Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Alternate Canon - departs from Canon before Skin Deep.
Pairing/s: Belle/Rumplestiltskin|Mr. Gold, Mary Margaret/David Nolan, Ashley/Sean, Snow White/Prince James
Characters: Rumplestiltskin|Mr. Gold, Emma Swan, Henry Mills, Regina Mills, Belle|Anabelle French, Mary Margaret Blanchard etc.

This story is of two parts, the narratives of each separately consecutive, they can be read as two separate parts or as one odd whole. Up to you. Every even chapter takes place in the Enchanted Forest slash FairyTale World, every odd one in Storybrooke.

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The thing is, despite the fact that Henry knows who a lot of people really are, the theory keeps throwing up walls. Like, huge scary walls that he can't get around or see over. He has to bury under them and that takes forever so he generally just walks away from the walls. He'll work out everything once the curse is broken, and he'll know everyone for who they are.

One wall, though, one wall bothers him. It's, like, the tallest of them all and he can't even go near it let alone try bugging it until it lets up a bit. It's the wall around Mr Gold. He really is stuck on that one. Not. A. Clue.

He knows for darn sure that the others weren't so hard. He knew that Miss Blanchard was Snow White when he read the first story in the book.

The book!

But he's checked the book, like, a million times and he can't work out who Mr Gold is! It is so annoying and Emma won't help especially when it comes to Mr Gold because everyone's scared of him, but Emma's just angry at him and doesn't like him. Henry isn't really sure why Emma isn't scared, he thinks it might have something to do with the curse, 'cause she's not scared of the Evil Queen either, but he thinks it's mostly because his mom's so totally kick-butt.

Henry really wants to find out who Mr Gold is. He has this gut feeling - Miss Blanchard was calling it Instinct - that it must be really important.

So it's the weekend and he's cycling to the Pawn Shop. He has no idea what 'pawn shop' means but Mr Gold sells some pretty neat stuff for a heck of a price. He has some money though, and it's Valentine's Day soon.

The bell above the door chimes only once when he creeps in and the shop is still so dark and all of a sudden he isn't feeling too good about this. Turns on his heel-

'Henry? What are you doing here?' The weird accent sounds faintly surprised.

Too late, he turns back 'round and shrugs in a way that he really hopes is laid back and innocent because he is totally scared now. But he's ten, not stupid so he fixes Mr Gold with a look and walks forward. 'It's a shop, isn't it? Maybe I wanna buy something.'

'I would have thought all this,' Mr Gold gestures grandly to the stuff around the room, 'held little interest to you, certainly a little out of your price range, hmm? Mayor's son or not.'

Ugh, it isn't his fault that the Mayor adopted him but anyways. 'Anyways I'm here for two reasons-' Mr Gold laughed and stepped around the counter, cane first.

'And what might those be?' And Mr Gold's eyes are the weirdest thing since Spongebob switched to tuesdays. They're, like, flashing and it's scary but he files it away for future reference (whatever that means).

'Uh huh. The first is I wanna - wanna buy a gift for - someone, and the second is that I want your help.' And he is never saying that again, ever, it felt bad. Like bad things always happen to people who ask Mr Gold for help.

'Well,' Mr Gold leant against the countertop and smiled. 'The first of those should be easy, there are possible gifts aplenty in this shop, but the second depends on what it is you want help with,' the eyes narrowed on Henry, 'and why on earth you would ask it of me.'

Alrighty then. 'Alrighty then,' Henry says with a tad more bravery in his voice than in his nerves, 'I'm sure by now you'll have heard of my theory?'

Mr Gold is looking blankly at him.

Henry sighs and takes a breath: 'About the Evil Qu-'

'Ah, you mean your belief that the citizens of this town are all fairytale characters transported by an evil curse? Yes, I had heard some speak of it. So, what of Henry's Theorem?'

'Yeah, so I'm having trouble working out who you are.'

The shop owner and town terroriser shifts and Henry watches as he moves over to a display to the left of him. 'Who I am?' Mr Gold says as he picks up a crystal swan from a shelf. 'Who I am, well I'm not sure.' He moves to the counter and lets the swan dangle from his hand on its string. 'How about this for your gift for - ah, someone?'

Henry goes to the counter and leans on it to better see the trinket. 'Yeah, I guess, that's pretty cool but back to the problem-'

'May I inquire as to who this someone is?'

'It's for a girl, it's Valentines day soon you know, but anyway back to who you are!' Henry is getting annoyed now, Mr Gold isn't helping him, he'd of thought that Mr Gold would know who he was at least.

'Yes, yes, who am I. It's a pretty existential question isn't it?' And what the heck does existentshul mean? What? 'I don't know Henry, who are you in this theory of yours?'

'Me? I'm not in the book but my mom's the daughter of Snow White and Prince Charming so I guess I'm some kind of royalty-'

Mr Gold smiles and bows his head in some kind of mean way and Henry knows he's being made fun of.

'Hey, I get it if you don't believe me but I just thought that someone like you might know who you are better than the others.'

And that sent something whirring in Mr Gold's mind, Henry could practically see the shift in his eyes but the man keeps his voice airy and light as if nothing matters in the world to him when he says. 'The others? Does anyone know who they are in this town?'

'Well I've told Miss Blanchard that she's Snow White and that David's her Charming but I don't think they believe me. I'm pretty sure that the Evil Queen knows though, oh and I told Archie that he's Jiminy Cricket.'

He can see Mr Gold thinking and it is a scary thing but then Mr Gold smiles and sets the swan down before pushing it towards Henry gently. 'Well, little princeling, how about you and I strike up a deal? You may have this little trinket, and give it to you valentine, free of charge; so long as you are able to come to me, within a fortnight, with whoever I am clear in your mind. Can you do that?'

Of course he could do that, if he tried, and he will try. It isn't like it's impossible and maybe Mr Gold would make a mistake and show his true colours, or the Mayor would say something weird and let it slip.

'I can do that,' he says. 'I'm sure of it.' and Mr Gold hold out a hand.

'Then, little princeling, all you have to do is shake my hand and the deal is struck.'

Henry smiles and shakes Mr Gold's hand. Then he gets handed the swan all pretty and wrapped up and in a bag so he can hide it from Regina.

He pauses by the door. 'Oh, and, uhm, Mr Gold?'

The man looks up from the card he's writing on. 'Yes, Henry?'

'How much is the swan?'

Again he's being laughed at by Mr Gold but this time he giggles too.

'Just one hundred dollars, little prince, not too pricey.'

Henry actually feels his jaw drop and his eyes bug out of his head. $100. Crappity crap!

' A hundred dollars! You gotta be kidding?'

Mr Gold simply lifts his shoulders and smiles. 'It's crystal. Now goodbye Henry, it doesn't do to leave either of your mothers waiting.'

'Bu-'

'The deal is struck, Henry. You aren't one to renege, ah, back out are you?'

Henry turns around and walks out of the shop. $100. One. Hundred. Dollars. And he wonders what renege actually means.

But hey he has something new to add to Mr Gold'd list:

Is scary
Is rich
Scares the Evil Queen
Is shifty
MAKES DEALS

Emma welcomes Henry back to the station with open arms but warns him that 'Regina - your Mom - is looking for you and if she sees you with me it won't be good, kid, strictly speaking I'm not allowed to see you without her permission anymore, remember?'

But he wants to tell her about Mr Gold.

'Not now, kid, maybe later. Now go home, Henry.'

'Okay, 'bye Emma!' Then he thinks. 'Hey Emma, what does existential mean? And what's a fortnight?'

'Ah, existential means, uhm, to do with existence I guess, an existential question is deep and meaningful. And a fortnight means two weeks kiddo, why? What's up?'

'Nothing, 'bye!'

Emma smiles at him softly and ruffles his hair. ''Bye Kid.' And then she turns back to her phone call.

He leaves the swan on her desk, with a little scribbled note on a scrap of paper from the trash bin.

Love you Emma,
Henry

So he was lying about it being for a valentine but hey, Emma probably won't moan if he says he has to return it. Which he won't because Mr Gold likes to make deals, and that narrows the search loads.

A/N So that happened. And so it begins.

Chapter Text

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Once upon a time in a land you may have heard of had you listened to the fairy tales your parents read to you, or the wild stories of the quiet child in your class who has wished upon wishes to be a prince and to save the princess, there was a war. And of course as far as beginnings go such a one is neither particularly original nor exciting it remains, nonetheless, true.

A war waged here between men and monsters, between mortals and ogres, and it was not going very well for the side of the men. True and pure the men were dying, they were losing and failing, unable to protect the children they sent to the front or the wives they hid in their homes.

The lord was tired and worried, he had called his last resort for help and offered all the riches he owned but to no avail. His final plea had fallen to the wind and upon deaf ears. The Dark One was not coming.

'He could be on his way right now, papa.' The lord's daughter seized his hand and pulled, he looked into her earnest eyes and saw what he had lost, a flicker of hope.

'It's too late, my girl,' he said. 'It's just - too late.'

But the lord was incorrect for at the utterance of his sentences final word, the mighty oak doors of the room, barred from the inside so as to be entirely unyielding, shook with the force of two blows. A madman's horrendous knock.

The Lady, his daughter, looked up and scrambled to her feet. 'It's him,' she cried. 'It has to be him.'

The lord walked with his dear daughter to stand before the doors. 'How could he get past the walls.' He waved a hand at the guards. 'Open it.'

But, as is the way, there was nothing and no-one there. The corridor, marred by boarded up windows and crumbling stone was marked by its emptiness. The lord creased his brow when a voice from behind them spoke: 'Well, that was a bit of a letdown.' And he knew, ah, he knew that the monster he had called had come for them.

The lord and his subjects turned on the beast and found a man, thin, lithe and leather-clad, sitting proud and at home upon the throne.

The creature branded it's hands. 'You sent me a message,' it said. 'Something about 'Help! Help! We're dying, can you save us?' and from the corner of his eye the lord saw his knight draw a sword.

The intruder appeared not to notice, instead it continued to turn the model castle around in its scaled hands. It stood and smiled, batting the sword that was leveled at it away with a flick of the wrist and a simple sentence: 'And now the answer is yes. I can.'

Quick as a flash the creature threw the castle and began to circle the men. 'Yes,' it continued, in tones that the lord knew brooked trouble for all, 'I can protect your little town.' It reached him and his daughter and lowered its voice. 'For a price.'

The lord stood tall and approached the being, 'We sent you a promise of gold,' he said for he had. All the gold that was left in the land he owned he had offered to the sorcerer as recompense, gold, he had found, did not win wars by its own merit.

Now the being he had summoned smiled again, an evil, twisted little thing that was nothing of anything a smile should be. It laughed at the lord and told him, 'Ah, now you see, I - ah - make gold.' And it crossed closer to him. 'Want I want,' it said quietly. 'Is her.' It pointed past the lord to his daughter.

Instantly the knight who had drawn the sword at the intruder threw out a protective arm, pushing the lady to the side and behind him.

'No,' breathed the lord and the knight, Gaston, said: 'The young lady is engaged, to me.'

The creature laughed once again, a demoniacal chortle that echoed its dark plans around the walls. It wandered away, turning its back on the lord and his people. 'I wasn't asking if she was engaged,' it said happily. 'I'm not looking for love.' It turned on them again and smiled, 'I'm looking for a caretaker, for my rather large estate.'

The lord shook his head and the beast smirked further. 'It's her,' it cooed. 'Or no deal.' and it struck a hand through the air in a straight line.

The lord was enraged. 'Get out,' he threatened. 'Leave.' He pointed to the door and the creature made towards it with a muttered 'As you wish.'

But there was one in that room on that blood red evening that saw what the creature offered, with no veil of prejudice or any rose tinted glasses, and with no thought for her own safety the lady moved against her fiances arm. 'No,' she told the creature. 'Wait,' and she walked to stand before it. 'I will go with him.'

In fury Gaston shouted: 'I forbid it!' while the lord murmured a quiet 'No.'

Belle turned on the people she had shared this dank room with, a glint of something dangerous in her eyes. 'Nobody decides my fate but me.' She turned once more to face the man she had come to know her father call the Dark One and nodded. 'I shall go.'

The Dark One smirked at her, lazily, as if for it, deals like this, bartering with lives, happened every day; and told her simply, like it cared for her choices, that 'It's forever, dearie.'

Belle looked at the being through her eyelashes, assessing the situation she found herself in. 'My family, my friends... they will all live?'

The creature bowed with a flourish, 'You have my word.'

Belle tilted her head. 'Then you have mine. I will go with you, forever.'

With an unearthly laugh the creature hopped and clapped. 'Deal,' it cried happily while her father rushed to her side.

'Belle,' said her papa, 'Belle. You cannot do this. You cannot go with this - beast.'

Now the maiden Belle was not weak-willed nor powerless and she knew that it was wrong to judge a book, however tattered and torn, by its cover. She did not think that a beast would even offer to help them, regardless of price.

'Father,' she sighed. 'Gaston. It's been decided.' She felt the creature draw nearer and she looked at it over her shoulder.

'You know,' it said, conversationally. 'She's right. The deal is struck,' and it drew a line in the air again. 'Oh,' it cried, as if it had suddenly remembered something. 'Congratulations on your little war.' It slipped a hand around her waist and lightly pulled, turning her around to walk with him out of her castle, away from her papa. Away from her life.

Lightning cracked the sky as the creature took her hand and smiled. 'Here we go.' And the world dropped away in a haze of red smoke.

Chapter Text

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Henry hasn't actually seen Emma since the day he went to see Mr Gold ( that is, like, three years ago, because he's pretty sure he hasn't looked at anything but pages of the book since he was seven) and he really needs to talk to her but Regina won't let him talk to her without permission and he is so very not gonna go there. He doesn't want to ruin his chance of recruiting Mr Gold to the good side because man that would suck. The window grew a mouth at about nine last night and it smiles at him whenever he looks at it.

It, thankfully, is still not a school day so he gets to actually leave the house without supervision, (especially since the Queen left really early and left a note telling him to do his homework and only turn on the t.v. when he was done. He isn't really a t.v. person, you'd think she'd have worked it out by now.) which is why he is currently on his way down the street when he sees the the Queen on the sidewalk watching what looks like Mr Gold arguing with the florist. Or, more like, what is the florist yelling at Mr Gold who is walking towards the Mayor and oh crap they're gonna see him and he's gonna be grounded forever. Henry hides. And listens. But mostly hides.

He hears Regina's best mean voice saying, 'Mr. Gold. That was quite a show back there.'

And then he hears the accented voice of the guy he owes a hundred dollars to (no biggie) reply 'Well, Mr. French is just having a bad day – happens to the best of us.'

'I've been meaning to talk to you about something.' That could mean things for operation Cobra, he thinks and he strains his ears.

'Yeah. And the moment you have something I want to discuss, we'll have that little chat.'

If he were at all like his classmates, which he's not, he would be saying 'Burn' right now. 'No, we're going to do this now. It'll only take a moment.'

'Is there something eating you, dear? Something you need to get out in the open? Cause it's going to have to wait. Please.'

And Henry so needs to know how he does that. It's like a magic word because there is nothing more said by the Queen and he really wants to be able to do that. He could do what he wanted and see Emma anytime. All he'd have to do would be to say please.

Maybe that is what Mr Gold gets out of a deal with the Mayor. So whoever Mr Gold was in the Enchanted Forest, he must've made a deal with the Evil Queen! And Henry is so awesome, he runs home through some back streets and climbs up to get into his room before the Mayor even gets through the front door.

It was the in the final story, he thinks. The final story, the one with Emma in - that had Snow White and Prince Charming make a deal with someone who was locked up. He hadn't paid much attention to it at the time 'cause Regina is obviously the big bad but this could be so important. Almost there.

'Henry, come downstairs please.' And NO! He doesn't want to but the book will keep so he kicks off his shoes and runs down.

'Hey, Mom. Where d'you go this morning?' Healthy suspicion, he wonders if she'll lie.

'I had to speak to Mr Gold,' she says and hey, that's the truth point to Regina.

'Oh yeah? What'd he want?'

She fixes him with a curious glance but he just smiles. 'I wanted to speak with him, but he was busy. I'll talk to him sometime, anyway what homework do you have Henry?'

'Just some algebra.' He really hates algebra. 'And some spellings and stuff. What about you? Any Mayor homework?'

Regina laughs and ruffles his hair, like Emma does but it's not the same. 'Yes, dear. I'm going to have to go into the office for a while, will you be okay making yourself a sandwich if I'm not back by lunch?'

'Yep.'

'Okay. Don't leave the house, alright?'

'I won't! Bye, mom.'

'Goodbye, Henry.'

He hears the key click in the lock and to heck with being the locked up princess Henry waits a good five seconds before bolting to his room, pulling on his jacket and shoes, and shoving the book into his backpack.

Now, Henry is a superninja and has learned by experience how not to climb out of a window, so he does it carefully and slowly. He touches the grass lightly and runs.

Miss Blanchard looks at him like he has two heads or something whens he opens the door to her appartment.

'Hey, Miss Blanchard. Is Emma here?'

'No, Henry. She got a call at the station, she's over at Mr Gold's place why?'

Wait Mr Gold. Back up. 'Wait, what happened to Mr Gold?' Please don't be Regina, please don't be Regina.

'His neighbours saw his front door open and called to report it,' his teacher says. 'Hey, Henry, what's going on? You seems a little anxious.'

Henry shakes his head, 'Nothing,' he tells her. Which is a lie, he doesn't like lying very much. 'I just wondered - oh and I wanted to talk to Emma about Operation Cobra stuff.'

Miss Blanchard makes an understanding face and lets Henry further into her appartment. 'D'you want some tea? I just made some.'

Yeah, tea sounds nice right about now and hey, Miss Blanchard's the one that gave him the book, maybe she'll know about fairy characters that make deals and stuff. 'Thanks.'

He takes a seat at the nice table and gets out the book.

'So Henry,' says Miss Blanchard handing him a cup of tea and warning him that it'll be hot, because he's and idiot, clearly, not a ten year old but hey, he's used to being babied by now. Emma doesn't baby him. 'What's this about Operation Cobra?'

'You know what Cobra is, right?' he asks, because he can't remember.

She smiles, 'aside from being a snake, yes, Henry. I know what Operation Cobra is.'

'Cool, so - um - I was wondering if you knew of any of the fairytale people,' he waves at the book, 'Who are, like, really well known for making deals? Just 'cause I wanna know if I'm missing the obvious here.'

'Deals?'

'Yeah, deals that seem easy and look like you're getting the good part but turn out not so easy after all?' Because, yeah, if he doesn't find this out he has to pay $100, he wouldn't have made the deal had he known.

'That sounds kind of faustian, Henry, who have you been making deals with?' She sets aside her tea and gives him a teacher look that means 'I think you might have done something wrong, but I'm not gonna yell. Yet.'

He shrugs. 'What's fowstian? And who says I've made a deal with anyone?' Somehow he doesn't think that letting Miss Blanchard know about the deal is going to help him any, everyone's afraid of Mr Gold.

'Faust is - oh it doesn't matter, it's probably a bit inappropriate at your age. And Henry, you must've made some kind of deal, you're trying to work out who someone is in the book aren't you? So you can tell them who you think they are, like you did with me and David.'

Darn. 'Yes, I am trying to work out who someone is but I asked you because I've been working from the other side, I can't see it - what's the word?'

'Objectively?'

'Yeah, objectively. So please - are there any famous stories that have someone who makes deals in them. Like a 'there's never something for nothing' kind of character? Please, Miss Blanchard. I promise I'll stop bugging you.'

'I don't know Henry. The Brother's Grimm collected a fairy tale called 'Rumpelstiltzchen'. Have you ever heard of that? Isn't he in the book?'

Oh. Well then.

That settles it.

Henry is an idiot. How did he not see that? He does so not deserve to be the grandchild of Prince Charming and Snow White. 'Oh. My. God.' He scrambles the book back into his backpack and glugs down his tea. 'That's it! Miss Blanchard, that's it!' He runs to her side of the table and throws his arms around her. 'Thank you. Miss Blanchard, thank you!' He pauses and thinks. 'I've got to go!'

He walks straight into Emma on the way back down and she looks angry, like, way angry.

'Hey, Kid, what's your rush?'

'Emma! Are you okay? How's Mr Gold?'

'Did Mary Margaret tell you?'

'Yeah. It's okay, though, I won't tell anyone else.' he says, mostly because he has no one else to tell but that is not the point and why does Emma look so angry?

'What's wrong?'

'Nothing you should be worried about, kid. Anyway - what're you doing here?'

'I came to see you but it's fine Miss Blanchard helped me work it out. I gotta go. I'll talk to you soon okay?' He's already half way out of there. ''Bye Emma!'

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So he's back in his room, his homework is finished on the table so Regina can see it when she comes in. He's rushed it, so it's probably all wrong but he's not gonna need algebra when they get back to fairyland so as far as he's concerned it isn't the end of the world.

The book has some pretty interesting details on Rumpelstiltskin/Mr Gold, like how he's the most powerful sorcerer there is, even more powerful than the Queen - and how it's due to him that the curse happened but also that Emma was sent through the wardrobe!

Rumpelstiltskin is everywhere in the book and Henry can't believe he missed it, the only thing there isn't is a picture. He guesses the person who wrote the book, it doesn't actually say an author, he guesses that they must've never seen Rumpelstiltskin or at least been too frightened to draw him.

Henry knows that his theory is right because it fits so well. That's why Mr Gold wanted Ashley's baby, because he'd been promised it in the fairytale world, and that's why he has all the weird stuff in his shop, because those are his trophies! It also explains the whole 'please' thing, that was Rumpelstiltskin's backup in the curse, so that even in a land without magic, he'd still be more powerful than she is! The question is does he know?

'Henry!'

'Coming!'

He runs down the stairs because that is the done thing. 'Hey, Mom.'

Regina hugs him and kneels down to him, she's smiling which could be a bad thing.'I need to go out again, to the hospital to talk the Doctor Whale, and I think you've been cooped up at home enough so you can come too and then it's your appointment with Doctor Hopper.' She walks over to the table and checks his work - obviously not well enough to spot that it was done in, like, ten econds and is a load of trash - then she grabs a different purse off've the counter turning her back so Henry can't see what she's doing. Then she's back around and taking his hand.

'Let's go,' she says, cheerful and chipper, this is so not good. So he goes and makes it worse.

'Do I get to see Emma today?'

Regina frowns, the lines of her mouth pulling down and her eyes clouding over. Storm's brewing. 'Maybe tomorrow,' she concedes.

'Okay.'

'How has your day been so far, dear?'

Henry swallows, shifting in the leather car seat, and then gestures widely to nothing in particular. 'You know, nothing much, my homework.'

'Yes, I saw. Algebra, was it?' Regina smirks. 'Is Miss Blanchard teaching you well, Henry?'

'Yep,' Henry says, and it might have been a little too loud and a bit too fast. 'Yep, she's awesome and really nice.'

All he gets is a 'Hmm.' in return.

'Did you talk to Mr Gold yet?' Regina stares at him. 'You know, you said he was busy this morning, did you try again?'

She shakes her head. 'No, but I'm sure I'll get my chance soon.'

And that does not sound good.

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Chapter Text

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When Belle felt land beneath her once more she looked up to find herself on a bridge to a huge castle. The creature took her hand and led her to the door.

'Welcome,' he said, for by now Belle was certain that calling the Dark One 'it' would only serve further to vex him, 'to the Dark Castle.'

And Belle said, without thought, 'It doesn't look very dark.' At this the Dark One smiled at her and laughed.

'I suppose not,' he said. 'It is rather dark inside, however, as you will find.' and it pulled her through doors and along corridors each proving his point even more. The place was indeed dark.

'Uh, where… Where are you taking me?' asked the maiden, in a voice far more strong than she felt. Her new master turned to her, having dropped her hand when they had passed the front doors, and told her that they made for: 'Let's call it - your room.' And he skipped forward with glee.

Now, Belle, having decided that she needn't fear the man before her so much, followed swiftly her eyes adjusting to the light that changed from rooms, where curtains were drawn and thick, to corridors where nothing barred or covered the windows. She felt them descend many stairs until at last they began to slow.

Belle knew where she was almost instantly. 'My room?' she gasped, outraged that her master would do such a thing.

'Well. It sounds a lot better than dungeon,' said the Dark One as he pushed her into the tiny cell, his eyes burning with wicked delight.

The heavy door was closed on her and she heard the key click in the lock.

'You can't just leave me in here!' she cried, but she knew it to be of no use. 'Hello? Hello?' Her master was gone.

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Her mind is buzzing. Not a nice, contented, springtime things-to-do, buzz, not even a 'the ogre wars are going badly' buzz, but colder. Harsher. Angry hornets have been disturbed and they're swarming in her head. There are a thousand things she could be doing right now, should be, but all she wants to do is curl up and cry. She shakes her head and tears fall from her eyes. Why'd she do it?

She should've allowed for her fate to be decided just this once, just to keep her safe, but no.

Nobody decides my fate but me, she'd said and then she'd sold herself as a slave. She applauds herself on her logic.

She stops thinking, starts sinking into the soft angry buzzing, waiting for it to just swallow her whole and leave nothing but a stupid corpse.

But of course, naturally, this is when the door opens.

'Come along, dearie,' the Dark One's voice sounds far away. 'No time like the present. Maybe if you move quickly forever will go a little faster.'

Belle shakes out her curls and stands to her full height, just a little shorter than he is. 'I don't like to think of forever, Rumpelstiltskin. I shall take every day as it comes.'

The man, or whatever he is, smiles at her, but this time it's a more muted one, less wicked gleam and more wry understanding. 'Yes, well, come along.'

'Kitchen.' He says and really? She hadn't guessed, it certainly wasn't the stove, or the pot, or the pantry that clued her in.

'So this is what a kitchen looks like,' she says idly. 'I had always wondered.'

'Amusing, doubtless, however, you know how to brew tea?'

'Love tea. Tea is good.' She looks around for a tea pot.

'Second cupboard to the left of the stove, dearie. Meet me in the dining room.' And he's gone. Breathe.

In. Out. In. Out. Tea.

She's isn't sure quite what she expected but white china with dainty blue flowers is not it. He probably stole it, or something because what?

Maybe a black set, or a blood red set forged of the death of infants. No. Tea in white china. Expectations aren't really working here.

She wishes that she could still her hands, she really does, but with expectation thrown uncermoniously out of the window, she just can't. The tea tray is being hit by an earthquake right now and in the otherwise silence it's really loud.

'You will serve me my meals, and you will clean the Dark Castle.' He says and okay, yeah, she can do that.

'I-I understand.'

'You will dust my collection and launder my clothing.' Clearly he managed to do all this without her, but fine.

'Yes.'

'You will fetch me fresh straw when I'm spinning at the wheel.' Well, spinning gold into straw has got to be interesting to watch.

She gives a little nod and an embarrassed smile, 'Got it.'

The fake surprise is back again and ' Oh! And you will skin the children I hunt for their pelts.'

Belle drops the cup of tea onto the floor. It rolls a bit then stops. Now that, that had been more like what she had been expecting before she threw expectation out.

But he's grinning at her and hey! Not fair.

'That one was a quip,' he says still sitting at the head of the table like he's on a throne or something. '– not serious.'

It was pretty funny. Smiles. 'Right.'

She kneels to pick up the cup. Oh hey, cup's chipped. She's dead.

'I'm, uh… I'm so sorry, but, uh… It's… It's chipped.' Please don't kill me. 'Y-You can hardly see it.'

He looks at her like she's got two heads or is crazy or something, jury's still out on that last, and shrugs: 'Well, it's just a cup.'

And now she's an idiot. 'How do you take your tea?' she asks because that's why she's here, apparently.

'As it is.'

What. 'What? No sugar, no milk, no nothing?' How is that even possible, that's like tea sacrilige.

'No nothing, on special occasions I might add poison but mostly not.'

He's either joking or being deadly serious and she has not got a bloody clue which one it is so she smiles and pours tea for him. 'As it is, it is then.'

'How do you take yours?'

Wait what? 'I'm allowed to have some too?'

'You just told me that you loved tea, I'm hardly going to deprive you of it.'

Hmm. She pours another cup and drops in one sugar and the slightest dash of milk. 'I take it like this,' she says. 'Thank you.'

He smiles at her and takes a sip of his own tea. 'You're going to need a more suitable dress, dearie.' he says, matter of fact. And yeah she's been thinking the same. 'What's your favourite colour?'

Wait what? 'Bl-Blue, I guess. I like blue, why?'

Rumpelstiltskin just smiles. 'Finish your tea,' he says. 'And then go down to your 'room', you'll find new clothing there.'

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From the war room of the castle Lord Maurice looked out onto the battlefield, his heart in two neat pieces inside his chest.

The war was one, or at least had ceased for now.

But all magic, comes with a price.

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Chapter Text

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What is she doing? No really, what is she doing?

Is that - is she - is she FLIRTING?

Guys, guys, hold the phone: his mother, the evil Queen, is flirting with the goshdarn doctor! His mind is like shortcircuiting right now, and they did that experiment at school and when the bulbs blow - they blow, so he's expecting smoke to come out of his ears anytime now.

This. Is. Wrong. On so many levels and ew and ew and ew.

Then Regina nods at one of the nurses and she walks over to him like 'Hey, kid, your Mom's the Mayor and she said to look after you so I'mma wait until she's gone through the door that says exit and then leave.' Wait.

Door that says exit.

Why is she going through a door that says exit? And why does a door that says exit have a code locking system that is opened by the four number 8?

Oh hey, convenient nurse has conveniently gone.

No one's going to notice a ten year old kid go through an exit door now are they but he goes up to a patient anyway. and whispers: 'Hey, when the Mayor comes through and starts yelling at people that her son's missing tell her he started going to Dr. Hopper's office because he was bored and wanted the walk, okay?'

Patient who is now his new best friend nods. 'Have fun with the Doc, kid.'

Henry smiles at him. 'Thanks.'

6
8
2
8

The door actually clicks and Henry feels like he's in a goshdarn spy movie and this is so what he'd wanted when he thought up Operation Cobra. This is like the first proper mission he's gone on and it's awesome.

And he's gonna be grounded forever if he gets found out so the second he sees the nurse just beyond the wall he is down on the floor like a slug. She's looking away now and okay, he creeps forward a little but then there's clackity clacking footsteps that probably mean Regina so he legs it to a trash can and hides himself.

Only once she is out of the door does he breathe.

Thinks how is this his life.

Oh yeah, evil Queen, that's why.

He peers out from behind the trash can and the nurse has her back to the corridor, she's on her phone having a chat. He creeps past her on the tips of his toes and then there's an ogre in his path!

OGRE IN THE PATH. ABORT MISSION! His brain is screaming at him but something in Henry kind of ignores that and brings his fingers to his lips. 'Shh.'

The ogre of a man nods and goes on sweeping like Henry isn't even there and success!

There is a door with an empty name tag and he just knows that this is something interesting and important for Cobra.

He reaches up to the flap on the door, he doubts he'll be able to see much but he goes onto the very tips of his toes in his shoes and leans. Pushes up the flap.

There's a sharp intake of breath and Henry almost falls back but he looks, and there's a girl. If he looks harder he sees that she's about Ruby's age, the girl from Granny's, or maybe a little older. Perhaps even as old as Miss Blanchard or Emma, but she looks young, a girl. Curled up on her side in white clothing, she has long brown hair. She gazes up at him with a blank look on her face. He drops the metal and runs.

He's just about at the desk when the ogre stops him, makes some motions across his mouth with his hands and it takes Henry a minute to realise that he's shushing him. He smiles and nodds then, still frightened, but he tip toes out of the corridor, past the desk and up the stairs. Opening the door and strolling out so quickly that he's on the sidewalk before anyone actually notices him.

His moth- no - The Evil Queen is keeping a girl locked up in the dungeons of the hospital.

And he's late for his session with Archie, and he's lied to her, through another but still, what if she locks him up too?

He runs to Archie's office the long way, so as to make it seem like he walked the different route so he has a reason for being late.

She glares at him.

'Where have you been, young man!'

Henry points, and uh - 'I walked the long route, I needed some air - don't really like hospitals.'

She's still, like, really scowling at him but she opens the door to the office and pushes his in. 'I'll be back in an hour, Henry. Be good.

'Hey, Archie.'

'Hey kid, your Mom didn't look in a very good mood. What's up?'

'I think I kinda scared her, I mean, I walked off while she was at the hospital talking to Dr Whale.'

Archie smiles at him, the doctor face, 'Why'd you walk off?'

He shrugs. 'Don't really like hospitals, so anyway what're we doing today?'

'I don't know, Henry, you know that I don't really think you need therapy. In fact if it weren't for the fairytale theory-'

'Henry's Theorem,' he says because it sounded cool when Mr Gold said it.

'Henry's Theorem, if it weren't for that I think anyone would call you an exceptionally well rounded kid.'

Henry narrows his eyes. 'So your saying that if I didn't know the truth, I wouldn't be in therapy?' He sighs and sits back. 'You think I'm crazy.'

He's pretty used to that reaction now but there is so much evidence to support him which reminds him that he needs to tell Emma about the girl in the dungeon.

'I don't think you're crazy, Henry. I think you've just constructed a world in your head that you like better than this one to make sense of things. Henry? You there?'

What? 'Sorry - yeah - sorry. I just have something I really need to talk to Emma about.'

'Oh, yeah? Something about Operation Cobra?'

And goshdarn it does everyone know about Cobra? 'Ugh, maybe.'

'Hey, kiddo, what's wrong with you today? You seem a little antsy.'

Henry fixes him with a stare that he pitches as Earnest Kid Needs Adult Help and sighs, 'I really need to see Emma, but Mom won't let me see her very much at all.'

Hopper looks like he's thinking and Henry resists the urge to smirk, C'mon Archie, he thinks, always let your conscience be your guide.

'I could,' the doctor tries. 'I could take you to the station now. We have a lot of time until Regina comes back, but Henry have you asked you mother if you can see more of Emma?'

'So many times, Dr Hopper. So many times.' Henry grabs his backpack and goes over to the door. 'Thank you, Dr Hopper!'

00000000000000000

'You've accomplished nothing.'

That's Mr Gold's voice.

And then sure enough Mr Gold is limping out of the sherriff's office. What?