Epilogue: The Beginning of a New World

The next morning in the forest, Mr. Gold led the young brunette that he knew as Belle up a hill, his cane creating a soft thud with each step he took over the ground. He could not get over the fact that Regina lied about Belle and how she killed herself. Revenge was certainly the answer for such betrayal and where he and Belle headed would bring it about just the way he wanted. Halfway near their destination, he heard Belle say to him from behind, "Wait."

Even the gentleness in her voice as she made her request could not stop him at the fierce pace he was moving. "No, no, we're very close."

But what she said next stopped him dead in his tracks: "Rumplestiltskin, wait." Belle had addressed him by his real name – the name he carried from the other world. It only meant one thing, and Belle confirmed it as she told him, "I…I remember. I…I love you." She then embraced him warmly, and he returned the embrace with great joy. The curse had been lifted; but, unfortunately, it was not enough for him.

"And I love you, too." He told Belle. "But, hey, there'll be time for that."

"Yeah. There'll be plenty of time for a lot of things."

The voice spoke loud and clear, echoing throughout half of the forest. Rumplestiltskin and Belle looked to the speaker and found Jack Harkness standing beside the very well that Rumplestiltskin was taking Belle to. "Who is that man?" she asked her love.

"A friend." Rumplestiltskin answered before he and Belle moved closer to Jack and the well. They saw how the left side of Jack's shirt was bloodied from where he was shot, but Jack appeared to be in no pain whatsoever. "Mr. Harkness, you appear to have recovered well from your wounds."

Jack grinned. "Apparently I have." He then gestured to Belle and asked, "Who's the girl?"

Rumplestiltskin took Belle by the hand. "Her name is Belle."

"Ah, I see…from Beauty and the Beast, right?" Harkness chuckled. "So the curse is real, and it's been broken now."

"How did you get out all this way from the hospital, Mr. Harkness?" Rumplestiltskin questioned – almost suspiciously.

In answering him, Jack lifted the wrist that he wore his unique device on and pointed to it. "Vortex manipulator. Years from now, this baby will be the way of the future…and the past and the present. Of course, mine was deactivated, but it was reactivated when I woke up pain-free from the hospital. There's only one man I know who has the ability to reactivate a vortex manipulator…"

"The Doctor." Rumplestiltskin uttered the name to the surprise of Jack. "Yes, I know of him, and it's not from any stories I've read or heard. I've met him and seen what he's capable of doing. I've wanted that 'ability' of his, Mr. Harkness; but, like yourself, I haven't been fortunate enough to keep track of him…until he came to Storybrooke."

"You've seen him in Storybrooke?" Jack asked, still taken aback by this information.

"I certainly have, Mr. Harkness." Rumplestiltskin confirmed. "And if he's still there as we speak, I know he certainly won't want to miss what's in store next." He then reached into his jacket, a gesture that alarmed Jack to the point where he removed his revolver from his holster and aimed it at Rumplestiltskin, who froze and said, "At east, Captain. It's not a weapon." He then revealed the item he was retrieving: a small vial filled with glowing light purple liquid.

Rumplestiltskin brought the bottle over to the well near Jack; noticing it for the first time, Belle had asked him, "What's this?"

"This is a very special place, Belle." Rumplestiltskin pointed to the well with his cane and indicated its function. "The waters that run below are said to have the power to return that which one has lost." He then commenced in stepping up to the well and dropping the entire vial into it.

Jack and Belle watched him as he had performed the action and waited along with him in anticipation for something to happen. Soon there was a whooshing sound and a gust of wind blew out from the well and past Jack, Belle, and Rumplestiltskin. They then stepped away from it as a pinkish purple mist seeped out from the well and billowed across the entire forest, brushing across the feet of the three people that stand over it.

"What the hell have you done?" Jack asked Rumplestiltskin.

"We're in a land without magic, Captain Harkness…I'm bringing it back." Rumplestiltskin said. "Magic is coming!"

Belle was confused over his reasoning for this plot. "Why?"

"Because magic is power!" Rumplestiltskin exclaimed.

The look of greed that overwhelmed the face of Rumplestiltskin made Jack believe that his intentions for bringing back "magic" to Storybrooke were anything but good. Belle even looked terrified herself, which was enough proof of how wicked this plot was to Jack. But there was nothing the immortal captain could have done about it with just a revolver and a vortex manipulator. As he watched the mist billow its way towards the town of Storybrooke, Jack Harkness hoped that the Doctor was still there, because he was the only one who could do anything about it.

Unfortunately, the Doctor is not in right now.

END OF BOOK ONE