Rumplestiltskin hummed as he frantically wrote down the name of the princess on his sheet of parchment in his prison cell. Emma. Emma. Emma. Emma.

Oh of course he knew he could escape any time he wanted, and that was exactly the case: He didn't want to. He was exactly where he needed to be when the Dark Curse was cast.

"Someday my prince will come…" he sang quietly as he wrote, giggling madly. It was so nice of Snow White and Charming to allow him things to write on while he was in here. He was so excited that the curse was going to be cast soon. He would be well on his way to getting Baelfire back His Bae.

His Bae. Soon, soon, soon.

He gasped then, suddenly overwhelmed with a vision, and the quill and parchment dropped to the ground, his eyes closing as the vision pulled through.

"Your wish was to go to where you belonged, Baelfire, and I granted it to you," a fairy was saying, looking down at Baelfire and some other blurry figures with him. But they weren't important. What was important was that Baelfire was here, in the Enchanted Forest. Or he would be, eventually. Which meant the curse –which was only a few days from being cast – was going to be unnecessary.

His eyes widened with realization. He needed to find a way to stop Regina.

"Hey… HEY! GUARDS!" he shouted, trying to get the guard's attention. He could escape. But where would be the fun in that? He liked tormenting the guards as if he were some sort of weak puppet. However… as no guard was coming, it appeared that Rumplestiltskin was going to have to take matters into his own hands. This was a very pressing matter after all.

Letting out a giggle, he disappeared from the cell in a puff of smoke, making sure to land squarely in the War Room. Perfect.

"You!" Charming shouted from his seat, everyone was on their feet in an instant, and Rumplestiltskin did nothing to defend himself. Why bother? It wasn't like any of their weapons could hurt him.

"Ah-ah! I wouldn't attack me if I were you, dearies. I have very important news. I have seen the future. And it is drastically changed from what I told you before."

"Is it Emma? Is she going to be okay?" Snow White asked immediately. Rumplestiltskin was glad for her, frankly. She could sense the urgency in his voice.

He held up his hands to show he meant no harm to her husband and the others seated at the table. "Your daughter is going to be more than fine, your majesty. For I foresaw you both raising her… here, in the Enchanted Forest. Safe from harm," he said. Okay, so he was lying about the vision, but stopping the curse would mean Emma would be raised here, right?

"The curse won't happen?" Charming asked in surprise, his face softening at the realization of what it meant.

"No, it will not."

A sob escaped the princess, and the prince rushed to console her, his sword clattering to the ground.

"Well, I should leave you alone to gather your thoughts," the imp said. He was feeling anxious now. They needed to get ready, immediately. "I will need your help to trap Regina. I'll let you know when."

"At what price?" one of the dwarves grumbled.

Rumplestiltskin shook his head. "No price this time. I swear." Not when this benefitted him as well as the rest of the residents of the Enchanted Forest. "You just worry about yourselves and keep Snow White healthy for the arrival of the little princess."

There was still a stress in the air, but it had faded somewhat at the news he'd brought them.

"Rumplestiltskin?" Charming suddenly asked as the imp turned to walk away.

"Yes dearie?" he asked with a small giggle.

"Thank you. Whatever it is you need us to do… we'll do it."

Rumplestiltskin could only give the man a curt nod before vanishing from the room.

There was much they needed to do to stop Regina. Well, not a whole lot, but enough that he required help.

The first stop was to the well where he'd trapped poor Prince Thomas. He figured that little Ella had learned her lesson – and as he'd broken out of the prison Snow and Charming had put him in for his crimes, well, rectifying them was probably a good idea.

Although, looking at Thomas as he clambered out of the well gave Rumplestiltskin an idea. Smirking, he vanished back to the castle.

"I have an idea. Squid ink."

"Squid ink?" Snow White (who had recovered from her brief hysterics) asked with a frown.

He nodded. "Yes. You see, I have some in my cell. I was using it to prepare a loophole for the curse – for little Emma, but now… I can put it back in the jar and use it to strengthen the bars of the cell so no magic can be used inside of it. Personally, I believe that's the sort of cell she should have been in to begin with but…" he waved his hand casually. Now was not the time to think of past regrets.

"Why are you willing to help us stop the curse?" Charming asked, his eyes still full of distrust that Rumplestiltskin couldn't blame him for.

"Because it will benefit us all. That world we were supposed to be sent to? It's a land without magic. A land without hope. A land where we wouldn't know who we are. Knowing Regina, you and your princess wouldn't even be together. Why wouldn't I want to stop something like that?" he explained. "Now… I shall be in my cell. Your majesty, I expect you and the guards to be in the tunnel leading to that cell in one hour. She'll be here then, and it wouldn't do any good if she saw you."

Rumplestiltskin vanished back into the cell he'd been locked in. Regina would come to him asking for his help in casting the curse, and he needed to be there. And then… he would strike. Going over to the parchment, Rumplestiltskin carefully lifted the ink up and off the parchment, before pouring it back into the bottle, stopping it and sliding it in his sleeve.

He giggled in utter delight as scaly fingers wrapped around the bars of the cell. Regina would be here soon. Soon soon soon. Oh, but perhaps he shouldn't be looking too eager at the thought of her visit, so he pulled away from the bars and climbed back onto the ceiling with a giggle.

Finally, Rumplestiltskin heard the tell tale sign of Regina's presence. A rat disguise. How clever of her to use that to slip past the guards.

"So kind of you to visit me, dearie," he said with a giggle. "What seems to be the problem?"

"My curse didn't cast," she said, with just a hint of a petulant, whiny child who didn't get her way. "Why?"

"Well, did you do everything I told you? Right down to the heart?" he asked curiously, as if actually pondering what could have possibly gone wrong.

"Of course I did. I used the heart of my prized steer."

He cackled and launched himself at her, grabbing her throat. "You're a fool, Regina! A curse like that doesn't need the heart of a steer. It needs the hear t of the thing you love most."

She coughed as Rumplestiltskin gestured for the guards to slowly start creeping forward behind her back. "That is the thing I love most!"

He could only titter. "Is it really, dearie?"

She froze at his insinuation. "Wait… do you mean…"

Another giggle escaped him. "Exactly. You know what you need to do…"

He could sense her anger and frustration, and it was then that he snapped his fingers, switching their positions, much to her shock.

"What – what did you do?!" Regina shrieked as Rumplestiltskin shattered the battle of squid ink, watching as the cell glowed for a moment.

"I did what was right," he replied with a casual shrug. "You see, the future changed, dearie. This is how your story ends."

"No! This can't be! I have to cast my curse and get my revenge on Snow White!" Regina screamed as the guards and Charming stormed into the room. "You can't do this to me! After everything we've done for each other, how can you do this to me?!"

"I'm doing what's best for the majority, not the few," Rumplestiltskin said, shrugging casually. "Besides, dearie. Who says you won't be happy here?"

Regina growled as Charming stepped up next to him. "Not so fun being trapped behind bars now, is it?" he asked with a smirk. "Snow gave you a chance to redeem yourself, and instead you throw it in our faces by attempting to cast a curse on this land. We did all we could to give you a second chance, and you didn't take it. Now you pay the price for it."

"And when are you going to pay for what you've done to me?"

"Snow did nothing to you that warrants something like this. Whatever she did, she's already paid for."

Rumplestiltskin couldn't argue with that. Snow White had simply told a secret. It was unfortunate that the stable boy died, but Snow White certainly didn't deserve that curse. The guilt Rumplestiltskin knew she carried with her was a high price – and something she would be carrying with her for much longer than twenty-eight years.

"We're going now," Charming said, his eyes narrowed as the guards turned to head back to the palace. "Dinner will be served to you in an hour."

Rumplestiltskin followed the prince and the guards, now unsure of where his place was. He had to wait for Baelfire, he knew that much. But every deal he'd made, every person he'd interacted with, had been for the curse. Now the puzzle he'd so carefully tried to piece together was unnecessary. He wasn't sure what he should do.

"So… now what?" he asked Charming as they left the mine.

Charming looked over at him. "I need to talk with Snow about it, but I want to go to her palace and make sure no one is being held captive there. We did last time but I still can't help but feel like we missed something."

Rumplestiltskin frowned. He wasn't sure he liked the sound of that.

"Would you mind if I… came with you?" Rumplestiltskin asked. "If magic is involved perhaps I can undo the spell."

Charming nodded. "That would be much appreciated. Thank you."

Rumplestiltskin flicked his wrist, and the group vanished in a cloud of smoke to Regina's palace.

"You! What are you doing here? With Prince James?! And where is my daughter?" Prince Henry asked, his eyes wide in bewilderment.

"Regina is a prisoner in my palace after attempting to curse us all to an unknown land," Charming said. "And now we're going to search this castle to make sure no one else is stuck here as a prisoner."

"You did this last time. She hasn't taken anyone else hostage!" Henry protested. "But why must she be a prisoner again?"

"Because when I did, she attempted to curse us. I understand you're her father but she is called the Evil Queen for a reason," Charming replied. "She could have killed us all in the process."

"Mm, I'm not sure about that, but she definitely would have killed Henry over there," Rumplestiltskin giggled, wagging his fingers at the man as the guards fanned out of the room.

Henry blanched, but said nothing.

"Now please, can we go make sure there's no one else here?" Charming asked. Rumplestiltskin wasn't sure why he was insisting on using manners now, but he didn't question it.

Henry nodded weakly.

"Your majesty!" one of the guards called as they toured the castle's towers. "I think I can feel magic from this doorway!"

Rumplestiltskin followed Charming up to the tower and nodded. "Oh yes yes yes, there is magic on here. Stand back, I can get it undone."

Waiting for the guard and prince to get to a safer area, Rumplestiltskin carefully began undoing the spell on the door. For Regina, it was a complicated spell surprisingly enough. Whoever – or whatever – was in here was something he knew she'd wanted to keep a secret.

He nodded once to the guard, who carefully opened the door.

"Miss? It's okay. You're safe now," he said, as Rumplestiltskin raised an eyebrow. So there was a woman in there. "Come with me."

And then, like a dream, out came a shaken, but very much alive, Belle.

"You're alive…" he whispered, his voice hoarse from surprise. "She… she told me you were dead! Oh Belle…" he whispered, staring at the woman as if afraid she would vanish into thin air.

"Rumplestiltskin? What are you doing here? What's going on?"

He found his voice as she ran up to him with wide, fearful eyes. "Regina said you were dead. But you needn't worry about her now. She's a prisoner now."

"What do you mean? What happened?" she asked.

"This man – Prince David – and his guards. They're the ones that found you. If he hadn't given the order to come here you would have…" Rumplestiltskin shook his head, unable to finish his sentence. He knew Belle would understand what he meant.

She looked at David then. "Thank you. I don't know how I can make it up to you."

But David only shook his head. "Think nothing of it. I am just glad we found you. I apologize it took us until Regina fell the second time to get you out of here."

"It's okay. I'm just glad you did," Belle said.

Rumplestiltskin swallowed the knot in his throat. "I think I shall take you to your father, Belle. To let him know you are okay. Regina tried to spread the rumor that you killed yourself."

Belle's eyes widened in horror. "She did what? Then yes, I must go home quickly!"

"Okay. I'll take you home. I'm sure this will be a flicker of life in an ocean of darkness," Rumplestiltskin said, eyes darting to Charming, who's eyes had gone wide before he waved his hand, Charming and the guards vanishing back to their palace before Rumplestiltskin took Belle gently by the arm and vanished in a cloud of smoke to her father.

Baelfire was going to be back soon, and now he had Belle. Perhaps a happy ending was going to be possible for the Dark One after all.