Belle stood there, waiting for Flynn to answer her, but he wouldn't even look at her. His gaze was fixed on something on the far wall.

"Flynn….. What curse?" she asked again, a bit more sternly.

"The Dark Curse. Rumple has been making this curse for centuries. He has given it to Regina, and she plans to cast it as soon as possible."

"What exactly does the curse do?"

"It takes the people of this realm and whisks them away to another world. In this case, a land without magic, but that's not the worse part….. no one but Regina will have happy endings. Everything that we know and love will be ripped from us until the curse is broken."

Belle slowly sat down in the chair at the end of the dining table. This was too much to bare. Rumple had promised on their wedding day that evil would not drive his actions anymore. She was weak to not see it. That's what kept him out late at night, that had to have been why he wasn't there when Hook attacked her. If he had not been scheming to cast the curse he could have protected her. Their son's death was on his hands. Belle buried her face in her hands and violently knocked over the candle next to her. She was too angry, Rumple could rot wherever he was; he deserved it. She quickly stood up and stormed out of the room with Flynn on her heels.

"Where are you going?" he asked.

"I'm going to prepare myself for the curse," said Belle as she made her way up the grand staircase.

"What about Rumple?"

"What about him? He did this. This is his mess. He can deal with him. Let him rot." Belle turned and jogged up the rest of the stairs.

"HEY!" yelled Flynn. Belle stopped and turned to look down at him, mostly out of fear, the tone in his voice was a mix of anger and desperation. "Did you even bother to ask why he's doing what he's doing? It's not just because he's evil. You of all people should know that."

"Does it matter?" asked Belle with an attitude.

"Yes. In this case it does…. Baelfire."

"Rumple's son?"

"Your step son. Bae is currently residing in this land without magic. This was the only way Rumple could get to him."

Belle looked away, as she felt the sinking feeling of guilt in the pit of her stomach. Her earlier rationalization seemed very foolish and idiotic indeed. "Why didn't he just tell me? I wanted to help him find his son."

"Why the bloody hell do you think? He knew you would try to stop him. He knew deep down it was the only way. To create this curse and prey on Regina's hatred for all of those who are happy while she isn't. We'll see in due time whether or not Rumple made the right choice, but for now, he is family and while you are part of this family you, like everyone else, will not abandon each other. We always protect one another no matter what the cost. Now, if we leave now we can find him before the curse hits."

Belle looked at him, then focused on spot on the floor. Flynn could see the waves of sadness in her eyes.

"Come here, Belle," he said with an outstretched hand. Belle slowly descended and took his hand when she reached the bottom. "I know you're upset, but know that Rumple was torn up about having to deceive you."

"Is that supposed to make me feel better?" asked Belle looking at his chest rather than his eyes.

"No…" he took her chin in his hand and raised her head up to look at him in the eyes. "It's supposed to give you a better understanding….. If you don't want to find him that's your choice, but I'm going to at least make sure he's ok." Flynn turned to walk away, but Belle quickly grabbed his wrist. Flynn snapped his head around to look at her, then glanced at her hand gripping his wrist so tight, her knuckles were turning white, though it didn't seem to bother him.

Belle stood there a few moments longer in uncomfortable silence. Thoughts raced through her head, as she tried to answer the question; "should I stay or should I go?" She calculated the risks, the outcomes, everything. Her mind was telling her no, that all logic would tell her to stay where she was, leave Rumple alone, be safe from the curse within these walls, but her heart was still devoted to Rumple, and she knew she had to go see him. She hated him for what he was doing to the innocent people of the realm, but a little part inside her admired the undying love for Baelfire. "Very well," she whispered, "I will go with you."

'Excellent. Go change and grab what you need. I'll meet you outside with Sir Maximus," said Flynn. He pulled the hood on his cloak up over his head and walked out the door. The storm had calmed down a bit, but it was still pouring buckets of rain. Belle ran upstairs as fast her heels could carry her. She entered the bedchamber and pulled out a large chest from under her reading table. Inside, was the outfit Flynn had given her when she was banished from the castle. It seemed like it was so long ago, though she remembered it like it was yesterday. She stripped down and put the outfit on. She faced the mirror; gazing at herself, she felt a hint of heroic pride in the way she looked as she tightened her belt and placed her hands on her hips. She posed playfully for a bit, then laughed. She reached down and took her pack filled with survival books along with her dagger. She threw it over her shoulder and pulled her hood over her head. She took one more look in the mirror, then took a minute to look around the room. This would be the last time she saw the place she called home for many years. She may never see it again. She spotted the book Rumple had given her so long ago; his first gift to her. She dusted the book off, then slipped it into her bag. She took one final look around the room, then stepped out and closed the door behind her.

Outside Flynn was standing at the end of the courtyard. He was tightening the saddle on Sir Maximus and checking inside each saddlebag to make sure he had everything he needed. The full moon shined high above them, illuminating the courtyard in a beautiful soft white glow. Max neighed happily at the sight of Belle approaching them. Flynn took one arm and rested it on Max's back in a sort of cocky lean with a sly smile.

"Well don't you look ready for a fight," he teased in his own big brother way. He reached into one of the saddlebags and pulled out a cantine, then handed it to Belle. "Here. I took the liberty of filling these up at the well in the garden. That's yours for keeps. If we're to survive the night's ride, we must stay hydrated. Fill the cantine again when we stop."

"Got it," said Belle before taking a big gulp of water.

Flynn climbed onto Max's back, then held out his hand to help Belle on. She placed the cantine in her bag, and climbed on behind him.

"Let's go," said Belle.

Flynn whirled his horse around and galloped out of the courtyard and into the forest. Belle turned around to look at the Dark Castle one more time before disappeared in the tree branches that now blocked her view.

Regina stormed through her castle with a determined stride; her feathered cape flowing behind her. She could hear her mirror call her name as she went, appearing in each different mirror she passed.

"What happened? Did you get your answer? Your majesty? YOUR MAJESTY?!"

She ignored his desperate plea for an answer. She stormed into her bedroom; her father was lighting a few candles for her, which she loved when he did that. He turned around, shaking in fear like he always did.

"Did Rumplestiltskin tell you what you needed to know?" he asked.

"Yes," she said walking right past him.

"And?"

She stopped, but did not face him. She knew what she had to do, and looking at him was getting more and more painful. "I'm not sure I should say. I'm conflicted," she muttered. She crossed the room, and stopped in front of the roaring fireplace.

"How bad is it? Maybe I can help you," said Henry in his usual fatherly way.

"I have to cut out the heart of the thing I love most."

"Me."

Regina closed her eyes to fight the tears. She turned to look at him, his face unsure and eyes filled with hurt.

"Daddy, I don't know what to do," she said.

"My dear…please….you don't have to do this."

"I have to do something," said Regina moving past him.

"You can move past this. I know this may sound self serving, but you don't need to enact the curse."

"But I can't keep living like this. What Snow did to me, what she took from me….. it's eating me alive, Daddy. Her very existence mocks me. She must be punished." Regina walked back over to the fireplace; she stopped and put her hand on the daybed.

"But if the curse is a hole that will never be filled…..why do it?" asked Henry. "Stop worrying about Snow White, and start over. We can have a new life."

Regina could hear the desperation in her father's voice. She could almost see this new life he spoke of, but that was just the thing, she couldn't imagine a life without Daniel, and Snow White took that away from her. "But what kind of life? All I've worked for, all I've built will be gone. Washed away as if I were never here. All my power will disappear. They already think I'm nothing."

"Power is seductive, but so is love. You can have that again. You have it in me," said Henry with heartfelt eyes.

Regina wished she could believe him, she wished she had the same confidence he did, but all she could do was hug him, and he warmly wrapped his arms around her.

"I just want to be happy," she said as the tears began to fall.

"You can be. Of this I'm sure. I believe, that given the chance, we can find happiness. Together… But the choice is yours."

Regina closed her eyes, and shed a few more tears before pulling away from him. She had decided; she knew what she had to do.

"I think you're right. I can be happy," she said with a warm smile. Henry looked positively warm and fuzzy. The pride oozing from him was palpable. Regina looked into her father's proud eyes one last time, then made her choice. "Just not here." And with those last words she plunged her hand into his chest, and ripped his heart out. Henry looked at her as he fell, and all she saw was the look of utter betrayal in his eyes. She had to look away; his body went limp and fell to the floor with a loud thud. "I'm sorry, Daddy," she whispered, as one more tear fell for her fallen father and the last person in her life she ever truly loved. She gently clutched the beating organ in her hand and vanished in a cloud of black smoke to the place where the curse would be cast.

Belle's eyes fluttered open; she immediately closed them due to the bright light of the sun. They had been riding all night, and Belle had no idea where they were as she lifted her head. They weren't galloping anymore. Flynn must have slowed Maximus down to a trot after she had fallen asleep so that she wouldn't fall off. Belle pushed herself upright and stretched. Flynn turned around and flashed a warm smile.

"You're awake. Good. Now we can break camp," he said.

Wait. Will that slow us down?" asked Belle worried about their limited time.

Flynn shook his head, as he pulled on the reigns, forcing Maximus to stop in his tracks. "No. This is where my sight was interrupted. Rumple can't be too far. He helped Belle off, then dismounted himself. Belle looked around; they were in a small clearing surrounded my tall trees, lush bushes, and a small stream that led into a pond a few feet away. Flynn unscrewed the lid from his cantina and gulped down his remaining water. He then walked over to the pond and dipped his cantina in, then took another gulp.

"Fill up your cantina here," he said.

"In the pond? You can get sick in that water," said Belle, as she turned her nose in the air and folded her arms across her chest.

Flynn let out a hardy laugh. Belle became slightly offended by the humorous gesture. She wasn't sure what exactly he found so amusing.

"It's not a pond, silly. It's a spring. One of the seven pure springs in Mist Haven. The water from this spring is the purest of the pure."

Belle took her own cantina a slowly walked over, still unsure of the Flynn's claims, who was grinning at her from ear to ear, silently laughing at her hesitancy. She imagined he thought her fear was cute. She took the cantina and scooped some water from the spring, which overflowed and poured back out.

"Right, so I'll set up camp, while you go gather some firewood, and get this fire going."

"Ok," said Belle, who was still anxious to continue her journey. She turned and walked deeper in the forest, stopped and turned around. Flynn looked up at her; Belle stood there in silence for a few minutes, then turned again to walk away.

"What?" asked Flynn, irritated at Belle's hesitancy.

"I'm sorry, this is your brother we're talking about. The one you risked life and limb for. He's in trouble; he could be in pain, or worse dying, and you want us to camp here?"

"I'm sorry, weren't you mad at him a few hours ago?"

"That doesn't mean I want him to die or be in pain," said Belle, her voice getting louder.

"He's fine for now. Most likely in a prison somewhere."

"How do you know?" asked Belle, as she stormed up to him. Flynn jumped to his feet and stood his ground. Despite being shorter than the average man, Flynn still stood tall over her, and Belle was beginning to regret stepping up to him.

"Because I would have felt it. We both need our rest, Belle. Patience is the sign of every good warrior. You must have it to survive. Now… Please go get the firewood. I'm hungry," he grumbled.

Belle turned in a huff and walked into the deeper part of the woods, picking up sticks as she went.

About five minutes later, Belle had her arms full of sticks and branches, so much so that they were falling out of her arms by the dozen. She stopped to pick up a few, while holding the ones she already had tightly. She returned to camp, and Belle dropped her sticks in the center, where Flynn had formed a small circle of rocks for the fireplace. Belle looked around, amazed at what Flynn had done in just five minutes. There were three logs forming a semi circle on one side of the fireplace, on the other side was a rather large tent, with their individual packs sticking out of the flap. Belle looked around; there was no Flynn in sight."

"Flynn! Flynn!" she called, but there was no answer.

She walked over to the edge of the clearing, squinting as hard as she could though the branches and bushes, and hoping that this wasn't one of his harmless pranks. She though back to what almost happened the last time she traveled alone, and her heart began to race with fear."

"Flynn!" she called out again, with a slight squeak in her voice. "FLYNN!" she called even louder.

"What, woman?" Belle turned around and breathed a sigh of relief as Flynn was walking towards her with two dead fish in one hand and a small axe in the other. He was dripping wet, his shirt and vest were draped over his arm.

"I thought something had happened to you," said Belle. Flynn stopped; he put his clothes down on the log, along with the two fish. He looked at Belle with a mixture of sadness and understanding. He was initially annoyed that she had been calling him like a lost maniac, but then clearly felt bad for nearly scolding her. He scratched his head and put his hands on his hips, slightly flexing his muscles. "I'm glad you're alright." Flynn studied her then pulled his shirt over his head.

"Wait here," he said. Belle did as she was told; she watched him walk over to his pack and rummage through it. He pulled out an object wrapped in a fine cloth. He made way his way back to her, while unwrapping the object carefully so that he would not damage the cloth. Belle looked at not one, but two objects, a cutlass and a small axe; beautifully hand crafted with the cleanest metal she had ever seen. "These are for you," he said handing them to her along with the cloth.

"For me?" Belle was slightly confused. It was a beautiful gift, but she had no clue how to use these weapons, or even fight for that matter.

"I made them myself," said Flynn.

"You made these? They're so beautiful… but I can't use these, Flynn. I don't even know how to fight."

"Exactly," he said. This answer caught Belle off guard, she looked up, and quickly found out what he meant. With lightning speed, Flynn whipped out one of his swords, and swung down at Belle as hard as he could. Belle instinctively grabbed the axe and blocked the blow. They stood there for a moment, staring into each other's eyes. Belle was shaking from the impact of Flynn's blow and his increasing strength forcing her down. Belle dropped to one knee, as she tried to hold her own against Flynn's strength, grabbing the hilt of the axe with both hands, and pushing against him with all her might, but Flynn wasn't budging. She had dropped her cutlass on the ground."Your determination is impressive, but lesson number one, never drop your guard or your weapon," he said, and with equal speed he whipped out his other sword and slashed at her. Belle's axe was still hooked on Flynn's sword. She just barely managed to dodge the swing. She leapt backwards, and did a half backwards role, then stood up. Flynn had the axe in his firm grip, staring at it, and twisting it around as if he were inspecting it. He twirled it around in his hand a few times then handed it back to her by the hilt. Belle looked at him then carefully took the axe back. Flynn's attacks had come so fast, that she was just now noticing how light the axe, was, but it was so strong, there were not cracks in the metal at all.

"This is the best craftsmanship I've ever seen," she said, twirling the axe in her hand.

Flynn blushed and gently rubbed his neck; he chuckled, and Belle soon joined in his laughter, but it only lasted a few moments. Flynn stopped, and his ears began to twitch. The same way she remembered almost a year ago when he saved her from being taken by Regina. He sniffed the air a few times, then turned to look at the empty road not too far away.

"Come here, GET DOWN," he motioned to her to come over, but nothing was coming; Belle heard nothing, and she began to wonder if Flynn was going crazy. He put his hand on her head and pulled her close until she was snuggled tightly against his body. Belle was about to protest when she heard hooves fast approaching, and the wheels of a carriage racing down the path. Flynn peered over the rocks and saw one carriage being pulled by eight horses followed by a large prison carriage. Inside was a man in tattered clothing; someone he did not recognize, but he was getting a different scent; Rumple's. Flynn figured Rumple must have been taken in the carriage; he looked over at the emblem on the side of the passenger carriage, the same emblem plastered on the guards' uniforms. He recognized it to be that of the White Kingdom; ruled by Snow White and her followers. Flynn waited for them to pass by, then he let Belle go. She stood up to look at the company disappearing into the trees.

"What was that?" she asked.

"A break through," said Flynn.

"What do you mean?"

"I know where Rumple is being held. Snow White and Prince Charming's castle. He must be in the dungeons. Flynn walked over to his tent and took a large plank out of his sack. He placed on the ground, then pulled out a large scroll. Belle watched him curiously as he unraveled it and pinned it down with rocks from the ground.

"Fascinating. But, I thought Snow White and Prince Charming were good people, why would they arrest Rumple?" Belle walked over and gazed at the scroll, which was, what appeared to be, a blueprint of, what she could only assume, was Snow White and Prince Charming's castle.

"Unless it was to make sure he didn't hurt anyone else. Or Rumple could have instigated the situation."

"Why would he do that?" asked Belle, fearing the answer.

"To make sure he was sucked in by the curse." Said Flynn.

"And what about me? A curse that could make us forget each other for the universe knows how long, and he wants to spend it alone? Am I nothing to him?" Belle was clearly hurt, and the desperation in her voice only showed Flynn how insecure she was. He knew his brother too well; he could be cruel, arrogant, and untrusting, but with Belle he was different, even before the curse. He was confident in thinking that he would never intentionally hurt Belle. He loved her too much for that.

"Look, Belle….. my brother is a lot of things. I know. I've watched first hand the horrible beast he's become, but with you I see a glimpse of the man I knew so many years ago. He loves you dearly, and I am very certain in saying that I think he would go as far as to die for you. Whatever this is, whatever he's thinking, I know that his intention is not to hurt you or imply that he doesn't care. I know it hurts that he didn't tell you. Believe me, I've caused my share of hurt to people I care about as well for that very same reason. …. The Siltskin brothers are just pig headed sometimes."

Belle chuckled a little. His words did make her feel better, and she realized she was jumping to the worst conclusions, but that didn't help her desperate need for the truth. "So why did he withhold from me?" she asked.

"You can ask him yourself. Now that we have a location, we can get to him by dawn, but for now… rest. You need to clear your mind. And so do I," he said, wrapping up Belle's axe in the cloth and wetting it down before unloosening his belt and placing his swords against the log.

He moved to the center of the clearing and sat Indian style on the cold ground. He rested his hands on his knees and closed his eyes. Belle studied him for a few moments, then decided to join him. She didn't know what he was doing, but he looked completely at peace.

"What is this?" she asked. He did not answer, only continued his soft breathing. Belle crossed her legs and placed her hands on her knees, then closed her eyes. She felt nothing; only how ridiculous this exercise seemed to be.

"Clear your mind," he said softly.

"This is silly," she whispered.

"Shhhhhh…. Close your eyes and clear your mind."

"Ok." Belle did as she was told and sat there staring into blackness. "Now what?"

"Clear your mind until you feel weightless, until you don't even feel the ground beneath you. By dong this, you are creating a psychological bubble around you. This will help you maintain focus and tranquility. Maybe even understanding," he said.

Belle's eyes shot open, "Understanding? What do you mean?"

"You have a natural gift of sight Belle, you can tell the type of person they are just by looking at them. This meditation technique will allow you to focus the gift, and harness the power it gives you. Now, again, close you eyes and clear your mind. If this works and you do this right, you will no longer have questions; you will already know."

Belle nodded and mimicked Flynn in his sitting position; eyes closed, she emptied her mind. It was a strange feeling, and Belle couldn't help but laugh at how ridiculous it felt. Her attitude suddenly changed when she felt the pull at her very center that plagued her ever since Rumple went missing leave her body and loosen its' grip on her heart.

"Feel that, Belle? Now you are at peace," said Flynn.

Belle couldn't believe how calm she was; she suddenly felt like she could take on the world. Nothing scared her. She took another deep breath, and exhaled.

On the cliffs, high above mountains and trees, Regina emerged from the darkness. She waved her hand and lit a fire. The cauldron was there; ready for the final ingredient. Regina removed her father's heart from the velvet tote bag she placed it in. She kissed the heart, and threw into the boiling cauldron. Sparks erupted from the stew of multi colors, the cauldron began to bubble over, then a thick black fog began to ooze from the cauldron and drift over the cliff. Regina watched with an evil smile on her face, as she watched the black smoke flow through the enchanted forest, tearing apart everything in its wake.

Belle opened her eyes just as a huge gust of wind nearly knocked them both over. Flynn jumped to his feet and ran west through the trees; Belle followed, and was nearly trampled by a stampede of various animals running in the opposite direction; they were all scared of something. Flynn stopped at the cliff over looking the Infinite Forest. Way in the distance a black cloud was hurdling towards them.

"Flynn, what is it?" asked Belle, joining him on the edge of the cliff.

He took out a spyglass, and watched the green flashed of light within the black smoke, and that can only mean one thing….. magic. Regina had cast her curse, and judging by the speed of the cloud, they only had an hour before they were engulfed and transported to another realm.

"Regina's curse. She must have cast it. We have a little time. We must get to Rumple."

Belle nodded and quickly followed Flynn back to the camp. They didn't bother packing up; they weren't going to see the stuff again anyway. They climbed on to Maximus and sped off down the road.

Flynn snapped the reigns over and over, spurring Max on, Belle watched Snow White's castle come into view. Flynn snapped the reigns one last time, and veered Max down a trail, leading to the lake's shore.

"Where are you going?" asked Belle.

"Rumple is in the dungeons, we don't have time to go through the castle."

He stopped Sir Maximus at the shore; Belle hopped off, followed by Flynn.

"So what now?" she asked.

Flynn pulled out his spyglass and peered through it, then handed it to Belle. "See that door directly across?" Belle looked through the spyglass at the old wooden door at the bottom of the tower.

"It's got a lock on it," said Belle, as she handed the spyglass back to Flynn.

"Yes, but it's rusted. Breaking it should be easy."

"So how do we get across?' asked Belle again.

"We swim, of course," said Flynn nonchalantly.

"Swim? We'll never make it in time."

"A rowboat will be slower. The current is too strong with the curse coming. It's effecting the whole environment."

"But-"

"No time to argue, Belle. We must go," he said, as he nudged Belle forward. Belle stopped and looked at the raging cloud of magic move closer and closer. She looked at Flynn, who was whispering something to Maximus. She watched him step back and nod at the white horse, who reared on its hind legs and spur off.

"GOODBYE, SIR MAXIMUS! IT WAS A PLEASURE!" yelled Belle, while waving goodbye.

"GOODBYE, MY LADY! AND GOODLUCK!" shouted the speeding horse.

"Let's go", said Flynn, who moved past her.

The further they went into the lake, the deeper they got. They both held their weapons above them to keep them from getting rusted. Flynn seemed ok, the water was up to his neck, but Belle was much shorter than he was, and she was struggling. Flynn turned and grabbed her by the arm to keep her from floating away with the current.

"Hang on," he said. He yanked Belle towards him and wrapped her arms around his neck for support. He grabbed her axes, and held them up with his rapiers.

She clung tightly to him, as he swam as fast and as hard as he could to the river's edge. When they finally reached the shore, Belle climbed down, Flynn immediately headed for the lock. He raised his arm, ready to blast the lock off with magic; suddenly the heard a loud ringing bell coming from the top of the tower. Flynn figured the castle must have spotted the curse. He looked over at the massive cloud, now seemingly, moving faster towards them.

"No time. Let's go." He stepped back, Belle inched away from the door, and turned her head just as a blast of light erupted from Flynn's hand. Belle looked over at the lock on the door now, which was lying in a shriveled heap on the floor. Flynn's swung his hand, and the door opened by itself. He took Belle 's hand and pulled her through the doorway. It was pitch black; to conserve energy and power, Flynn took a torch from the wall, and used it to light the rest of the way. Down, down they went for what seemed like a great distance. Belle felt that they were journeying to the center of the world; the staircase seemed to never end.

Regina's carriage raced to Snow's castle with the curse on their heels. She smiled evilly, as the curse began to ravish the land. It was a glorious site. And now even more; she was on her way back to Rumplestiltskin, she wanted to the last thing he remembered to be her gloating in his face.

Back in his cell, Rumple, now in full Dark One appearance, gripped the bars and peered through at the darkness.

"I'M WAITING!" he shouted, and giggled as black smoke filled the room and materialized into Regina, who had her back to him, while removing her gloves. "What took you so long, dearie?"

"You know what," she said, turning to look at him.

"Oh yes…. The curse….. You did it."

"That's right," she said as she moved closer. "I did it. And I wanted you to know it before you, like all the pathetic denescents of this wretched land, forgets everything." She was so smug, smugger than ever, but Rumple had his own card to play.

"How did it feel?" he asked with a wide grin.

"Watching the curse cloud form? It felt like victory."

Rumple giggled loudly. "No, how did it feel to kill the thing you love most? Rrr-ripping the heart out of your father. How did that feel?"

"It was the price of the curse. How it felt didn't matter. He would've understood…. I took my life back. I had to. I won." she said desperately. Rumple could tell she was trying hard to justify what she did.

"And yet, here you are….. feeling the need to gloat. Ahhhh…. Something's missing isn't it, dearie?"

"Not at all. I have everything I want. Nothing can stop me now."

Rumple couldn't help let out another excited giggle. "Not quite!"

"What does that mean?" asked Regina, stepping back.

"The savior…. Of course," said Rumple flashing his trademark hand flourish. "The child of Snow White and Prince Charming." Regina rolled her eyes and let out a disgusted sigh. "She can stop you…. She can break the curse."

"Well it looks like getting rid of baby just became the top of my to-do list," said Regina nonchalantly.

"Of course it did, but even if you succeed with that… You have an even bigger problem. Now there's a hole….in your heart. And someday….. you will come to me to fill it."

"You greatly overestimate your powers of foresight," said Regina before walking away. She though she had won, but no.

"AND YOU UNDERESTIMATE THE PRICE OF WHAT YOU'VE DONE!" Regina stopped; she looked more annoyed than ever, especially now that Rumple was getting to her once again. "You shall see, you will come to me….. there is more you need, oh," he sang.

"Your taunts will get you nowhere!" she yelled, as she spun around to look at him again. "I know you too well… you want to make another deal. Well, I won't."

"A deal? You've already promised me a good life in this new land. What more could I want from you?"

"Oh to be let out of this cage, to be let out of our last deal… to escape the curse."

Rumple was mildly confused, that his own former student would possibly think that it was that simple.

"Why would I do that, dearie? I'm exactly where I want to be."

Regina looked completely lost, but she didn't say anything. All she did was throw her arms up in the air, and disappear in a cloud of black smoke, leaving Rumple there to flash his famous grin.

"Flynn stopped, and sniffed the air. "We need to move."

Belle didn't ask any questions, only followed his pace, as he ran down the steps. She began to wonder if running would attract more attention, but then Flynn stopped, and told her that curse is getting nearer. They ran down as fast they could, Belle was beginning to lose her breath, but she noticed that Flynn showed no signs of exhaustion and no signs of stopping. Belle wanted to prove to him that she was capable, so she didn't stop. They followed the staircase for what seemed like hours until Belle finally saw the bottom. The door was open; they could hear two guards chatting away. Flynn pressed himself against the left side of the wall; Belle behind him. She watched his ears twitch, as he listened. They heard the running footsteps of another guard.

"THE CURSE! IT'S COMING TOWARDS US! THE PRINCESS HAS GONE INTO LABOR AND THE QUEEN'S SOLDIERS ARE STORMING THE CASTLE! WE MUST PROTECT THEM!" said the newly arrived soldier.

The other two clapped the heals of their boots together and gave a prompt salute. "SIR!" They proceeded to follow the soldier through another door. Flynn quickly moved out from behind the wall, and caught one guard by surprise and knocked him unconscious with the hilt of his sword. The other took a wild swing with his sword, but missed and left himself open for Flynn to jab him in the chest and knock the breath out of his lungs. He lay there wheezing and coughing. Flynn jabbed him in the face with his sword hand and knocked him unconscious with the other guard. Belle peered around the corner to see the higher rank sneaking up behind Flynn. Without thinking, Belle took her axe and aimed straight for the soldier's knees. She threw the axe and knocked him off his feet. Flynn turned around and stomped firmly on his head, knocking him unconscious as well. He picked up Belle's axe and handed it to her.

"Nice work," he said.

Belle gave him a small smile, surprised at her actions. She snatched a ring of keys off the hook and ran down the dimly lit hallway. They stopped at an intersection in the hallway. Flynn sniffed the air, then took a right.

"This way," he said.

Belle followed, they came around the bend, and there in front of them was Rumple, now looking like his human self, sitting on the floor. He squinted in their direction, as if he wasn't sure if it were really them.

"Belle? Flynn?"

"Rumple. It's us," said Belle. She went from key to key until she found a match and unlocked his cell. She ran straight into his arms, but Rumple seemed a little hesitant.

"You shouldn't have come. The curse."

"Why didn't you tell me?" asked Belle with a hint of desperation in her voice.

"This was the only way. The only solution showed to me through prophecy. This had to come to pass. I needed to get to my son. He's there, Belle. I have to find. He has to know that he has a father who loves him."

"But, at what cost, Rumple? So many people's lives are ruined."

"I did what I thought was best, Belle. I'm sorry it had to come to all of this, but this was the only solution I could see. I have spent centuries waiting for this day. This is my chance to find my boy. I've had several and lost; I'm not going to let this one slip away. I don't care who gets hit in the crossfire. I'm bringing my boy home," he said. Belle was torn; she hated his methods, but she admired his devotion and determination to find Baelfire. "I'm so sorry I kept this from you, Belle, but I felt like I had not other choice."

There was a commotion above them; all three of them looked up to see the ceiling being torn apart by a black cloud filled with flashing green lights. Rumple clutched Belle, and pulled her closer to him.

"Belle! Rumple!" shouted Flynn, as he held onto the edge of the wall. The wind was howling in their ears, whipping their hair and clothes. They looked up at him, squinting from the pressure of the wind. "I must leave you here!" shouted Flynn.

"You're not coming with us?!" asked Belle.

"I can't! I have responsibilities to others. I can't leave with you!"

"But we only just met after a lifetime apart!" said Rumple.

"Don't worry! I will see you both again!" shouted Flynn. He snapped his fingers, blue smoke engulfed him, and when it cleared he was gone.

Rumple clutched Belle even tighter to him, as the curse tore apart the castle and the cell, which he called home for the past week. The whole ground began to quake; he could feel Belle wrap her arms tighter around him. He pushed her chin up to look at him, and she returned his gaze wit pure affection. He kissed her briefly.

"I love you, Rumple!"

"I love you, Belle."

So much noise, so much uncertainty escalated between the two of them, the flashing lights threatened to blind them. Black smoke surrounded them, and after all the thunderous noise, and the tremendous shaking…. Silence.

END