Merlin tries to save Snow's life after her overdose. Meanwhile, The Dark One receives an unexpected visitor, along with a request.
LaGuardia Airport, New York – The following afternoon
Emma made the call the moment they'd stepped off the flight.
"Henry, we've just landed. How's my mum?" She'd barely slept the previous night after hearing of Snow's overdose.
"I'm at the hospital right now, collecting Neal from Blue. Something's definitely happening. She's still in a coma I think, but they won't say.
"What do you mean, they won't say? Who's they?"
"The nurses that keep going in and out of her room. Grandpa David's in with them, and we're waiting out in reception. One said Merlin and Whale are operating on her, but not much else! "
"I'll have a word. Put one of the nurses on?"
"Ma, I hardly think yelling at them is going to help? I just-"
"JUST PUT THEM ON!" She barked, a lot louder than she intended, earning glares from disembarking passengers, as Regina stood nearby.
"No chance! Not when you talk to me like that! Not anymore."
As she was about to apologise for yelling, she heard a voice she recognised in the background.
"I'm sorry Hen, I'm just worried. Is that Blue I can hear? Can I speak to her? Please?"
"Hang on, I'll ask her." She heard him saying something incomprehensible to someone before he came back on. "Yeah, she'll talk. Hang on a second, I'll pass her over."
"Mrs. Jones?" The clipped head fairy's voice came on the line, clearly irritated. "Or am I addressing Miss Emma Swan, these days? Or even Mrs Swan-Mills? One can never be too sure."
Emma rolled her eyes, guessing this was how she was likely to get treated by everyone when she got back.
"It's still Mrs. Swan-Jones thank you. Unless you know otherwise? And yes Blue, I know I screwed up. But that's only because I was poisoned while trying to find one of your bloody ex-fairies on a fucking wild goose-chase!" As she spoke louder than necessary, she could see several passengers with children looking annoyed at her for cursing. Regina also looked irritated she was mentioning fairytale characters outside Storybrooke. "I'm coming back to sort my own mess out. But I've more important things to worry about right now. How's Snow? Why won't they tell Henry what's going on? And what are you doing with my little brother?"
"The Sorcerer's operating on your mother, trying to save her life as we speak. Your father's also in theatre with her. And as for your brother, I was taking care of him, just as the Prince asked me. But as your son's now appeared, Henry can now take care of him while I find out more."
"Merlin's operating? Not Whale?"
"No, Merlin himself. There's a high degree of magic required, and your father is also unconscious and being operated on as we speak. Now, if you'll excuse me?" The Head Fairy passed the phone back to Henry before she could reply, leaving Emma standing there, stunned, open-mouthed. Magic? Dad too? For a heart op? Henry came back on line as the implications sank in. With a split heart between them, she could be about to lose both of her parents, not just her mother.
"Ma? Are you still there?" Henry's voice came back.
"Yeah. Erm, sorry Henry, can I speak to Neal now?"
A short while later, her brother came on the line.
"Emma? Is that you?"
"Hi Neal! Yeah, it's me. Look, I'm really sorry I'm not there with you, but I'm trying to get back as soon as I can, okay? How are you feeling? Are you holding up?"
"It doesn't look too good, Em. Doctor Whale said her heart's got worse. And I think I caused it when I started talking to her while she was asleep. I've got magic like you now, and I think it's my fault! I'm sorry..."
He sounded devastated, which made Emma feel even worse.
"Now you listen to me, bro! None of this is your fault, okay? I'm sure your magic never did anything to hurt her. Our mum got poisoned by something bad, and it made her do some weird stuff. I got poisoned too, and did some crazy things and hurt people. But I'm feeling better now, and I know mum will be too." She could hear his sniffles at the other end. She felt helpless. "Listen to me, Neal? I love you and I need you to be strong and hang on in there? We need to be really brave for mum and dad right now, like they always are for us, okay?"
"But my magic, Emma? There were sparks flying out of my fingers! Mr. Merlin had to stop it happening!"
"Something like that happened to me too, but I was a lot older than you when it came in, but I was still very frightened, just like you. I can help you with it when I get back, okay? Regina can help too. So I need you to sit tight till we get back? Be brave kid, like papa?"
"Okay," he still didn't sound convinced. "Mr. Merlin said he'd help too. Henry's taking me home soon. Emma, is it true you tried to kill Killian? His ship's not there anymore."
Ouch. So if he knows, everyone else does!
"Yeah, but I didn't mean to! That poison in my head made me do and think really strange things. But I still love Killian and Hope, and I need to find him to say I'm sorry, and hope they'll forgive me. But right now, we've bigger things to worry about, like mum. I'll get back as soon as I can, okay?"
She stayed on the phone with her brother a couple more minutes, reassuring him while he told her a little more about what'd happened recently. Then Henry came back on, and gave her an update, having finally managed to grab one of the passing nurses. But seeing Regina getting increasingly agitated after everyone else had left the flight for the baggage area, she finally finished the call.
And from the look on her face, Regina could tell the news wasn't great.
"What's happened? How's your mother?"
"No change. Merlin's in theatre with her now."
"Merlin? Not Whale? Why, he's not a surgeon. Or is he?"
"He's two thousand years old, so you can never tell with that guy! It's got something to do with their split heart. Dad's in theatre too, but as a patient! Henry said he's operating on both of them."
"So why wouldn't he just use magic to take the hearts out quickly, rather than operate? And if he does, would it make any difference? After all, if he's trying to join the two halves of the heart, one of them's going to-" she stopped herself, seeing Emma had clearly reached the same conclusion. Merlin was probably doing it to prevent both of them dying at the same time, so only one of them could be saved. "Emma, I'm so sorry."
"Sucks, right? With a five hour drive ahead, it doesn't look like I'm going to get back in time, does it?"
Seeing her friend clearly close to falling apart, she pulled her in to hug her, just about managing to hold back her own tears.
Things were going from bad to worse!
"Let's get the car, and get you back home."
Meanwhile, back in Storybrooke…
"So let's see if I've got this right? You're going to use magic to freeze the bodies, take the two split halves of the heart out, bind them together…somehow? And then 'duplicate' and return them?"
"That's a rather simple explanation for using complex, ancient magic, but yes. Then I'll also seek to repair the worst of the damage to her liver and kidneys, if I can. That very much depends on what we find."
"Do you mind if I stay and watch? I'm a surgeon not a magician, so this is all a bit…unreal, for me."
"I don't mind Doctor, but I must ask you to remain silent during the casting, if you don't mind?"
"Of course. But one last question before you start, if I may?" Merlin finally looked up at him. "Why are you operating? Gold and Regina used to just rip everyone's hearts straight out with magic. You can do that too, right?"
"Of course I can, but nobody should, even in a good cause! Your operating theatre gets disinfected at the end of every shift, and all the equipment and clothing sterilized, right?" Whale nodded. "And you all wear scrubs, masks and gloves?" Another nod. "It's a little-known fact that many of The Dark One and Evil Queen's torture victims who survived, then subsequently died from simple infection caused by contamination. Basic hygiene still applies, doctor, even in the magical world! Now, I'm scrubbed. So if you'll excuse me?"
Turning away from him to face the two bodies on the operating tables either side, Whale watched in awe as the Sorcerer raised his arms to summon the required magic. A thin silvery shimmering light, like an opaque blanket, appeared to float down and over the two patients, then wrap itself around the bodies separately. "There. All life is currently suspended. We have an hour, at most."
"What happens if it takes longer?"
"Then you'll have just witnessed the last hour in the life of Snow White and Prince Charming. Now, may I be allowed to continue?"
~oOo~
"So? How did it go?"
It was just over an hour later when Merlin reappeared in the little waiting room outside the operating theatre. Henry and Neal had waited patiently throughout, despite Blue repeatedly trying to persuade him to take the boy home.
"Hello again, Henry." Merlin smiled at the young man, who seemed to be at least a foot taller than when he last saw him, three years ago. Then he looked down at the worried face of the eight-year-old beside him. "Neal, I'm sorry you've had a difficult wait out here. I'm pleased to tell you that both that your mother and father's operations went as well as could be expected. And I left your father awake and asking for you."
"Is mum awake yet?"
"No, she's still unconscious, much as we expected. Though her body's now better able to repair itself. Judging from the monitors, her coma's now not so deep as it was before. "
"Any idea when she might wake up?" Asked Henry.
"It's impossible to say. Though I was given to understand that this young man's voice had a dramatic effect on her brain activity earlier? Perhaps you might like to try talking to her like that again, Neal? Only this time, she shouldn't have any heart problems."
"Hear that, Neal? Maybe you might be able to wake her up with a kiss this time? After all, it worked when both my mums did it to me."
Merlin gave him a sad smile. "Henry, I believe you're thinking of sleeping curses? Sadly, that doesn't apply here. Although I'm sure your grandmother would always welcome a kiss from her favourite boys?"
~oOo~
Unbeknown to Henry and his son, while they were talking to Merlin, in his room Charming was already changing out of his theatre gown and into the clothes he'd arrived in. Minutes ago, he'd woken up, in a different room, dry-mouthed from Merlin's 'operation'. Could it even be called an operation? After all, he had no drips or leads coming out of him. And lifting up the gown, there were no scars, other than the old battle scars he'd gained years ago. Had he even had his heart removed?
But looking to his left, the first thing he spotted was Snow, on a trolley bed next to his. She still had a drip in her arm, wires attached to her head and chest, and some sort of grey tube coming out from lower down. But the oxygen mask had gone, and her face was now fully exposed. Very pale, but it was unmistakeably Snow!
Climbing off the bed, he'd dressed as quickly as he could. He felt drained. Perhaps that was the anaesthetic? Had Merlin even used anaesthetic, or was it all done with magic? With his boots on, he stepped over to his wife's (or ex-wife's, as the divorce papers had been signed) body.
Even with all the punishment her body had taken over the last few days, she was still a beautiful woman. If not the fairest of them all right now, to him she still looked bloody close.
"Snow, I hope whatever he's done to you has worked? We may not be together anymore, but I hope to hell you get to hug Neal and Emma again. They need you. Now probably more than ever!"
Her face showed no movement, not even under the eyelids. But as he glanced at the little green trace line on the EEG nearby, it seemed to be fluctuating more wildly than it had before the operation. Did that mean she was coming out of it?
"Neal's outside, waiting for you to wake up. Snow, he needs his mamma back, safe and sound. I know it's been a difficult few weeks, but I want you to know that, despite everything that's happened-" He stopped talking when his mind went back to that dark day decades ago, when he'd found her lying in a crystal coffin. And how he'd woken her up. Could it work again?
He moved closer, avoiding the drip and wires, before leaning over the bed and cautiously lowering his lips onto hers, for a few seconds. Like the very first time he kissed her, she felt warm and soft.
But this time, after waiting a good half minute, Snow didn't wake, and the monitor didn't change.
Nothing.
"Well, I guess it only works with sleeping curses, right? I'm sorry Snow." But as David sat upright, the door suddenly opened, and in walked Neal and Henry, followed closely by Blue.
"Mum?"
Seeing his mother's body, the eight-year-old quickly stepped around to the opposite side of her cot. "At least they've taken that funny mask off your face?" He collected his mother's warm but lifeless hand in his, gazing down at the still figure, who seemed to have shrunk slightly since he'd last seen her, at his school. When she told him in front of his friends that she'd left his father, having fallen in love with Ruby.
However, Henry's eyes were on David.
"For a guy who's just had some sort of heart transplant, you're up and about pretty quick, gramps?"
"I only woke a few minutes ago." He lifted the tail of his still shirt up, baring his chest. "See, no scar? Power of magic I guess?"
"Ah good, you're awake! "A fourth visitor, Whale, walked in, surprised to find Charming on his feet. "Thank heavens for Merlin? If we'd had to use anaesthetic, you'd be asleep another few hours yet. How are you feeling?"
"Like someone rolled over me with a truck? But otherwise, fine. But Snow's still unconscious. How did her part of the operation go?"
"As well as could be expected, given the circumstances. As he used magic I'm not qualified to judge, but he's temporarily repaired some of the liver and kidney damage. We'll have to see."
"And her heart?"
"That was the most fascinating bit! He froze you both, opened you up in turn using only his hands, brought out the two halves of the heart then there was a big burst of light when he reconnected them. Apparently, that was the hardest bit? Then he laid them out on a tray, there was more light, almost blinding this time, and the next thing I saw were two identical hearts lying side-by-side? If I ever told what I saw to the Medical Counsel, they wouldn't just revoke my license, they'd commit me to an asylum!"
"All very interesting Whale, but did it work?"
"Well, as you can see, she's now breathing without the machine? Which in turn gives her a much greater chance of recovery. Also, on the coma scale, she's responding to external sounds, at least judging from the EEG. So it's a good start."
"So you're saying she'll wake eventually, even if you don't know when?"
"Not quite, Henry. But I'm saying her chances of doing so have improved dramatically."
"I know she's gonna wake up!" Neal said firmly. He was now sitting on the edge of the bed, by the side of his mother, looking over her, stroking her hair. "I know she did some really bad stuff, just like Emma, but she won't leave me forever. Will you mum?"
"I'm sure your mother will eventually return, Neal." Reul Ghorm had stood quietly by the wall, watching them, having remained silent since she'd walked back in. But she was the only one who'd noticed a change in that strange spiky green line on the brain monitor. "You just carry on talking to her, like you did before? Merlin did tell you it'd be okay now, didn't he?"
"Yeah, he did." Neal didn't look up, instead just staring at the unconscious woman's face. "Mum, you always told me and Em that we should always have hope that things would get better? Well I'm trying mum, I really am! Cos lots of things are really bad right now. But I need you to hurry up and wake up? Please? Cos I miss you." He leant right over her, trying to avoid the strange wires on her head, and the tube. "And I love you." Then he kissed the centre of her brow.
Whale spotted the instant spike on the EEG monitor!
"Charming?" He pointed to the screen. "Look!"
Five pairs of eyes turned to stare at the little screen, the green line wildly fluctuating up and down, as a loud beeping noise suddenly rang out. Whale turned the volume down.
"Look!" Neal yelled.
"I am, Neal, I am. I'm just recalibrating-"
"NO, LOOK!"
All eyes turned to see Neal wasn't looking at the monitor.
Snow White's eyes were open!
Gold's Pawnbroker Shop
Whenever Rumple encountered times of great stress, there was only one way he knew of handling it. Work. The Dark One never needed sleep. Never needed rest, even though the aging bones of Rumpelstiltskin surely did. At his age, the former spinner often wondered what would happen if the malevolent presence was forcibly removed from him? His body would no doubt collapse entirely, and eventually perish. So the symbiotic relationship became entrenched, neither benefitting from the other's demise, though The Dark One would no doubt find a suitable alternate host in the years to come. He was as old as Merlin, after all!
So, following one of the worst days of his life, the day he found out he'd been betrayed by one of the few living mortals he trusted, he shrank in on himself. His beloved grandson had been his only comfort last night. But once the young man, who these days reminded him so much of his own lamented son, had left with Gideon to drop him off at school, he'd hidden in the back of his shop, wrapped his arms around his ancient spinning wheel, and started to spin gold from straw. Gold he would no doubt add to his already considerable wealth. Gold which he'd already sold to invest in numerous ventures outside of Storybrooke. And gold which he'd sold to put by a considerable endowment for Henry. Bae's boy should never have to suffer for want of money or comfort, unlike like his father. He was determined to make up for that.
Unfortunately, the loud rapping of the knocker on the shop door broke him from his thoughts.
"GO AWAY – WE'RE CLOSED!"
But the rapping continued.
"DO YOU REALLY WANT TO TEST THE PATIENCE OF THE DARK ONE? I SAID WE'RE CLOSED!"
The rapping ceased, but next he felt a powerful warm wave sweep over him. Magic! And he also recognised the signature of that magic, and its owner.
"Maleficent?"
The self-named Mistress of All Evil appeared in the doorway. "I'm neither open nor dealing with other people's problems right now! You'd best leave."
"Now is that any way to greet an old friend, Dark One?" The tall, perfectly coiffed blonde looked down at him, her dragon-in-human-form smirking. "Good morning Rumple. I had a feeling you'd be here."
"Come to gloat, have you?" Tired eyes looked up at her. Instead of her usual black attire, the woman was now dressed in a surprisingly elegant, modern, tightly fitting, dark blue knee-length summer dress, which showed off her slim calves, and her entire body, perfectly. And her hair, clearly restyled and shining, swept over one shoulder. She looked surprisingly good for a creature centuries older than him, he thought?
"On the contrary. I came to see how you were. I heard about the bookworm. You threw her over the town line along with her part-time mistress, I gather? I'm impressed!"
"News travels fast. You're impressed I banished them?"
"No, I'm impressed you decided not to just kill them and have done? I know you and your temper Rumple, from long before you even met the bookworm. Personally, I've always found it rather…stimulating. I'm surprised you have so much self-control these days."
"The spinner side of me does show its head from time to time. Why are you really here?"
"I need something only you can give me." Her expression turned serious. "And yes, that does mean I want to make a deal."
Hearing the word that guaranteed the interest of his dark side, Mal noticed how his expression, and his voice, change in an instant. A smirk appeared on his lips and she could swear his pupils had grown noticeably larger? "Well that is a pleasant surprise! But in return, what do you think I could possibly want from you, dearie?"
Mal eyed him, coolly. To her, dark magic was always an aphrodisiac, and seeing him when he was at his worst was always far more interesting than his attempts at suppressing it for a woman who never truly understood him. "I have something, an object, that you desire. Something you've coveted for a very long time. I'd be willing to exchange it for the safe return of my daughter, Lilith, to Storybrooke. She's currently in a hospital in New York, undergoing chemotherapy for lung cancer, though the prognosis isn't good. As you well know, being a dragon I can't travel over the town line, and into a land without magic, without being immediately obliterated. So, I want you to get her back here, and for you to cure her with the necessary dark magic. Light magic will not be enough, given her nature."
"Get her back and cure her? That's two tasks dearie!" He rubbed his chin, pondering his options. "I'd want two deals in return. You know how this works."
"Then in addition to what I possess, I will be in your debt, won't I?"
"I see." To a powerful magical being, owing a debt to The Dark One was no minor issue. He could use it in so many ways in the future. "And what is the object in question."
She waited till he looked her in the eye. "Why, the Truth Stone, of course."
His eyes widened in disbelief. "You have it in your possession to give?" She nodded, slowly. "I was given to understand it'd disappeared centuries ago."
"It was important you made that assumption. But I would never trade it for anything but the life of my daughter. So, do we have a deal?"
"Hmm. An interesting proposition. Normally I'd demand a second debt for the remedy, but in your case, as you know I've always had a soft spot when it comes to children?" The smirk even gave her a cold shiver. "I'll do it, in exchange for the stone, a lock of your hair, plus truthful answers to five questions."
"Five?" Maleficent frowned. She knew how the mind of the Dark One worked, from many years before Rumple became its host. And how it, because it wasn't truly a he or a she, could use dragon hair for all manner of spells. But at the same time, as Mistress of All Evil, she always found the darkness irresistible. It was catnip to her! "Very well, we have a deal."
"Hee hee!" His little high-pitched voice squeaked as he did a little jump on the spot, clapping his hands, the Dark One momentarily taking over from Rumple. "Excellent! I shall arrange the recovery of your daughter and bring her back. Then fix her malady. So, about that first question?"
Such a deal, especially between magical beings, especially ones possessing dark magic, was a binding contract and didn't need a signature. Its default or a deception often punished by death. She sighed.
"Go ahead. Ask me."
"Your daughter? Lilith? Despite what you've implied in the past, is her father still alive?"
"I…" The question took her by surprise. It was a secret she'd long kept to herself. "I'm not sure. Although I'd thought him to be another dragon, I subsequently found out from another warlock that he was a very powerful wizard in disguise."
"Excellent! Well that rules out two of my former hosts, with whom I believe you had…intimacy? Gorgon and Whiro were the most likely candidates, I'd assumed."
"How the hell did you-" but Mal stopped herself, knowing she was talking to a man who held all the memories, and powers, of all previous Dark Ones. So he should know. "No, neither of them fathered Lilith. Why'd you ask?"
"Uh-uh-uh, I'm the one asking the questions, remember? So two previous Dark ones and a wizard? My word Maleficent, you were a one for the wild side, it seems! Odd that you then changed to women only, as far as I'm aware. More choice?"
"No. When it comes to humans, apart from notable exceptions, I've always found the male of the species somewhat lacking for my baser needs..." She decided to fight back, remembering his current situation with the librarian. "I tend to find females can be so much more…enthusiastic, attentive and even inventive in the bedroom? Certainly more appreciative. Lots of women around here would tend to agree with me, Rumple." She knew she was taking a risk by teasing him, but once he made the deal... "And that was your second question. Your third?"
Despite his irritation at being ridiculed for Belle's adultery, he merely smiled. Although Rumple hated it, The Dark One loved her brazenness, and the way she always toyed with him. She was relentless, never one to be easily intimidated. But she was referring to the spinner's former love interest, not the Dark One's. And it piqued his curiosity.
"Speaking of Belle, how long have you been aware of her infidelity?"
"With the wolf? Long enough." But she saw from the glare that wasn't a suitable answer. Although it might be fun, it'd be stupid to get on the wrong side of him when she needed him most. She may be immortal, but he could still turn her to ashes only for someone else to resurrect centuries later. Then she couldn't get Lily. She needed to elaborate. "About two years. I didn't know for sure, I just assumed. I attended some of their tedious 'girls' nights' with Regina and her giggling horde. I saw something in their nature towards one another that made me curious. So, as it was your wife I used my methods to find out more. Wolves tend to monogamy you see, whereas werewolves are quite the opposite? A bit like dragons. Monogamy's such a tedious trait among humans, don't you think? Personally, I've always found Lucas remarkably libidinous. And more than generous in her favours."
"Libidinous? So if you were also enjoying those favours, you were also in some sort of relationship with her?"
"If you regard merely having sex as a relationship Rumple, then yes. Otherwise, no. When it came to sex, Lucas was always rather voracious. You should know that Belle, Snow White and I weren't the only women in the group to discover that? There are more who you already know. I pity the poor simple country girl who married her."
She deliberately answered in a way that was guaranteed leaving him wanting the names of the others involved, using up his fifth, and final, question. Then, apart from the lock of hair and the stone, she'd have paid for her part of his deal. What she definitely wasn't expecting was the question that came instead.
"And just who is Lily's father? I suggest you answer openly and honestly dearie. As from the last time I saw her here, I detected white magic still within, as well as the dark, though it's heavily suppressed. If he's still alive, his blood may hold the key to your daughter's survival."
~oOo~