Chapter 5.

Dashed Manhattan Dreams.

When Belle had forced him over the line, Rumpelstiltskin had been at a loss at what to do with himself. Standing on the other side of the town line, staring into the empty distance of the road ahead of him, knowing that Belle was actually there but that he couldn't see her, he had hit an all time low.

He had been so confident in his plan. So sure that he could have both Belle and his power, he hadn't realized how sloppy he'd gotten during the curse.

That damn glove. Of all the things to tip Belle off, it had to be that. He should have disposed of that damn thing years ago. Probably should have just given it to Cruella and Ursula in the first place, but he had been so... furious that they dared to take what was his.

As if he would barter with anyone. He was the Dark One. He was all powerful. The glove and Belle were both his, and he couldn't allow those witches the upper hand.

So he gave them a fake, and allowed Belle to believe that he was a better man than what he truly was.

Maybe Belle was right to throw him over the line.

He hadn't expected it, no, but maybe he could understand why she felt the need to. He had lied to her, manipulated her, used magic against her... Now as he looked back at what he had done he was disgusted with himself.

Belle. His sweet, beautiful, trusting Belle. He had used his magic on her to control her. It hadn't seemed like that at the beginning but now he realized it. How could he hold it against her for feeling betrayed?

He knew better than anyone the terrors of being under someone else's control. How could he, after what Zelena used the dagger to force him to do, ever force someone else in that submissive situation? Least of all his Belle.

She never once tried to use the dagger against him. She knew how terrified he was at the idea of being controlled by it. Granted, she had never had the real dagger, but still. She hadn't known that until the end.

When she had used it, it was only because she had no other choice. He had backed her into a corner that she saw no other way out of. He took the pirate's heart, he planned on killing Emma, and actually did trap the faeries inside of the hat. Of course Belle thought there was no other option.

He could understand why she forced him over the line, no matter how painful it was for him to accept.

He loved Belle, more than anything, more than his power, even if she didn't believe him. He just needed to have a chance to explain himself to her... to apologize...

One more chance. That's all he needed. He would do better this time.

And that is exactly how he now found himself waiting on a ridiculously gaudy blood red couch in the middle of an equally gaudy sitting room. When he had finally recovered from losing Belle, he set to work trying to find a way back into Storybrooke.

There weren't many options. The protection spell that had been cast on the town was powerful. It couldn't be broken without an equally powerful spell to counteract it. And considering this horrible world he was currently stuck in didn't have magic, he was stuck finding a different way in.

He had heard rumors that Ursula and Cruella had been banished to a realm without magic. The chances of him finding them were slim, but somehow he had managed to find Ursula.

Oh, how he had wanted to laugh when he saw the "great and powerful" Goddess scrubbing fish tanks and working for minimum wage. From there it had been child's play convincing her to join him once more.

He had painted a pretty picture for her. A town with magic, a place where she could rewrite her story and finally receive the happy ending she had wanted. She could leave this demeaning job behind her and once more take the role of a Goddess, all she had to do was join him.

Now that he had one witch on his side, he just had to convince the other one to join in too. Ursula had known where to look for her, and it seemed Cruella wasn't exactly living below radar.

No, she was living the high life. It seemed this world had agreed with her quite well. She had used her charisma and beauty to manipulate one of Manhattan's richest bachelors to wed her. After a mysteriously well timed "accident", Cruella found herself as one fabulously rich widow and she used her late husband's fortune to build an empire of her own.

Her designs were the best of the best. They gave Gucci and Ralph Lauren a run for their money.

Rumpelstiltskin had hardly expected that, but still. He couldn't imagine Cruella didn't miss the lure of magic just as much as he and Ursula did. She would cave and join them, if only to feel the rush of her magic once more.

"Send him in you fool!" Cruella's voice was muffled, but he and Ursula heard her just fine. They looked towards each other and smirked. It seemed Cruella hadn't forgotten him so easily, despite the world she had created around her.

The poor girl Rumpelstiltskin had figured was Cruella's assistant shrank back in her spot at Cruella's harsh screech. She jumped up from her seat and rushed over to the two of them, nearly tripping over her own two feet a long the way.

"Ms. DeVil will see you now, Mr. Gold."

Rumpelstiltskin stood up from the couch, only struggling a little from his leg. He gave the frazzled young girl a smile, "Thank you, dearie. You've been such a help."

Anita hadn't heard a 'thank you' since she moved to Manhattan five months ago. And she definitely had not heard it since she began working for Ms. DeVil. She hadn't seen many smiles either, not even her own.

Manhattan was so much different than her small town home in Mississippi. It was faster, harsher, and a whole lot meaner. She had thought all her dreams would come true when she came here, but so far all that she'd come to realize was that dreams meant nothing to the people in Manhattan. No one cared about you, or your feelings, they only cared about themselves.

The kindness that this complete stranger showed her, completely brightened her day. She gave him a smile of her own and guided him and his companion into Ms. DeVil's office.

When Ms. DeVil snapped at her to leave, she did so and hardly even minded the harshness of her employer.

When her buffoon of an assistant was out of her office, Cruella turned her attention to the man in front of her desk. "What are you doing here, Dark One?"

"It's good to see you too, dearie." Rumple sat down in the seat across from her and Ursula followed suit.

"Why waste time with pleasantries? I'm busy woman, a company to run, you see?" She motioned to the room around them, "I'm not the same woman I was in the Enchanted Forest."

Ursula laughed, and Cruella turned her attention to her, "Ursula, darling. Long time no see. You look positively grubby, dear. Life got you down? I suppose working as a janitor does that to you. I wouldn't know, of course."

Ursula glared at her, and wished she had her tentacle's back already. She would have slapped the condescending smile off of Cruella's face for that. As it was, she almost launched herself across the table at the woman, but one look from the Dark One had her glued to her seat.

"Now, now, dearie. Is that anyway to talk to an old friend?"

Ursula crossed her arms, "We're not friends."

Rumple resisted the urge to roll his eyes. He didn't care if they were friends or not, he just wanted the sea witch to keep her mouth shut.

"I've got to be honest, darling, I hardly expected to see you here. Were you banished here, as well?"

Rumple shrugged, "In a matter of speaking. You knew about Regina's curse, well it seems the people prefer this land to the old one."

"Still. You must be going mad without your magic. Must be strange to be so..." Her eyes drifted to the cane that leaned against his chair, "...human, again."

"Funny you should mention it. This world isn't entirely without magic."

"Impossible. I've been all over the world. I would have found it by now if there was."

"Such little faith. The reason why you couldn't find it is because it's protected. Only those who are within the lines of the barrier know of it's existence."

Cruella's interest was piqued, but she tried not to show it, "Really? How is it even possible?"

"When Regina cast her curse, I made sure there was loop hole. I needed to be in this realm, but I needed magic in order to gain what I sought here. When the curse was broken, magic was released, but only so far as the town line."

"Hm," She crossed her arms, "Then once again I must ask, what are you doing here? You had your magic."

"Well, you see, dearie, I needed magic past the town line. I couldn't stay in that ridiculous town forever. But when trying to release the magic and abolish the town lines, I was caught and cast out."

"Who on earth would dare confront the Dark One?"

Rumple was quiet for a moment. This time, Ursula had to chuckle. She really enjoyed this part of the story, "Go on, tell her. If you don't, I sure as hell will."

He glared at her, but did as she said, "One of the townspeople had my dagger, she used it to force me over the line."

"And guess who it was?" Ursula butted in.

"How am I supposed to know?" Cruella snapped, but as she said it, she realized there was only one woman close enough to the Dark One to steal his dagger and use it against him. His little serving wench.

She laughed out loud, "Oh, darling, you poor thing. I suppose true love isn't the answer to every problem is it?"

Ursula and Cruella continued to laugh. He snapped his cane down onto Cruella's desk, "Enough. I didn't come here to be mocked. I came to offer you a chance to return to glory. A chance to rewrite your story and finally get your happy ending."

Cruella had flinched back into her chair when the cane came crashing down just inches from where her hands had once been. She shot Rumpelstiltskin a dirty look, "Now, now dearie, don't forget you're in my world now."

"You think this is yours?" He motioned around at the room they were in. He laughed harshly, "This world is no more yours than mine. You might have it all now, but villains don't get happy endings, dearie. This all can and will be taken away from you. Unless you come with us. Together we can rewrite our fates. Together we can finally have it all."

Cruella rolled her eyes. "Not in this world, darling. Villains are practically glorified here. If people want something, they take it. It is harsh and it is beautiful. This realm was created for those like us, we just have to know how to mold it to our needs."

She motioned towards the door, "Now you're boring me, leave. I have work to do."

Rumpelstiltskin's eyes narrowed at her, "Are you daft? I am offering you the world, I am offering you magic, power, prestige, happiness!"

She shrugged, "Darling, I have all that. And I didn't have to change the fates in order to do it. In this realm, you don't need magic. I have power and believe me, I am happy. You have nothing to offer me, Dark One. Whatever you need from me, you won't get."

She pressed the call button on her phone, "Anita!"

"Y-yes, Ms. DeVil?"

"My guests are leaving, escort them to the elevator. That is, if you think your miniscule brain can handle a basic task such as that." She barked.

"Of course, Ms. DeVil, right away."

Rumpelstiltskin was boiling alive right now. As he glared at the two faced woman in front of him, he saw red. Oh how he would give anything at all to shove her out of the giant windows behind her. Or perhaps use magic to morph her into one of the many mindless beasts she loves to skin for her opulent fur collection.

This was not how things were supposed to go. How stupid could she be? Did she honestly think that it mattered to him if she wanted to help him?

He had lived for centuries. He didn't get to that point in his life without learning ways to force people to do as he wanted.

He would destroy this world Cruella had created. Of that, he was absolutely sure. It would take time though. Time he hadn't planned on wasting. But perhaps this time was good. He still had to figure out a way to convince Belle he could change for good. She probably also needed time to heal from all of his betrayals. She had to forgive him and that didn't happen over night.

So for now, he would give her that time, and focus on breaking down Cruella's world, piece by piece. If he just knew of a way in...

An idea came to him as the assistant stumbled in once more, a look of slight fear tinting her face. He turned to Cruella, "You should really treat your employees better, dearie. One day they might prove to be useful."

"Don't lecture me, old man. You're wasting my time and my patience."

He simply smirked and turned to leave.

As he and Ursula stepped onto the empty elevator, leaving the frazzled assistant alone once more, Ursula turned to him, "Well? What now?"

"Now." He grimaced, "I get a job."

"It's about damn time."

Cruella was in her office, mulling over the situation that had just passed in her office. The Dark One, in Manhattan of all places. It was almost funny. If it wasn't unnerving, that is.

His offer was interesting one. She'd be lying if she said she wasn't the tiniest bit interested in the idea of having her magic back.

Still, she hadn't been lying when she had everything she wanted. She had the whole world at her finger tips. Anything else she might want, she could easily get for herself.

She had more money than she knew what to do with. And in this realm, money was as good as magic. It could buy you anything, even people.

But still, with Rumpelstiltskin in Manhattan, she knew she had to be careful.

He wouldn't take no for an answer. He wouldn't walk (or rather, limp, in his case) away after the disrespect she had shown him. There wasn't much he could do though, she tried to reason with herself.

He was a crippled nobody. He had nothing.

But she, she had everything. She could protect her world from him. With enough money, she could probably even make him disappear...

She shook her head. No, it didn't need to come to that. She would just have to have her wits about her. If Rumpelstiltskin thought he could get the drop on her, boy would he be surprised.

"Anita!" She shouted.

There was fumbling from outside the door, and finally the blonde popped her head into the office, "Yes, Ms. DeVil?"

"Send for Alonso. I'm going home for the day. The fabrics over there on the couch have been approved, make sure to have them sent to the designers. Also, cancel the meeting with Macy's I have tomorrow."

"But ma'am, you've canceled-"

"I know, Anita!" She snapped at the assistant, "I don't need you to remind me how many times I've rescheduled on them, I just need you to do as I say. It's not hard. Even the dumbest of dogs can follow orders."

Anita sighed, "Yes, Ms. DeVil."

"Well? What are you waiting for? I want Alonso waiting for me with the car as soon as I walk out the front door and the call won't make itself."

"Sorry, of course, Ms. DeVil, I'll do it now."

Granny's was practically empty when Belle and Will arrived. Red, who was standing behind the counter looked up a the pair and discarded her fashion magazine.

"Finally! I thought no one was ever going to come in." She smiled at the two, "Hey, Belle, good to see you girl! Where have you been?"

Belle returned her friend's smile, "Hey, Red. I've been busy at the library, actually, how about you?"

"Same old, same old. Still catching shifts here with Granny, trying to learn the ropes of the business." Red's eyes traveled to Will Scarlet and she smirked, "Hey, Scarlet, you want your regular?"

"Nah." He said quickly. Even though he knew Belle had seen him knocked out drunk before, he still didn't like the idea of drinkin' in front of her. He didn't think she would judge him of course, but that didn't mean he wanted to test that theory.

Besides, he only drank to forget Wonderland and fortunately, he hadn't needed to in a while.

"Really?" She asked surprised. It took her a moment, but as she looked between the two she realized, they were here together. Huh. That was certainly new. "Why don't you two have a seat and I'll bring you menus?"

"Thanks, Red."

They did as she asked them to do, and they picked the same booth they had shared the day before.

It was nice having Granny's almost to themselves. Belle didn't have to worry about the townspeople listening in on their conversation, and it was nice to not feel suffocated by the normal crowds of Granny's. She had gotten used to living in solitude. Between her apartment and the library, she rarely had to deal with many people aside from Killian, Emma, and Will. It was nice to have a little bit of that silence and comfort here.

"So," Belle leaned forward and rested her elbows on the table, "You and Killian?"

"What? Why you so surprised? It was your idea that we bond. Well, we did." Will wasn't sure why he felt so defensive about his budding friendship with Killian, but he did.

"You're right," She said, "I just didn't expect it to happen so quickly. You two were at each others throats when I threw you out. How does that change so fast?"

Will shrugged, "Turns out the pirate an' I have more in common than we thought."

"Such as?"

Will looked away and searched for Red. How long did it take to grab two menus?

He wasn't sure if he really wanted to get into it with Belle. If he told her about Cora, he'd have to tell her about Wonderland, which meant he'd have to tell her about Ana.

Ana was a topic he definitely didn't want to talk about.

He also worried that Belle would think differently of him if she knew of his past with Cora. Sure, she'd never hold it against him. Especially once she knew Cora had used his heart against him. But by telling her about his time as the Knave, he would be reopening a whole section of his life he'd spent all this time burying under countless drunken nights.

When the silence grew between them, Belle leaned back against the booth, "You don't have to tell me if you don't want to."

She said this quietly, trying to ignore her slightly hurt feelings. He could open up to Killian about his past, but not her?

She knew it was unfair of her to feel that way. Not everyone found it easy to open up about themselves. She needed to respect that and his choice not to tell her. She needed to let him see she was his friend, and no matter what happened in his past, she would always be his friend.

Her soft words brought his attention back to her. He could hear just a hint of hurt in her words, and he hated that he was to blame for it.

Belle had been so nice to him from the very beginning. She was his friend, and he didn't want to be the cause of pain for her, no matter how small the pain might be.

So even though he still wasn't entirely sure about it, Will told her, "Killian and I both worked for Cora for a while. Not at the same time, o'course, but we knew o' each other 'cause o' her."

"You worked for Cora?"

"Yea, long time ago, way before the first curse was cast."

Belle couldn't imagine the man sitting across from her as a villain. He was a thief, sure, but Cora... Cora was evil. How could he work for a woman like that? There had to be an explanation.

Before she could ask, they were both brought out of there bubble by Red walking back to the table, "Sorry it took so long!" She placed the menus in front of them. "You guys want something to drink?"

"Tea, please." Belle said.

"Just water." Will could see by Belle's face that she was dying to ask him questions. He could understand that too. After all, he had just dropped quite the bomb on her.

"Sure thing." Red noticed how tense the two were and was glad to disappear quickly.

Belle leaned forward once more, "Cora? How did you even get involved with her in the first place?"

Will pretended to be immersed in the menu, "Don't really know where to start."

She sighed and pushed her own menu away, she already knew what she wanted, "The beginning, maybe? How did you meet her? Where did you meet her? It couldn't have been in the Enchanted Forest."

Knowing there was no point in trying to change the subject, Will snapped the menu shut and pushed it off next to Belle's. He leaned back and scratched behind his ear, "I was in Wonderland. After my stint with Robin in Sherwood, I needed someplace out o' the way to lay low. I used an enchanted mirror to get to Wonderland and that's when I met Cora."

He figured if he jumped right in it was less likely he'd have to tell her about Ana. If he could just avoid mentioning her, he'd be fine.

Belle fell back against her seat once more, this time completely shocked.

Wonderland? Of all the places... she certainly hadn't expected Wonderland. She had known somehow that he wasn't a resident of the Enchanted Forest and now it almost made sense. That first night she had found him passed out in the library clutching Alice's Adventure's in Wonderland now made so much sense.

Red had just finished making their drinks when she paused at the kitchen door and peeked through the window. They seemed to be in the middle of an extremely important conversation that she was trying her best not to use her wolfy hearing to eavesdrop on.

She opened the door as loudly as she could and made her way over to them, "Alright, here's your drinks. You guys know what you want to eat?"

Her loud interruption had them both quiet by the time she got to them. She set the drinks down and waited.

"I'll take a cheeseburger, please." Belle tried to smile at her friend and act normal, but she was having a hard time. She was finally getting some answers about Will's past, so it was hard for her not to feel a little irritated at the interruptions.

"The same." Will picked up the two menus and handed them to Red.

"Comin' right up." Red was glad to leave the two alone once more.

Once Red was in the kitchen once more, Belle turned her attention to Will, "What happened? Why did you stop working for her?"

"Cora sent me to kill someone. A girl named Alice. She told me the Alice had been terrorizing her people. Stealin' and murderin'."

"Alice? The little girl from the book? That can't be true."

"It wasn't." Will chuckled. He could only imagine Alice's reaction to being called a 'little girl'. "And she wasn't so little either. She had been comin' to Wonderland since she was a girl, trying to find proof to bring back to her father. I tracked her for days, weeks even, but she was good. She managed to always stay one step a head of me. One day she got tired of running. So she set a trap. Had me hangin' from a tree in no time. When I told her I couldn't stop hunting her despite her innocence, she offered to break into the queen's palace and steal back me heart."

Belle gasped quietly, "Cora had your heart?"

"Yeah, but Alice upheld her end of the bargain. She got my heart an' gave it back to me. In return I 'elped her catch the rabbit so she could use him as proof for her father. We parted ways after that."

"Oh, Will..." She wanted to apologize to him. Even though she had tried not to judge him for his past, she had certainly began to look at him differently before he told her about his heart.

"Ah," Will ducked his head and looked towards the kitchen again, "Don't look at me like that, will ya?"

"Like what?" She asked, confused.

"Like ya feel sorry for me or somethin'. I made plenty o' mistakes in my life, and I sure as hell don't want no pity for it."

"Oh, but Will, you couldn't have stopped Cora from taking your heart. It's not your fault she forced you to-"

"Can we not talk about this?" He asked as once again Red interrupted them.

"Okay," Red pretended that she hadn't heard any of their conversation, "I've got both of your burgers, hot and ready."

She placed the plates on to the table and Belle smiled at her, "Thanks."

"No problem. If you guys need anything just holler. I'll be in the kitchen, I've got some stuff to get caught up on." With that, Belle and Will were left alone again.

The atmosphere was tense as they sat.

Belle picked at her fries, suddenly not feeling so hungry.

Will was eating his like a starving man in an attempt to avoid conversation. He knew he had hurt Belle's feelings. Again. How it was possible for him to keep doing what he was trying so hard not to do, he just didn't know.

Finally Belle sighed, "I'm sorry, Will. Your past is your past. You don't owe me an explanation for anything. I shouldn't be pushing you to tell me things, especially if you don't feel comfortable talking about them."

He finished chewing and took a drink of his water before replying, "You don't need to apologize. Truth is, my past in Wonderland is complicated. There's good and bad things that happened there and a bit of both that I don't like to think about. I shouldn't 'ave snapped at you though. Sorry about that."

"It's alright." Belle smiled at him, "If you're not ready to talk about Wonderland, then you don't have to. But I'll always be here if you need someone to talk to."

Emma was in her room, putting on the final touches to her make up when she finally heard a knock on the door. She gave herself a once over, making sure she looked okay. David and Snow were downstairs and would get the door so there was no need for her to rush.

Tonight was supposed to be a low key kind of night. Not Granny's, but not as fancy as their first date either. She had on a pair of plain black skinny jeans, a silky blue sleeveless top, and a pair of black sandal heels with silver cuffs at the ankles. She threw on her black leather jacket, figuring she would probably get cold at some point that night.

She was ready, but she paused for a moment longer, staring at herself.

Was it silly of her to have butterflies right now? Because she felt like her entire stomach was bubbling over with them.

This wasn't her first date with Killian. Hell, they'd been on plenty of dates together. So why did it still feel like it is? Couldn't her body stop psyching her out?

Would she always get butterflies around him? Emma wasn't sure she could handle this giddy feeling she got when he was around for the rest of her life. Not that she assumed they would be together the rest of their lives.

Well, she also wasn't saying she didn't want to spend the rest of her life with him either. It was just too soon to be thinking that far into the future. He made her feel so unbelievably happy, and that wasn't something she was used to at all. Though, she was learning to slowly accept the idea that things could go her way, thanks to David and Snow. Her parents were slowly, but surely convincing her that she could have everything she always secretly wanted growing up.

She wanted to believe that she and Killian could have it all, but she also knew life didn't always go as planned, and happy endings were difficult even for saviors to find. So she was trying her best to keep a straight head about all of this.

It was just so difficult to think at all when he looked at her with those dreamy blue eyes... and that accent... damn.

"Emma?" Snow called up the stairs, "Killian's here."

She took a breath to calm herself, "Coming!"

She forced herself to ignore the butterflies in her stomach and walked out her room and down the stairs. Waiting for her, dressed in dark jeans, a button down shirt, and his trademark leather jacket, was her favorite pirate.

Killian paused for a moment, as he watched her walk down the stairs. It never failed to amaze him just how easily she could leave him in awe. Did she know just how wonderfully beautiful she was? How utterly amazing and fantastic she was?

Did she know just how ardently he admired everything about her?

She was so much than a pretty face. She was smart, brave, strong, and she was good. So, so good. He didn't think she had a single selfish bone in her body. She did so much for the people of this town, and asked nothing in return of them.

And she was good mother too. She might be new at it, but the relationship she shared with her young boy was refreshing sight for Killian to see.

Growing up with only his brother to rely on, Killian had never seen what a strong bond mother and son could have. It was amazing to watch Emma with Henry.

One day, he hoped to share a part in the family, but he also knew that as perfect as he thought of her as, she was still a little jagged around the edges. It was too soon for Killian to be thinking of the future like that. Emma still needed to heal from her past, heal from losing Neal, before Killian could think of making their relationship a little more permanent.

And for her, he'd wait as long as she needed. He was in no rush.

"Emma." He smiled, "You look beautiful, as always."

She blushed a little, "Thanks, you don't look so bad either."

"So!" Snow interrupted the two to save David from having to watch his only daughter flirt with her pirate boyfriend, "Where are you guys going tonight?"

Killian turned to Snow, "Out to eat. Perhaps a movie after wards, unless the lady objects."

Emma shrugged, "No objections from me."

She didn't really care what they did. She just enjoyed being with him.

"Oh well, that sounds like fun!" Snow said excitedly, David and she hadn't been out for a date since Neal was born. It was just such a hassle to try and find a babysitter, and then try to figure out something to do that they hadn't already done a million times in the tiny town of storybrooke.

Of course they were at a point in their relationship where dates just weren't as important anymore. They were with each other practically all the time. For couples who were just starting out, like Emma and Killian, spending time together and going out on exciting new dates was an important stage.

Still, Snow couldn't help but feel a little envious of her daughter. Perhaps a date with her husband was more important than she realized. She'd have to talk to him about it.

"We should probably get going." Emma said.

"You're right," Killian agreed.

He opened the door for her and bowed, "M'lady."

She rolled her eyes but still chuckled at his chivalrous behavior. Killian took her to a small restaurant on the other side of town called Tiana's. It was a nice little place, cozy and warm. At the back of the dining room was a stage. On it was a live jazz band.

She wasn't really someone who listened to jazz, but right now she couldn't imagine a better background music.

"So, love, how was your day?" Killian asked as he held her seat out for her.

She sat down, "Same as it has been lately. It's actually been really..."

"Peaceful?"

"Boring." Emma admitted sheepishly.

Killian laughed, "Only you could find complaint with peace, Swan."

"Well, it's not like I want another sorceress to freeze the town or turn us into her own personal flying monkeys," She defended herself, "I just want something a little more exciting than a 'noise complaint' about Pongo every other day."

"I'm not complaining. It's nice to have a bit of calm waters for a while. Plenty of time to focus on saving the faeries."

"How's that going, by the way? Belle's been holed up in that library for so long I was starting to worry."

"Not the best, but we had a break through today."

"Yeah? A break through that involved Scarlet?"

Killian gave her a look, "Yes, how did you know?"

"Saw the two of you together. Thought it was strange." She shrugged, "What's his deal, anyway?"

"He's not as bad as you seem to think he is, you know. He's actually a rather interesting bloke."

"Oh, no," She said, "Don't tell me you've befriended him.

Killian laughed, "He's a good man, love."

"He's been practically glued to Belle's side these past weeks, that's weird."

"It's not that weird." It really wasn't. The man had a crush on Belle, couldn't Emma see that? It seemed like the most obvious thing in the world to Killian. "Have you ever considered that perhaps the only ulterior motive that Will has, is to spend more time with Belle?"

"But why?"

"Because he likes her!" Killian all but laughed out loud. He noticed he had caught the attention of a few of the other patrons and made sure to talk quieter when he continued, "Honestly Emma, for a woman as smart as you are, you can be extremely obtuse."

Liked her? Of course Belle was a very likeable person, but she only just lost Gold. There was no way Emma's brunette friend was ready for someone new. Besides, Gold was Belle's true love. Emma couldn't imagine if Snow lost David that she would ever be able to move on. Surely Belle felt the same way.

Even as Emma thought that, she realized that not all true loves are the same. Killian had loved Milah, but he was with her now and seemed pretty happy to be with her. Even Regina and Robin had both lost the people they loved and had managed to find love again with each other.

True love wasn't simple. It was complicated and messy. Her time in Storybrooke had shown her that people were more than capable of moving on past true love.

But that didn't mean Scarlet was the right person for Belle.

"There's just..." Emma sighed, "There's something about the guy that doesn't sit well with me. I don't know how to explain it. I just don't think he's the best person to be spending time with Belle. She's gone through a lot lately, she's vulnerable. What if he causes her even more pain then she's already in?"

Killian leaned forward and grabbed Emma's hands, "You're worried about her. I get that. It's a noble thing, love. But I think Belle is a little stronger than you're giving her credit for. I don't think Will would ever hurt her intentionally, but if he did, it wouldn't be your duty to protect her."

"Maybe..."

Okay wow, sorry for the wait. I gotta be honest with you, I've had this chapter written for months and just never got around to posting it. I also haven't watched OUAT in forever either, like I'm pretty sure the season this is set in is the last season I watched and I don't think I finished it either.

For those of you who don't hate me too much, thank you for sticking with it to this point. I'm going to try not to abandon it, because I really do love the story I had planned.

What do you think of Rumple, huh? What job do you think he's thinking of? How do you think he plans on bringing down Cruella's empire? Did you like my references to Anita and Alfonso? It made me giggle to write them in.

I told you, things weren't going to be canon. It's going to take some time for Rumple to get back to Storybrooke, but he will eventually get there.

RedTailedHawkens, asked me to break down how much of the canon plot I plan on following. Not much. Obviously I've already diverged from the canon events some, but it'll pretty much become a completely different storyline once the shadow demon is released. I'm worried about spoiling the plot for you guys, so I won't go into much more detail, but just know that the faeries will be saved, the demon will get released, but once again, Rumple's plans won't go as they're supposed to because I love making things difficult for him. I won't have the same author or sorcerer. I don't plan on following the storyline for Ursula or Cruella. Maleficent and Zelena... I haven't made a decision yet. I'm torn between hating their storyline and sort of liking them so I'm gonna need time to think about it.

Also, she asked if I planned on explaining what happened to Ana... I am, don't worry. While a former co-worker has let me know what the canon reason for their time apart is, I will not be following along because in the wise words of Nick Fury "Given that it's a stupid ass (reason), I've elected to ignore it". I probably won't touch on it soon, Will is still pretty withdrawn when it comes to Wonderland, and he's not ready to open up about Ana yet. But it will be an important part of this story and a big bonding moment for him and Belle. I'm very excited.