Teresa Holmes was woken up by the smell of pancakes the following morning. As she made her way downstairs, she peeked into the living room and noticed that Henry was folding up the blanket he had used to sleep on the couch last night. She offered him a small smile as she walked by the couch, heading towards the kitchen where she found David attempting to make breakfast while also holding a red-face, screaming toddler. He was clearly struggling to do both at the same time without his wife at his side, as the two usually worked together to make breakfast and calm Neal.

She frowned and entered the kitchen to lend a hand, Henry not far behind her. David heard their footsteps and turned around, noticing that the two teenagers were finally awake. He immediately smiled at them in greeting as he continued mixing the pancake batter one-handed.

"Good morning," he greeted.

"Morning, Grandpa," Henry greeted tiredly.

"Need any help?" Teresa offered.

"Honestly?" David said. He turned around to look at them and they could see how stressed out he was. "Yeah, that would be great."

Teresa nodded and walked over, holding out her arms and taking Neal so that David could focus on making breakfast for everyone. She began bouncing the toddler in her arms, trying to get him to calm down.

When he continued fussing, presumably for his mother, Teresa placed him in the high chair and got to work making Neal something to eat for breakfast. As she did that, Henry moved to set the table. He got some plates and cups from the cabinet, placing them in front of their usual seats. Then he grabbed some silverware and napkins, doing the same with those. Afterwards, he walked over to the refrigerator and started pouring them each some orange juice.

"Hey, David, where does Snow keep those breakfast oatmeal packets that Neal really likes?" Teresa asked after checking the cabinet with all the baby bowls and foods and not finding them there.

"They should be in Neal's cabinet."

Teresa looked again just to be certain, but shook her head. "I don't see any."

"Uh, maybe try the pantry," David replied after a moment of thinking. "Snow might have moved them if she needed more room in the cabinet."

Teresa nodded and scurried off towards the pantry. At the same time, Henry sat down at the table and gave Neal a sippy cup filled with watered down apple juice. The toddler eagerly grabbed the sippy cup and leaned his head back as he took large gulps, obviously thirsty. But when Neal lowered the cup, his lip still quivered slightly.

David turned to look at Teresa over his shoulder when he heard the door to the pantry close a few moments later. "Did you find the oatmeal packets?"

"Yep," Teresa replied, holding up the brown packet as proof. She walked over to the counter, grabbed a bowl, and tore open the packet, pouring the contents inside and combining it with some water. She then put it in the microwave, and once it was done, she immediately stirred it and placed it inside the freezer so that it could cool down.

The moment the apple flavored oatmeal was ready, Teresa grabbed a spoon and bib, and walked over to the hungry toddler. She set the bowl down in front of him, secured the bib around his neck, and gave him the spoon. The toddler looked down at the food, and while still fussing only a little bit, he began to messily eat his breakfast.

By the time David had gotten done with the first batch of pancakes and set them down on both Henry and Teresa's plates so they could start eating, Neal had completely calmed down. The toddler was enjoying his food and apple juice while talking gibberish in Henry's direction.

Teresa reached for the butter and syrup, spreading both over her pancakes, before she dug into her breakfast. Henry did the same from across the table, and David joined them after a few minutes, sitting down at the head of the table. It was quiet for a little while before David spoke.

"So, uh, I take it you two reconciled over everything?" He asked, glancing between them curiously.

"What?" Teresa asked, wide-eyed.

"Snow mentioned that you were upset with Henry. That you didn't want to see him," David elaborated. "And, well, when I woke up this morning, I saw Henry asleep on the couch. So I thought maybe you two had reconciled." He awkwardly shifted in his seat when the room filled with silence. "Or . . . maybe I'm wrong."

"W-We, uh . . ." Teresa stammered, trying to find the right words.

"That's not why I stayed over last night, Grandpa," Henry said with a slight frown. "I just wanted to make sure Teresa was okay after everything that happened yesterday."

"Why? What happened yesterday?"

Teresa's brow furrowed in confusion. "You didn't watch Snow's video?"

"Obviously not," David replied, wiping his mouth with a napkin before giving an explanation. "Neal was extra fussy this morning so I didn't have time to watch it yet."

"Oh," she frowned, glancing across the table at Henry. "Well, uh, yesterday is kind of a long story."

"We've got time," David insisted. "Now what did I miss yesterday? And don't leave out a single detail. I want to know everything."

The teenagers glanced at each other before looking at David again. Taking a deep breath, they began telling him everything that happened yesterday and didn't leave out a single detail, as requested. And when they finished telling him about how the Evil Queen impersonated Regina all day and almost made Henry kill an innocent person to save his moms, threatening Teresa's life somewhere along the way, David sat there in shock for several moments as he tried to process everything.

"Does she still have your heart?" David asked as he worriedly looked over at Teresa.

"No," Henry replied on her behalf. "Alice got it back."

"And Regina put it back inside my body," Teresa added. "Which felt really weird, by the way."

"Tell me about it," David scoffed.

"You've had your heart ripped out before?"

David smiled sarcastically as he took a sip of his orange juice. "Oh, you know, only more times than I can count."

"I'm sorry," Teresa frowned.

The man shrugged, and before he could say another word, someone started knocking on the front door. They glanced at each other before Henry offered to get it. He got up from the table and walked over to the door, reaching out and pulling it open.

Belle was standing on the other side, causing Henry's brow to furrow in confusion. Last he heard, Mother Superior was keeping the pregnant woman safe at the church using a protection spell that both his moms and Alice had casted to keep Rumplestiltskin away from both Belle and their unborn child.

"Oh, hey, Henry," Belle greeted before quickly rushing inside the house. She immediately started looking around. "Is your grandmother here? I've been calling and haven't been able to get a hold of her all morning. I'm afraid it's important."

Henry shook his head in response. "No, but my grandpa is here." He motioned for her to follow him. "Come on. We're just having breakfast."

Once they reached the kitchen, David looked up at Belle in confusion. But his expression quickly morphed into one of concern when he saw the look upon her face. "Belle, hey, is everything okay?"

"Um, no," she replied, gnawing on her lip. "Not really. It's, uh, it's Rumple."

David sighed. "What did he do now?"

"I went over to his shop, hoping to speak with him," Belle explained, flattening her hands over her stomach. "I thought perhaps we might be able to calmly discuss everything that has happened and come to an agreement over our child. But when I got there, I overheard a conversation between him and the Evil Queen."

"He was with the Evil Queen?" David asked, wide-eyed. "Why was she there?"

"I didn't hear the start of it," Belle began, "but I did overhear a great deal of their plans." She paused for a moment before speaking again. "Rumple asked the Evil Queen to kill Zelena. And when she refused him, the Evil Queen stole the Sorcerer's wand and attacked him. She plans to use it for a very powerful spell. One that will give her everything that she wants."

Their eyes widened then, for they knew exactly what that meant. The Evil Queen wanted only a few things in life. She wanted to get the Savior out of her way, and to lose her supposed weaker half once and for all. But, most of all, she wanted her son. She wanted Henry Mills all to herself. And, apparently, she wanted Teresa Holmes dead, for she believed that the amnesiac archer was no longer good enough for her son.

"Why would he want to have Zelena killed?" Teresa asked in confusion. "And why wouldn't he just do it himself? Why would he send the Evil Queen to do his dirty work?"

"You don't remember," Belle said as she looked at the confused teenager, "but Zelena and Rumple's hearts are connected. It happened a while ago. And because they are connected, Rumple is unable to hurt Zelena. She's protected from him now. But killing Zelena will sever the link between them. He'll be free of her."

"Did they say anything else?" David asked.

Belle shook her head. "No, the Evil Queen left when she stole the Sorcerer's wand from him. I came here straight after. I thought perhaps Snow would be able to help me because I fear Rumple will act out and come for me." She placed her hands over her slightly swollen stomach. "That he will come for us."

"We'll do everything that we can to make sure that both you and the baby are safe," David said reassuringly. "Don't worry."

"Thank you, Dav—"

Belle was cut off when an excruciating pain overcame her. She stumbled on her feet, gripping her stomach and screaming in pain. Everyone was confused and called out her name, rushing to her aide and easing her down into a chair at the table. But even as they got her off her feet, she continued to scream, her skin slick with sweat, and they weren't sure how to help her. And then, slowly but surely, her swollen stomach began to swell even more until she eventually reached full term in her pregnancy.

They stared wide-eyed at the extremely pregnant woman, yet no words were exchanged between them the entire time. It was blatantly obvious that either the Evil Queen or Rumplestiltskin himself had accelerated Belle's pregnancy. But why? For what reason would either of them need a baby? And then it hit them, and they remembered what Belle had told them. The Sorcerer's wand. A powerful spell. Did the Evil Queen need the baby for her spell, just as Zelena needed baby Neal and Emma — as the Dark One — needed baby Robin some time ago? Or was this Rumplestiltskin's way of getting to the baby?

　
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They had taken Belle to the hospital when her pregnancy began to accelerate at a dangerous rate. Once the woman had been placed inside a room, a doctor began checking to make sure that everything was okay with both her and the baby. They gave Belle some privacy and remained in the waiting area, and David eventually stepped outside to call the others and let them know what was going on, and to make sure that Zelena was aware of Rumplestiltskin's attempts to have her killed.

It wasn't long before the others had arrived at the hospital, David had immediately informed them of the situation and Belle's condition. But they brought troubling news with them as well. Apparently, Rumplestiltskin was unhinged, and has been searching for Belle ever since the Evil Queen attacked him at his shop. They assumed that the Evil Queen had made some kind of threat regarding Belle and the baby, and so they brought the Blue Fairy with them for extra security in case Rumplestiltskin figured out where they were.

The Blue Fairy had immediately cast a protection spell around the section of the hospital they were in before entering the room to check on Belle and the baby. Emma, Regina and David followed the Blue Fairy inside the room while Alice, Zelena and Killian remained in the waiting area with Henry, Teresa, Neal and Robin.

As time went on, they could hear Belle's screams getting louder as her contractions got closer and closer together. They knew it wouldn't be long now before she had the baby. They just hoped that would happen before Rumplestiltskin figured out where they were, for they knew Belle didn't want him anywhere near their baby. She knew that he would only take their child away from her, and they weren't going to let that happen.

"You don't really think Rumplestiltskin will take the baby from her, do you?" Teresa asked, breaking the silence that had fallen over them some time ago.

Alice sighed. "Unfortunately, I do. Rumple has always taken what he wants. If he believes that Belle won't ever let him be the father that he is desperate to be, then he'll do whatever it takes to get his hands on his child. I would like to think he wouldn't harm Belle in the process, but . . . she stands in his way right now. Who knows what he would do to her just so he could get to the baby."

"That's horrible," Teresa said, shaking her head in disbelief.

"Don't sorry," Alice said, "Rumple won't harm a hair on either of their heads. This hospital is well protected. Belle and the baby will be safe from him. But," she said as she leaned forward in her chair and glanced between Teresa and Henry, "if Rumple does show up and things get worse, I need the two of you to take Neal and Robin down the hall. Hide in a room and don't come out, okay?"

"But—" Henry went to argue, but she quickly cut him off.

"Henry, just please do as I say, okay?" Alice interrupted him softly. "Someone needs to be there to protect Neal and Robin, and that has to be the both of you. Now promise me that you'll get yourselves out of sight if something happens."

Henry reluctantly nodded. "I promise."

"I promise," Teresa echoed when Alice turned to look at her for an answer.

David and Regina then emerged from Belle's room, and everyone instantly stood on their feet as they headed toward the lounging area, eager for some good news.

"How is she?" Alice asked.

"Belle's good," David said. "In some pain, of course, but that's to be expected when you're having a baby."

"Where's Emma?" Killian asked, having noticed that the woman he loved wasn't with them.

"She's with Belle," Regina replied. "She wanted someone with her for when the baby came. And since Snow isn't here . . ."

"And what of the crocodile?"

"Not here, as far as I know," Regina said. "But that doesn't mean he won't figure it out eventually. Which means that we have to be ready."

Alice nodded. "And what did Belle say? Do we have a plan on where to hide them once the baby is born? Because we can't keep hiding her on the Jolly Roger or at the church any longer. Rumple already figured out where she was once, and it's only a matter of time before he figures it out again."

"Yeah, we talked to Belle," David said. He shared a long look with Regina, and the both of them frowned. "She's decided that she wants to leave Storybrooke."

"What?" Alice asked, her eyes widening.

"Belle believes it's what's best for the baby," Regina said. "She only wants to keep her child safe, and we can't really blame her for that."

"But wouldn't he just be able to find her with a location spell or something?" Henry asked in confusion.

"No," Regina shook her head. "He's never going to find Belle or the baby. Mother Superior is going to place an advanced cloaking spell on them. Something that Rumple won't be able to break. Ever. We'll never see her again, but at least they'll be safe."

"Where will they go?" Teresa asked.

"Mother Superior is going to open up a portal once the doctors have made sure both her and the baby are healthy," Regina explained. "It'll take Belle back to the Enchanted Forest, or to whatever realm she wants to go. The choice is hers to make."

"She's making the right choice, if you ask me," Alice said.

Regina nodded in agreement. "I'd do the same thing if I was in her shoes." She glanced at Henry in adoration. "There's nothing I wouldn't do to protect my child, so I'm going to do everything that I can to help Belle protect hers as well."

"Do we even know why Rumpelstiltskin wants the baby?" Teresa asked. "I mean, if she's leaving Storybrooke, it has to be bad, right?"

"There's a few possibilities," Zelena said. "He could want the baby for a spell. Or maybe it's as Alice said — he just wants to be a father. And in his eyes, Belle won't let him, so his twisted heart believes that he needs to rip the child away from its mother."

Teresa was confused. "But if that's true, why would he let us know his plan? You've all talked about how evil he can be, so why would he let us figure that out?"

"She makes a good point," David said.

"Because he wants Belle to know what he's doing," Regina said, as though it were obvious. "He's trying to scare her so that she'll go back to him and make it even easier for him to get his hands on the baby. Which Belle won't do. She's already made her choice, and it's not Rumple. We don't have to worry about that."

"There has to be a way to stop him, though, right?" Teresa asked worriedly.

"He's the Dark One, Teresa," Alice reminded the girl. They were able to give her a brief explanation on what that meant earlier, but without her memories, the teenager was still confused. "There's no way that we can stop him. The only hope we have now is that we can distract him long enough with the protective barriers and our combined magic so that Belle can go through the portal with the baby."

"Actually, there might be a way," Killian said, a look of realization crossing his features. He quickly turned on his heel, heading for the door of Belle's room. He knocked and Emma eventually came to the door, opening it and stepping out into the hall.

Everyone watched in confusion as the two exchanged some words before Emma disappeared inside the room again, reemerging a few moments later to hand Killian a book of some kind. The pirate opened it up, a grin spreading across his face, before he walked back over to them.

"I saw Belle reading this book last night." Killian passed the book off to Regina, and once he knew that she had seen the pages, he said, "That is our plan."

"Seriously?" Regina scoffed as read the pages. "How the hell is some novel from the library supposed to help us, exactly?"

"It's not the story that's gonna do it," Killian said with a roll of his eyes. "It's the book itself. Or, rather, the ink it's written in. I'd be a poor excuse for a pirate if I didn't recognize squid ink when I saw it."

"Squid ink?" Teresa asked in confusion.

"It has magical properties," Alice briefly explained to the amnesiac archer. "Long story short, it can be used to stun Rumple. Keep him immobilized long enough for us to help Belle and the baby get out of Storybrooke."

"Aye," Killian nodded. "And while he's held, we can get the lass and the baby safely through the portal, and then lock the crocodile up somewhere."

"It's not a bad idea, actually," David said. "We can trap him just like we've done before."

"Last time you had a cell prepared for him," Regina reminded him. "In case you haven't noticed, we don't exactly have a magic proof cell on standby right now."

"So then we use the station," David suggested. "Use your magic on the cell just like the Blue Fairy did for us before, and we trap him. Keep him locked up, hopefully forever. And then we'll never have to worry about the Dark One again."

Regina thought about it for a moment before nodding. "Okay," she said. "Let's do it. I'll get down to the station and start working on magic proofing the cell so that he can't use his magic to escape. But I'll need some squid ink first." She glanced around the room, spotting a water cooler nearby. She walked over and grabbed an empty cup, and then with a wave of her hand, extracted some of the ink from the page and placed it within the cup, before passing the book off to Alice. "Use your magic to extract the squid link and figure out who will use it against Rumple when he shows up. I'll be back soon."

"Stay safe," Alice pleaded.

"I will," Regina said, offering her a reassuring smile, before she raised her hand and teleported from the hospital in a cloud of purple smoke.

　
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An hour later, Belle's screams could be heard from the waiting area. It was obvious by the sounds coming from beyond the closed door that she was pushing now. Which meant it wouldn't be long before the baby arrived, or Rumplestiltskin figured out where they were hiding them. As Doctor Whale and Buttercup worked to get the baby out safely, everyone had gone over the plan a few times to make sure that they understood what they needed to do when the time came.

Their plan was — or at least they hoped it would be — foolproof. Henry and Teresa would keep the promise that they made to Alice and take Neal and Robin somewhere safe so that they wouldn't be caught in the crossfire. David and Killian would stand guard outside Belle's room with swords that the Blue Fairy had coated with squid ink. Meanwhile, Alice, Emma, Zelena and Regina would use their combined magic against the Dark One to distract him long enough for the Blue Fairy to help Belle and the baby escape through the portal.

And if the Dark One managed to get past all of them before Belle got away, Belle herself had been given a vial of squid ink to use against the man she loved. Although, they hoped it wouldn't come to that. With David, Killian and Alice each having some squid ink, they were almost certain that would be enough. That he wouldn't be able to get inside the room at all. And then once they had him stunned with the squid ink, Regina and Zelena would take him to the station and put him in the cell, which Regina had thankfully finished magic proofing.

When Teresa had gotten up to grab something from Robin's diaper bag, that's when it happened. The sound of two doors harshly swinging open and slamming against the wall, quickly followed by the angered voice of one Rumplestiltskin. With wide eyes, she glanced across the room at Henry, who immediately rose to his feet.

Alice glanced at the teenagers. "Hurry! Before he sees that you're here."

"Come on," Henry muttered to Teresa.

The two of them were quickly given Neal and Robin, and after grabbing the diapers bags and any evidence that would prove the toddlers were in the hospital, they ran down the hallway towards the room that the Blue Fairy had spelled for them to hide out in. Henry closed the door, locking it behind them, and Teresa took a deep breath as she sat down on the hospital bed with Robin in her arms.

"Do you really think this is going to work?" Teresa asked, her heart racing.

"It has to," Henry said. He walked over to the bed and sat down next to her, placing Neal in his lap, before reaching out and grabbing her hand, giving it a reassuring squeeze. "Don't worry, he won't find us here. And I won't let anything happen to you, or Neal and Robin. We'll be okay, Terersa."

Although she was still scared, Teresa managed a small smile before glancing down at Robin and holding the toddler close. She closed her eyes, praying this would all work out. That Belle and her baby would be safe. That Rumplestiltskin would be stopped, once and for all.

Outside, Rumpelstiltskin had finally found them. He stalked down the hallway towards where Alice, Regina, Emma and Zelena were waiting for him, an expression of anger upon his face. But then he heard the sounds of Belle's screams and he froze for only a moment. When he realized that she was in labor, his expression darkened again, and he advanced, only to be stopped by an invisible barrier.

Laughter tumbled from his lips. "Do you really think that a protection spell can keep me away from what is mine?"

"No," Emma said. "But it'll distract you long enough so we can keep that child safe."

"Safe?" Rumpelstiltskin scoffed. "It will never be safe with any of you. That is my child, and only I have the power to protect it."

"Just like you protected Neal?" Regina said. At the mention of his son, Rumple tensed, and Emma frowned. "Nobody is ever safe with you. You're the Dark One. All you will ever do is cause pain and suffering to the people you claim to love. Why can't you see that by now? Belle and the baby will never be safe as long as they are with you."

"You cannot keep them from me!" The Dark One seethed.

"We are only doing as Belle asks," Emma told him. "She doesn't want you anywhere near them. And honestly, I'm glad she's finally realized that you will never change. She deserves better, and deep down you have to know that."

"If you truly love her, if you truly love your child, then why are you doing this?" Alice asked, taking a careful step forward, causing his eyes to meet her own. "You say that you love Belle, but do you even understand what you've put her through? She has done nothing but defend you for years. She is the only person that has ever had faith in you, and has loved you despite everything you have done. And now you have put her in danger, and your child as well, by accelerating her pregnancy at this rate. Or did you have the Evil Queen do that for you?" She shook her head in disbelief. "And then what did you plan to do, huh? Were you going to rip the child from its mothers arms and take it away?"

His jaw was clenched, hands curling into tight fists. "I love them more than you will ever know, but I won't lose another child. I will do what must be done to keep my child safe." Rumplestiltskin then thrust his hands forward, beginning to use his magic to weaken the barrier so that he could get through.

Alice sighed heavily, taking a step back to rejoin the others.

Emma glanced at her, offering her a small smile. "It was a good try," she told her.

"Not good enough," Alice frowned, as they could still hear Belle's screams coming from the room behind them, which meant that the baby hadn't been born yet. She could only hope the baby would come at any moment, and that Belle could get them as far away from Rumplestiltskin as possible.

It took him less than five minutes to break through their protection spells, and once he had, they got to work. Emma and Regina stepped forward, streams of white magic flowing from their outstretched palms as they propelled their magic forward. But he raised his hand, repelling their powers with a protection spell. With a wave of his hand, he then swiped their feet out from under then and sent them sliding backwards across the floor.

Alice attacked next, using the dark magic that Cora had taught her for years. She could feel the darkness swirling within her veins as she propelled it forward, an invisible force knocking into the Dark One and throwing him off his feet. His back hit the wall, and he landed on his stomach on the floor. But with a menacing glare, he was back on his feet, cracking his neck and raising a hand toward Alice. The blonde gasped for breath as an invisible hand slithered around her neck and raised her into the air, her feet dangling and the oxygen being sucked from her lungs.

"With just a simple twist of my hand, I can send you back to the Underworld," Rumplestiltskin threatened.

"Not gonna happen," Zelena growled, launching a force of dark magic at the man. Once more, Rumpelstiltskin was thrown backwards. He landed on his back and slid across the floor, freeing Alice, who roughly collided with the ground and spluttered for breath. And just like before, he was back on his feet within seconds.

By now, Emma and Regina were back on their feet, having been helped up from the ground by David and Killian. They stepped in front of Alice and Zelena and thrust their hands forward, their magic hitting Rumpelstiltskin directly in the chest. And once Zelena knew that Alice was okay, she rose to her feet and joined them, holding out her hands, a stream of green magic flowing from the woman's palms.

Their combined magic only contained him for so long, though, as Rumplestiltskin soon overpowered through them and swept out his hands, causing a powerful wind to knock into the women, throwing them off their feet and sending them sliding across the floor. Alice quickly pulled the vial of squid ink from her jacket pocket and scrambled to her feet, but before she could do anything, the Dark One grabbed her wrist tightly, surely leaving bruises. He glanced at the vial in her hand, and laughed.

"Squid ink? Clever. But you know that won't hold me for long," the Dark One sneered. "I'm far too powerful. But you?" He forcefully took the vial from her hand and then threw Alice back against the wall, and she was unable to move as his magic kept her there. "Well, it'll be quite a while before any of you are free from its power."

Before any of them could even react, Rumplestiltskin threw the vial at them, and the squid ink melted into their skin, immobilizing Emma, Regina and Zelena.

"No!" Alice shouted.

"Swan, are you okay?" Killian asked, coming around to look her in the eye.

"I can't move," Emma panicked, her limbs frozen in place.

"That's the idea," Rumplestilskin said, before waving his hand and rendering Alice unconscious. Her body slumped against the floor, a cut on her head oozing with blood from the amount of power he had used to throw her against the wall once more.

Killian turned around, planting his feet and swinging the sword at the crocodile as it approached him. But the Dark One easily ducked beneath it, and managed to avoid every other attempt Killian made at attacking him until finally he grabbed the pirate by the throat and threw him across the room, rendering him unconscious as well.

David was the only one left standing, but Rumplestiltskin had taken him out just as easily as the others. With everyone subdued, the Dark One glanced at the door that David and Killian had once been protecting, knowing that just beyond it were his child and Belle. He took one step forward, and that's when he heard it. The sound of a child's first cry, mixed with the joyous sobs of a new mother. His expression softened as he heard the sound, and he closed his eyes for a brief moment, remembering the day Baelfire had been born. And then he opened his eyes and walked inside the room.

He instantly threw Doctor Whale and Buttercup aside, rendering them unconscious as their heads roughly collided with the wall. The Blue Fairy stepped forward in front of Belle and the baby bundled in her arms, but with a wave of his hand, he threw her aside as well. He stepped forward, approaching the bed, his eyes softening as he peered down over the blanket to get a look at his child.

It was a girl. A beautiful baby girl, who resembled her mother in every possible way. And the sight of his daughter had caused the Dark One to forget why he was there. Tears instantly sprung in his eyes, and Belle stared up at him with tears of her own as she held her newborn daughter close to her heart.

"Why are you doing this?" Belle asked.

Finally, Rumlpestiltskin looked the woman he loved in the eyes. He could see how scared she was of him, and it broke his heart. "After all this time, you must know. I will never be the man you think I can be."

"It . . . it doesn't have to be like that," she cried.

"I'm afraid it does," Rumplestilskin said. "When we met, I told you that I was a difficult man to love. But more than that, I think . . . I think I'm a man no one can love. But this child, with my daughter, I can start over. Maybe she can love me."

Belle shook her head, tears spilling down her cheeks, mixing with the sweat still lingering on her skin from the hours of labor she had endured. "Not like this. Don't give up, Rumple. I . . I never wanted you to be perfect. I just wanted you to try."

"I have. And look what's happened, Belle." The Dark One sighed. "I've only ever pushed you away. Now, uh . . . I-I'm afraid all I really have . . . is this." He waved his hand, forming a quick fireball in the palm of his hand before making it disappear. "Magic."

"You know there's a price," Belle said, clutching her daughter close. "There always is with magic. You won't just be pushing me away again, Rumple. You'll lose me forever. Is that really a price that you're willing to pay?"

"It's a price that only I have the power to pay," Rumpelstiltskin replied solemnly. "I'm sorry, Belle. I never wanted it to come to this. You know that." He then stepped forward, leaning down and reaching out his hands to claim his child. Belle sobbed, trying to move away from him, but her body was too sore. She couldn't get up from the bed and run away from him like she desperately wanted to.

Instead, Belle reached beside her and grabbed the syringe containing the squid ink. She pushed down on the plunger and squirted it all over his face, making sure that none of it got on herself or the baby, and watched with tears streaming down her cheeks as he looked at her with an expression of betrayal as his limbs became frozen in place.

"You made me do this, Rumple," Belle cried, carefully getting up from the bed with the help of the Blue Fairy, who had gotten back on her feet without the Dark One having noticed. "We're leaving. And you will never see us again. Never. That's the price you have paid for everything that you have done since the moment we met." More tears streamed down her face as her heart broke into two. "Goodbye, Rumple."

With that, the Blue Fairy helped Belle walk out of the room, all the while Rumplestiltskin screamed after them. But Belle ignored him, focusing all her energy on her child.

"Oh, Belle, thank God," Emma sighed in relief when she saw that the woman and her baby were unharmed. "Are you both okay? What happened?"

"I used the squid ink on Rumple," Belle said. "It worked. But it won't last for long. What happened to you three?"

"The bloodied Dark One used our own squid ink against us," Zelena bitterly explained.

"Blue, you'll have to take Rumple to the station before the squid ink wears off on him, since we won't be able to do it ourselves," Regina said with urgency.

The Blue Fairy nodded. "Of course," she said. "But first we must send Belle and the baby away." She looked at the new mother. "Are you ready for this?"

A shaky breath escaped Belle's lips. "Yes," she replied.

Blue nodded, and with a wave of her wand, had summoned a shimmering blue portal that would take Belle and her newborn baby someplace safe. Belle glanced at the portal, and then towards her friends. "Thank you all so much. I wouldn't have known what to do without all of you in my life. I'll cherish your friendship forever. And I will tell my daughter stories of the people who helped save her life the day she was born." A sob burst from her lips. "I love you all. Please tell Snow that I am sorry that I couldn't say goodbye to her myself."

"We will," Emma promised. "Stay safe and take care of yourselves, Belle. We'll miss you."

"I'll miss you all, too," Belle cried. She hugged her baby close, kissing her forehead, and then she turned around to face the portal, stepping through it into a new world where both she and her newborn daughter would be safe.

And just like that, Belle French was gone, and the Dark One had been imprisoned.

In a new land, Belle had found herself living in a small cottage on the outskirts of a peaceful kingdom. She had met a woman by the name of Tiana when she had first arrived in the foreign land, and the woman had been kind enough to help her get back on her feet, allowing both her and her newborn daughter, Rose French, to live under her roof. And as the weeks went by, Belle had nothing to fear. She no longer had to look over her shoulder for the Dark One. She was finally free.

Belle French had gotten her happy ending.

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a/n: I know that all of you are probably shocked by how this chapter ended. But it's as I said before, I am rewriting the events of season six, seeing as it was a complete and utter mess. And I have changed basically the entire plot surrounding Belle and Rumple for the entire series from here and onwards.

Rumple is a toxic character, and I never liked him with Belle. I also never liked what the writers did with his character in seasons six and seven. He wasn't the same after season five, in my opionon, so I decided to fix things. He also won't be a Savior like Emma because that honestly never made sense, his mother isn't the Black Fairy, and Gideon is not the person Emma will see in her visions in book three. Gideon doesn't even exist in my books, hence why I have given Belle a daughter named Rose instead to avoid that plot entirely.

As for our dearest Belle, she finally has gotten her well-deserved happy ending, which was never meant to be with Rumple in my books. Ever since Arrow, I knew I never wanted them to last, because their relationship was always toxic and Belle deserved better. Her happy ending was always her daughter, Rose French. And she will now spend her days far away from Rumple in a brand new land with her new friend Tiana, who is in fact the Tiana from The Princess and The Frog.

Also, I love the fact that Zelena saved Alice's life in this chapter after Rumple threatened to send her back to the Underworld. Especially considering Zelena was the one who killed Alice. It just truly goes to show how far Zelena has come since her villainous season three, and I'm very happy to have given her a far better redemption arc.