Chapter 56

"I don't know how long I'm staying," Lily admitted. "I'm… actually kind of surprised I'm still here. But right now, it just feels… right."

Emma smiled. "I can kind of relate," she said. "I only came here when the kid I'd given up for adoption ten years earlier turned up at my door on my twenty-eighth birthday and told me my family needed me. I admit," she went on, "I had no clue what he was talking about, but I couldn't just send a fifth-grader out on the streets of Boston in the middle of the night, and somehow, I ended up driving him back here." She exhaled. "Next thing I knew, I was the sheriff and... Here I am."

"Hang on," Lily laughed incredulously. "You had a kid at seventeen? You?"

"Yeah," Emma nodded, still smiling. "But I gave birth in juvie and I didn't see myself being any kind of a mother, so—"

"Wow." Lily let out a low whistle. "It's like there's this whole other side of you I never suspected. What were you in for? And if you tell me 'littering,' I'm really going to be disappointed."

"Accessory after the fact, possession of stolen property—"

"Well, you were a pretty lousy thief."

Emma laughed. Her phone beeped then and she pulled it out and frowned. "I have to go."

"Was it something I said?"

Emma shook her head. "No. My dad just texted me from the sheriff station. Someone dialled 911. They hung up right away, but I still have to check it out. Catch up more tomorrow?"

Lily grinned. "Sure."

It had been decades since Belle had seen the face now leering outside the window, but she'd never forgotten it.

The Black Fairy hadn't aged a day since then. Her smile was merry, and her eyes gleamed. She had a beautiful face, but it was cold and predatory—almost feral.

Almost instinctively, Belle jerked the cord sending the shade crashing down to the windowsill. "Astrid! Roland, get out now!" she snapped, whirling back to them—and discovering that the Black Fairy had just materialized in the room.

"Oh, by all means," the fairy said warmly, turning to look behind her at the two huddled on the bed. "Take a moment to fasten your coats if you like; I've no interest in you." She stalked toward the cradle with grim purpose. "She's the object of my visit."

"No!" Belle gasped, interposing herself directly in the Black Fairy's path. "No, if you want her, you'll have to take me, too!"

The fairy's laugh tinkled like splintering glass, as her left hand began to glow with a purple nimbus. "Well, that was always the plan…"

Emma called her father on her way down the stairs. "Any further details?" she asked, all business. In a bigger place, the call would have been routed through a dispatch center, but in Storybrooke, it came directly to the sheriff station—and, if they didn't pick up quickly enough, the hospital.

"Call was made from a cell phone," her father said. "Looks like it's too new to be in the system; I'm still trying to find out who might have got one recently. Meanwhile we have a GPS lock on the signal; it's coming from the motel. How close are you—?"

"Close? I'm there!" Emma exclaimed. "I mean, here. You're telling me that the call's coming from—Hang on." Something on the landing caught her eye and she realized it was a cell phone. As she stooped to pick it up, she heard a scream from the floor above. There was no time to waste. "I'll call you back!" she snapped, ending the call and racing back up the stairs she'd just descended.

Moments earlier…

Astrid's thoughts were going a mile a minute. She had to protect the children. Belle needed help. And she didn't have her wand or her magic or…

Roland whimpered and she scooped him up quickly. She could stay and help Belle—how, exactly? She could try to protect Lyncoln. Again, how? She was no match for the Black Fairy. Neither was Belle, but…

If you don't get Roland out of her now, she might change her mind and take him too! And kill you, she thought to herself. But Belle… Lyncoln…

Astrid sucked in a trembling breath. And then, she grabbed Roland and ran out of the motel room. Roland whimpered against her shoulder. "Wh-what about Lyncoln?" Astrid nodded.

"I know," she whispered. She couldn't save everyone. She could only cut and run—Wait. Wait one minute… There was something she could do. She had to get Roland to safety, but she also had to summon help. She didn't know who to call first—the savior, the fairies, Robin, Regina… Zelena, even? But while she was explaining what was going on, the Black Fairy would be doing whatever she meant to do. Unless…

"Emergency services have to reply to a 911 call," she whispered. "Even if they don't know why. Even if the caller hangs up. The police, the fire department and the EMTs have to come." The last two wouldn't be of much use, but the police… The police meant either the savior or the prince. Hopefully the savior, but, Astrid admitted to herself, even the prince would do more good than she could. She steeled herself, unwilling to abandon her friend and one of her charges but knowing that what she was planning would actually give them their best chance.

She punched in 911, waited to hear the interactive voice recording ask her to state the specific emergency service she required, and replied clearly, "Police." She didn't wait to be connected; she just dropped the phone—the one she'd just gotten two days earlier to replace the one she'd lost in the library apartment—on the carpeted landing. She'd never had a phone at the convent, and she'd waited weeks before getting her first. Now she'd gone through two in less than a week. But, she realized, leaving the phone behind still might not be enough.

"Roland," she said, tightening her grip on the trembling child and taking the stairs as slowly as she dared, "I need you to be brave. Braver than you've ever been. I have to get to Regina's house now and tell her what just happened."

"But Zelena lives with her!" Roland whispered.

"I know. But Zelena is Lyncoln's mother and she and Regina can translocate. If I knew either of their phone numbers, I would've called one of them instead, but I don't. I have to drive there and tell them in person. And then," she took another breath, "I'm going to the convent to tell the other fairies. Maybe they'll have some ideas. At any rate, you'll be safe there until your father comes."

Roland burrowed into her shoulder, still trembling, but he gave the slightest of nods. "…kay," he mumbled.

There was nobody at the front desk; the clerk had stepped away and a sign shaped like a peaked roof announced that they'd be back in fifteen minutes. Astrid sighed. She'd had a wild hope as she'd descended that last flight that the clerk could make the call to the mayor's house instead. "It's scary being brave, isn't it?" she murmured, as she pushed open the door to the motel with her hip. "But Belle and Lyncoln are counting on us, so I guess we'll have to be."

"Why are you doing this?" Belle demanded, falling almost automatically into a fighting stance. "Why come here?"

The Black Fairy smiled. And then, with a wave of her hand, she froze Belle in her tracks. "I'm sure we'll have plenty of time for catching up later," she said. "But just because I abandoned my son doesn't mean I don't love him." She circled Belle speculatively. "I think I see why you attracted him. Yes, I believe I do understand why he chose you."

She stood nose to nose with Belle, once more, all business. "I was planning to visit in… Oh, about six months' time, but since the wee one came early…" Her eyes hardened, though her voice remained as conversational as it had been to this point. "The witch caged my child. It seems fitting that I do the same to hers." She giggled at the look of sheer fury on Belle's face. "Oh, dear. You don't like the sound of that, do you? You know, at first, I was really rather put out by the effect you had on Rumple. I suppose some of it was the usual: no mother ever thinks her daughter-in-law is quite good enough—or should that be 'bad enough' in this case?" she added with another tinkling laugh, "…for her son. No, but really, I had a plan and it was going well," a chill slipped into her voice, "until you came along and turned him from my path."

Belle couldn't move her lips, but her baleful gaze spoke volumes.

"Oh, I'm not bitter about it, dear!" the fairy assured her. "I mean, I was annoyed, at first, but then I realized that even if my son was no longer on the road I'd planned for him, why you were travelling down it yourself. Yes, with the right incentive," she chucked Belle under her chin, "I do think you'll suit admirably. And if not?" Her gaze flicked toward Belle's abdomen as the librarian's eyes widened in dawning horror. "The child you're carrying should prove all the more malleable…"

She giggled again, as she reached into the pocket of her gown. "Now, let me see. While I do prefer Dark Fairy Dust, there are times when the," she coughed, "pinker variety is called for. Now please," she continued, beaming, "don't go running off anywhere. This always takes me a moment to activate and then we can be on our way. Shan't keep you here long. But as for where we're headed—"

And then a new voice commanded in a ringing voice, "Back away from her NOW!"

Emma had no idea who the woman in black was, but it didn't take a genius to figure out that Storybrooke had just obtained another villain. The woman—were those wings coming out of her back, or just some weird feathered cape—had Belle immobilized and was moving toward the cradle while she monologued. Yeah, Emma was calling villain on this one. "Stand down," she said, readying a globe of Light magic, since she really didn't expect compliance.

Sure enough, the woman smirked. "I thought you'd never get here, Savior," she said cordially. "I was starting to think that I was going to have to hunt up a quill and parchment to leave a message instead. But, since you've finally arrived…" A wreath of black smoke suddenly swirled about Emma's ankles. The woman drew back her hand, as though reeling in a lasso, and the smoke contracted, jerking Emma off her feet. Caught off guard, she fell heavily to the ground, her own globe dissipating as she did. Two more wreaths of smoke wrapped around her wrists, pinning her arms to the motel floor.

"There!" the fairy nodded, satisfied. "I think I have your attention. Now, I suppose you have some sort of defiance you'd like to grit out through clenched teeth and one day, at our final meeting, I'll be delighted to hear it. But right now, my time draws short and I need you to listen. So." She held her hand palm flat before her face as though she were blowing a kiss. A wisp of smoke drifted over with deceptive speed to flatten on Emma's lips, effectively gagging her. "You may inform my son that I've taken his wife for safekeeping. If he wants her, he'll know where he must seek." As she spoke, she reached into a small pouch that had been secreted somewhere in the folds and feathers of her gown and extracted a pinch of something that glowed pink. "There we go!" she said triumphantly, flicking the dust in Belle's direction.

For a moment, nothing happened. Then, Belle began to shrink! She cried out, her voice rising in pitch as the rest of her sank lower and lower, until she stood no more than five inches high. With a giggle, the fairy stooped down and grabbed Belle by the waist, and lifted her up, dangling the young woman before her eyes. "Much better," she said. "Even more portable than my usual acquisitions." An empty lantern materialized in her other hand and she tilted it on its side, shaking it until its door opened. Then she thrust Belle inside and shut it once more, trapping her inside. "Speaking of which…" she added, taking a step to the cradle and scooping up its occupant.

"Oh!" she added, beaming at Emma once more. "You can tell Rumple I'll probably release her in nine months' time. You see," she continued pleasantly, "I recently acquired a contract that comes due then, and while I know my son is quite adept at finding loopholes, well, possession is nine tenths of the law." She studied Emma quizzically for a moment. "Oh," she shook her head. "You don't understand." Her eyes narrowed. "Though I think you might be starting to put it together. Sadly, I've not the leisure to instruct you. I've tarried as long as I can and already, I can feel the pull of home. So." She gave a helpless shrug and an almost girlish smile. "Until our next meeting?"

With that, and another giggle, the fairy turned and leaped nimbly out of the window that Emma could have sworn had been closed when she'd come in. The smoke that had held the sheriff captive vanished at once, but though Emma raced immediately to the window, only an empty street and a starry sky greeted her horrified gaze. Still, she scanned the scene desperately, looking for some trace or clue, until she felt hairs prickling on the back of her neck to tell her that she wasn't alone.

And then, two voices spoke almost simultaneously, both taut with thinly-controlled apprehension.

"Emma?"

"Lyncoln?"

Regina rushed to see to Emma while Zelena uttered a short cry and hastened to the empty cradle. By the time Emma had finished explaining what had just happened, Merryweather and several of her associates—Astrid among them—had arrived on the scene.

"The Black Fairy," Merryweather choked. "That's… Oh my. Even Blue was barely able to defeat her that one time."

"She has my child?" Zelena demanded.

Merryweather looked at Astrid. The younger woman nodded. "It was her," she said. "I mean, I've never seen her before, but I know."

"There is a miasma of Darkness in the atmosphere," Regina said slowly. "Powerful Darkness."

"She has Belle, too," Emma said.

"And from what you told us just now," Regina said, "it sounds like she wants us to come after her. Which means that Belle probably isn't who she truly wants; she—and maybe even Lyncoln—are just… means to an end."

Zelena moved away from the cradle, her eyes blazing. "Well, it seems like Rumple knows something about it!" she snapped. "This… Black Fairy said she's planning to let Belle go in nine months. She didn't say a word about my baby! They're working together!"

"I don't think so," Emma said.

"You've spent too much time looking for the good in him! You don't think so?" Zelena's lip curled bitterly. "You don't know nearly as much as you think you do."

"I know the significance of nine months!" Emma shot back. "If Belle's pregnant, then maybe the Black Fairy isn't really interested in her or Gold. Maybe she just wants the baby."

Zelena's eyes widened. "If," she stressed, though in a bit more of a subdued voice. "If."

Regina heaved a sigh. "Well. It's speculation, but it's definitely possible. In any case, while we don't know whether Belle is currently carrying a child, there's a good chance that Rumple does. And," she shook her head and steeled herself for what was certain to lie ahead, "we'll ask him about it when we give him the bad news about his wife. We'd… better head over there now."

Rumple was not accustomed to receiving late-night visitors unannounced. (Henry and his friends had been an exception, and the hour hadn't been nearly as late as it was now.) He was less than pleased to find the grim-faced group crowding on his doorstep. "Surely whatever it is can wait until I open the shop in the morning?" he snapped.

Regina shook her head. "I don't think so," she replied, but her voice was absent its usual stridency. In fact, there was a note there that he found hard to place for a moment, before he realized that it was... compassion? Something was wrong, really wrong, and he didn't want to know what.

His eyes flew from one member of the group to another. When his gaze fell on Zelena, his frown deepened. "I suppose you've changed your mind and you'd like her heart returned, after all," he snapped bitterly.

"That could have waited," Regina said calmly, and Rumple noted that she was pointedly avoiding eye contact with her sister. Then he realized that clustered in behind the usual supplicants were several fairies. Including Merryweather, Flora, and…

"Astrid?" His hands felt like blocks of ice as he realized what her presence here—without Belle—likely portended. "Has..." he swallowed hard, "I-is Belle…?"

Emma came forward and put her hand on his shoulder. "The Black Fairy…" she started to say.

That was all Rumple heard before his heart dropped to the pit of his stomach and his knees buckled as the walls of the vestibule and the crowd in his doorway seemed to whirl and fly apart and collapse in upon him.

"How much longer is he going to be crying on their shoulders in there?" Zelena demanded some ten minutes later. She was pacing the living room restlessly, while most of the others had either settled themselves on the sofa and chairs, or stood leaning against the walls.

Emma and Flora weren't among them. After Rumple's near-collapse, they'd half-led, half-steered him toward the kitchen, murmuring to the others that they'd better make themselves comfortable. A direction far easier uttered than accomplished.

"As long as he needs to," Regina replied quietly.

"And meanwhile, my daughter and his wife are—"

"—In another realm," Regina finished. "I know. We'll find them. Meanwhile, I don't think another hour is going to change things one way or another. We'll… need to pay a call on Tiny and impress on him the need to part with a bean, and—"

"It won't work," Merryweather interrupted.

"What?"

"It won't work. When the Black Fairy was banished to the Dark Realm, we… took steps to minimize the possibility that anyone else from our order might seek her out. She can—as you've learned—leave that realm for brief periods, either of her own accord, or in response to a summoning incantation, but it's not long before her tether returns her to it. We knew that a time might come when we would need to summon her to inquiry, but it was to be on our terms and our home ground. For someone to seek her out on hers… well!" Merryweather huffed. "Such a one would likely end as either her minion or her slave—not that there's much difference with that one. At any rate in the year of the Black Fairy's exile, Blue spoke with the giant Armond and, with his permission, placed an enchantment on all the beans sown that year, so that their power could open no portal to a Land of Utter Darkness. This enchantment was passed on through each successive crop."

For a moment, nobody spoke. They only looked at one another as Merryweather's words sank in.

And then a throat cleared and they turned as one toward the kitchen door. Rumple still looked shaken, but his head was up and his back was straight, as he said, "Well, as disappointing as that news might be, I suppose it's fortunate that there is someone currently residing in this town with an aptitude for creating portals. I'd suggest we repair there before the hour grows much later." So saying, he headed for the vestibule, not bothering to check if anyone was following, knowing that everyone would.

Emma was only a couple of steps behind him, so, as he took his wool coat from off its hanger, she was close enough to hear him mutter, "And let us pray he doesn't ply us with too much tea…"

Rumple maintained his façade of control as they made their way out the door. He'd graciously accepted Emma's offer to drive him, and it was with some relief that he saw that the others were heading for different vehicles.

He got into the bug, fastened his seatbelt, and waited for Emma to start the engine. Instead, she placed her hand over his, startling him. "We'll find them," she said tersely. "We'll get them back."

Rumple didn't trust himself to answer, but he did place his free hand over hers. And after a moment, she gave him a reassuring squeeze and withdrew her hand so that she could turn the key in the ignition.

"Uh… Gold? I don't want to, um, bring it up or anything, but something she said made me think… I mean, she pretty well implied it, but she didn't actually say… Is she…?"

He turned to glance at her, but her eyes were on the road ahead. "My mother?" he supplied. "Well. She gave birth to me. But she was less of a mother to me than Pan was a father." He kept his own eyes straight ahead, though his peripheral vision caught the quick glance Emma cast in his direction. "He did look after me for more than eight years, however begrudgingly."

Emma took one hand off the steering wheel and laid it gently on his wrist. "Are you going to be able to manage?"

Rumple swallowed. "She has Belle. I'll have to." He took a breath. "How much did you relate to the others about your encounter?"

Emma put her hand back on the steering wheel. "I told them what she said about letting Belle go in nine months. As far as the rest, I wanted to run it by you, first. I mean, contracts, possession nine tenths of the law, that's all… your area of expertise. And," she added, "I sort of thought maybe she was hoping I'd bring it up in front of everyone. I mean, if it's important, then I guess we need to know. But if it's just something she hoped would-would embarrass you or make you squirm… I figured maybe I should talk it over with you, before I told anyone else."

Rumple exhaled. "I do thank you for that," he said with some relief. "Unfortunately—particularly if your suspicions are true—then what she told you is quite relevant." He paused for a beat. "It also harks back to, well, not one of my finer moments."

Emma nodded. "I won't pry," she reassured him.

Rumple didn't reply for several minutes. But, as Emma pulled into a parking space several doors down from their destination, he swallowed hard, wiped his hands on his trousers, and said, "Long ago, before I became—or had even heard of—the Dark One, I entered into a deal. To save Bae's life, I agreed to surrender up my second-born child."

Emma's eyebrows shot up. "I… Neal never mentioned having any brothers or sisters."

"He didn't," Rumple said heavily. "I bargained away the life of a hypothetical child to save the life of a real one. I… thought I'd gotten out of that contract. But if your suspicions about Belle are correct…" Emma realized that his hands were trembling as his words tumbled out faster. "I-if that contract is still in effect… If she somehow obtained it…"

"Hey." Emma reached out and grabbed hold of his hand, squeezing it tightly. "Hey. There's a way out. There's always a way out. We just have to find it."

He squeezed back almost convulsively. And for a moment or two, they sat there, until they saw the door of her father's truck open and her mother approaching with a concerned expression.

Emma took a breath. "Guess we'd better head in. You ready?"

Rumple took another breath. "I'm not certain," he admitted. "But I think I might be able to pretend otherwise." He twisted his hand in her grip and she released it. "I'd appreciate it if what I've just related to you were to stay between us for now."

"I won't bring it up," Emma assured him. "But if someone asks… I'm not exactly a good liar."

Rumple nodded slowly. Then he affected a weary smile. "Well, then, let's just pray nobody does."

As the Apprentice heard them out, his frown deepened. Finally, he turned to Rumple. "I presume you've not forgotten one of the more… troublesome parameters of the Dark Realm," he said. "A matter of time?"

Rumple's expression grew bleaker. "I can't control what I can't control. And it wouldn't be my first attempt to cross realms armed with little more than the blind faith that what—that who I sought, would await me on the other side."

"Yes," the Apprentice rumbled. "But this realm was hardly shaped to the whims of its primary occupant. If you mean to take the fight to her, it's not going to be a level playing field."

"But you can send us there, correct?" Zelena demanded.

"I can," the Apprentice nodded. "But how do you intend to return? The portal will close once you've stepped through and, with time running according to the Black Fairy's dictates, I'm sure you can understand that I'll have no idea when to open a new one, or whether it will materialize anywhere near you."

"The knob!" Tony spoke up excitedly. "If it moves through space and it moves through time—"

"Then if we could somehow untether it from this realm, then it could cross over!" Tia exclaimed. "If you give it the right instructions, it'll take you when and where you want it to go!"

The Apprentice coughed. "There are two flaws in the theory," he said. "First, although we were speculating earlier about whether the existing spells could be modified to allow for travel between realms, it's still speculation. Second, there's still only one person in this realm who can actually use the knob."

"So?" Tony asked. "Look, I don't know as much about translocation and realm travel as you do, Uncle Bené, but it didn't look like making that change would be very complicated."

Tia nodded agreement. "It's such a tangle in there, that it might be a little tricky unraveling the one thread we need, but if we go in carefully, I think Tony's right."

"And as to the second point?" the Apprentice asked.

"I've been to London before," Tia said. "I know Paul, and I know where he lives. If I'd thought I might have to leave the country, I'd've brought my passport, but Uncle, you could open up a portal to Notting Hill for me, couldn't you?"

The Apprentice nodded slowly. "If necessary. Well. First things first. Let's see whether we can modify those spells."

"I'll help," Zelena said abruptly. "Time portals are kind of my thing."

"We'll all help," Regina said firmly. "Those of us who are able to, at any rate."

Snow and David looked at one another. "I… think someone just told us to have another cup of tea while we wait," David said dryly.

As the evening dragged on, Snow found her eyes flickering to the closed oak door that led to the Apprentice's workroom and wishing that she'd learned a bit of magic. Then she could be on the other side of those oaken planks helping, instead of staying out here and worrying.

Finally, nearly three hours later, the door opened and the Apprentice, flanked by Tony and Tia, emerged. Close behind, Rumple, Emma, Regina, Zelena, and the fairies followed.

"Well," Tony said, "the good news is that we can spell the knob for travel between realms easily enough. It'll be delicate work," he clarified, "working around all those… knots in the original spells, but Uncle Bené and I can take turns at it and it shouldn't take too long."

"The bad news," Emma said, "is that we can't get the knob to take us anywhere without the bed it came from and this Paul guy in England."

"Altering that part of the spell would take longer than I'm comfortable with," the Apprentice nodded. "While it's quite true that once the knob and bed are joined, you'll be able to travel backwards, say, to the point when the Black Fairy first arrived, the longer we delay that joining, the stronger the Black Fairy's power will grow. It's quite possible that she'll be able to launch her scheme while we're dithering about trying to remove one of the core spell parameters while leaving the others intact. I think a visit to London is in order."

"Are you sure that… Paul," David began, "is going to be willing to help?"

Regina sighed. "He has a price. One I've agreed to pay." At David's questioning look, she sighed again. "We called him a short while ago. He'll help us, but obviously, if the bed is to be able to return from the Black Fairy's realm, he'll need to come along with us so he can use the knob bring us back again when we're done."

"Which isn't the problem at all," Merryweather smiled. "Except that an arthritic gentleman of eighty years or so isn't going to be much help while you lot are actually in that place."

"So, he's stated that if we want his assistance, then we'll need to make him younger," Regina nodded. "And he's asked that the spell last as long as he chooses."

"We were able to persuade him to compromise," Rumple added. "The spell will restore his youth, but it won't preserve it. He'll age at the normal rate, unless he asks for the spell to be lifted." He snorted. "I rather doubt he'll choose to, but the option's open."

"So…" Snow said, letting her voice trail off.

The Apprentice smiled. "We've created a template, a… map, if you would, of the enchantments surrounding the knob. While Tia, Emma, and Rumpelstiltskin travel to London, the rest of us will set to fashioning a realm-crossing spell that will prove compatible with those already extant."

"Once we connect with Paul," Tia continued, "one of us will call here and ask you to email your notes to us. Then Paul will ask the bed to take us back to Storybrooke at the exact moment we left."

"It's not quite as elegant as a time-turner," Emma smiled, "but it does mean that the work everyone's doing here won't get… um… undone when we get back from England."

"I think we'll actually end up a few hours ahead," Tony nodded.

A faint approving smile came to David's face. "So… when do you leave?"

The Apprentice gestured to a point behind the prince and he and his wife turned to see that a free-standing wooden door had materialized several yards behind him. "Right now, if they're ready."

Tia, Rumple, and Emma looked at each other. "I think we are," Rumple said briskly.

"This shouldn't take long," Emma smiled.

"No," Tia agreed. "We'll be back—literally—before you know it."

Goodbyes were quickly made. Then Tia opened the door, revealing a commercial street beyond.

"Don't worry," the Apprentice said. "The spell will deposit you somewhere… discreet."

The others nodded. Then they stepped through. The door vanished behind them.

"Come along," the Apprentice ordered. "We've work to do."

Epilogue

Portobello Road, West London

They materialized in an alley, the mouth of which was blocked by a large delivery van. As they took a few hesitant steps forward, it drove off and the three found themselves facing a long line of shops. The sky was still dark. "I thought England was five hours ahead," Emma said in surprise. "What time does the sun come up around here?"

"At this time of year, a little before seven," Tia said. "It's only almost five, now."

"You're sure we won't wake him up?" Emma asked.

"We already did," Tia smiled. "About an hour ago. Come on; he's waiting."

The three moved off quickly, Rumple several steps behind. He swallowed hard. Not even six hours ago, he'd been having a quiet evening at home, waiting for his wife to return. And now, Belle was trapped in another realm—a prisoner of his mother. There was ample reason to believe that Belle was with child—his child—and his mother meant to bind it to her purpose. Now, he was in a strange country where he knew nobody, save the two women ahead of him—and Tia just barely. He had little magic and, while he now had a plan for reaching the Dark Realm, he had less idea of how to contend against his mother than he'd ever had his father.

The odds of success, he reflected miserably, were small indeed.

Emma glanced over her shoulder then and stopped. "Sorry," she said. "I didn't realize we were moving too fast."

Rumple shook his head, even as he drew closer. They really didn't need to slow down on his account. "Hey," Emma said, placing her hand on his arm as he reached them. "It's going to be all right. We're going to find them."

It was exactly what she'd told him on another quest they'd embarked on together. That time, they had been seeking his son. And now, she was with him once more and they were seeking his wife. "I know," he said quietly. And in that moment, he did know.

The odds of success might be small, but with a savior in the mix, they were quite a bit greater than he'd initially calculated. They would find Belle and save his child, nno matter the obstacles his mother might fling in their path. And whatever the price might be…

…He was ready to pay it.

To Be Continued!