was tempting, truly it was, to write it all down as one really long chapter but no matter how I tried it just came off all wrong. Separating it out just made more sense in the end.
Thank you, Grace5231973, CatGold, and Rsbeall12, for your reviews of the last chapter. Thank you all for your kindness and patience with this series! Peace and Happy Reading!