Epilogue

The morning of February 15th was unseasonably warm and sunny, a miniature thaw. Business at Granny's was brisk and the staff seemed more harried than usual. There was a lot of coffee, as it seemed half the town was nursing a hangover. It was easy to separate the haves from the have nots. There were some who had celebrated love a little too enthusiastically. There were others who had drowned their sorrows. He had been nursing his morning cup of tea for the last twenty minutes enjoying the show.

Specifically he was enjoying watching Killian Jones. The slimey sailor slumped over the counter and cursed at anyone nearby. He gulped down down coffee with enough alcohol to fell a Clydesdale in it. He looked miserable. It was delightful. He still had the velvet ring box, the ring inside purchased on credit he didn't have at a price he couldn't repay. He had bought it from the local jeweler who (unbeknownst to most) was loyal to Regina. Her Majesty only barely tolerated Hook at the best of times. Rumpel suspected that her jeweler would have fixed the pirate up with only the best. Regina's people were vindictive like that. The ring was the best brass and paste thousands of dollars and a dull wit could buy. The best part was that it would never have the chance to turn his intended wife's finger green.

"What are you so chipper about?" Granny, hands on her hips, stopped by his booth. The old wolf was glaring at him. She was perpetually suspicious of him.

"It's a beautiful day, I'm enjoying a nice morning."

She followed his eyeline and huffed. "That greasy idiot has been crying into his rum most of last night and all morning. He passed out in the alley after I threw him out at three am this morning. He was still screaming for Emma but that girl was not answering her phone. Always thought she was smart." Granny threw one more glare at the pirate. "I could barely hear my NCIS marathon over his racket."

It got better and better. He hid his face-splitting smirk behind his tea cup.

A loud squeak redirected their attention from the counter to one of the tables. The Charmings and Henry were trying, and failing, to feed and entertain two tiny humans at the same time.

Neal's fuzzy towhead already had some sort of food (scrambled egg?) in his hair. Robbie's pink-polka dotted dress was completely covered in syrup. Snow White looked at her wits-end and Prince Charming looked like he'd prefer a nice sleeping curse. Henry was taking pictures of the whole scene.

The miniature Mills was preening for Henry's cell phone camera and ignoring the other baby. Neal, accustomed to constant fawning attention, was not happy about that. He was letting everyone know about it too, at the top of his lungs.

Ah, domestic bliss.

Ashley, with her own tiny human trailing behind her, approached Granny. She shot him a wary glance and pushed her daughter behind her. "Has Zelena still not shown up?" She looked a little concerned, and her blue eyes darted back over to him, looking for guilt he assumed. Alexandra wandered away to play with the other children, oblivious to their history.

"I'll make you a deal" Granny smirked at her former waitress. "If I see Greenie I'll send her your way and if you see Ruby you send her mine."

He almost choked on his tea. Ruby Lucas?

He was two hundred and some odd years old. He'd possessed the power to see the future. He was also one of the pillars of the gossip community. He was still caught off-guard. The Wicked Witch and the Big Bad Wolf: at least their colors were festive. He swallowed a chuckle. Well, things were going to be interesting.

The bell above the door clanged and Ashley breathed a sigh, "There they are!"

Oh yes, there they were. Zelena swept into the diner in an eye-popping sky blue sun dress. Her hair was a riot of curls and though she didn't know it, she looked very much like her mother. She went to her spawn and scooped her up. "There's Mummy's Little Girl!" She kissed her tiny clone on her copper-curled head. "Such a sticky little bean, you are!" Ruby was right at Zelena's elbow and was quick to wrap her arm around the woman and embrace her child. She was none too-subtly showing her new claim to the entire town. They were practically glowing with cheer and affection. Cora's first born was finally happy. Selfless good deed was a double check.

Regina and Emma came in next, and made a much less flamboyant entrance. Still, though, they were holding hands and that was more than enough to catch everyone's attention. David's coffee cup fell and shattered on the floor. Snow squealed (of joy?) almost shattered his ear drums. Several townsfolk started handing cash to Archie Hopper. Most people were staring with open mouths and wide eyes.

Everyone was in a tizzy. Reul Ghorm looked like she might faint or vomit, perhaps both. Either way, he hoped he got to watch. That interfering mosquito had deserved her comeuppance and more for years.

Regina and Emma weren't paying anyone else any attention. They focused on each other and their son. Emma was touching Regina, small lingering touches, and Regina allowed it. That told him everything he needed to know about their new status. Regina was smiling in a way that he hadn't allowed her to since her teens. She loved Emma Swan. He knew that because she looked at the Savior the same way he looked at Belle. Even the score with Regina, check.

Henry looked between his two mothers and then to him and back again. He started to smile and that smile was identical to Bae's smile. His grandson's happiness and judging by the bear hugs he'd given his mother he was ecstatic, made it all worth it.

Belle would figure out what happened, she was too smart not to. She would also know that he had, at the very least, helped make it possible.

He watched them all, the new and odd little family that had formed. They were so happy that it was a little sickening. He had helped them along to that happiness. He had struck may deals in his long years. He had bottled love, brewed death and created monsters. This, though, was different. It was without machinations or ulterior motives, for the most part. There was no plan or prophecy, no reason or rhyme to it. This was selfless, well mostly selfless. It was the first true charity he'd done in his entire life. He was pretty sure Bae would approve.

Rumpel watched Ruby spin Robbie around while Zelena watched them laughing. Regina and Emma were doting over Henry. This wasn't all his doing though. Magic could not create love. It couldn't force two people to mate. If they hadn't wanted to be together, they only had to hold out one day. The spell had only lasted from sunrise to sunset. They hadn't been able or willing to stay apart. The spell was not a guaranteed thing. It was a nudge in the right direction.

There was a price of course, and he had nothing to do with that. The ladies would reap what they had sown. Well, technically speaking, the submissive mate would bare what the dominant had sown.

With all the babies being born they would need a new school soon. He wondered how large a donation it would take to get his name on the building. The R.B. Gold Elementary School did have a certain ring to it. He chuckled and finished the very last of his now cold tea.

Hook staggered out of the restaurant, devastated. Emma, completely enraptured with Regina, hadn't even noticed he was there. It was like it was his birthday and Christmas all wrapped up in one pretty package.

Belle breezed by the Pirate and looked around, one eyebrow arched. She immediately came over to their regular booth, "You look rather proud of yourself." She sat across from him, but turned her head to watch the commotion. A small smile danced across her beautiful face. "And Ruby looks so happy." Her smile morphed to a frown for a second, "with Zelena." She did not sound very happy about that. It didn't take long for her to make the connections. "Rumpel" Now she was staring him right in the eye, "what did you do?" She wasn't angry, the little glimmer in her eye told him that.

"Me?" He smiled, "What makes you think I did anything?"

Belle looked over her shoulder again then shook her head and sighed. She looked a little curious and amused, "Oh Rumpel, what am I going to do with you?"

He smiled and tried to look affronted, but he had seen this coming. His wife could read him like one of her beloved books.

He smiled and sat back against the vinyl booth seat. Everything was, as always, going to plan. Operation Mate could be counted as a success with a little thanks to him. Magic or not, he always won in the end.