Chapter 6: Aftermath
Belle was trying to rationalize what she had just done. She had killed her father. Threw a fireball at him. Turned him to ashes, and she had no guilt about it. And she couldn't dwell on it either, since the Charmings decided to barge in on her thoughts and ask where Emma was.
"I don't think she wants you to know." She told the two of them a little shocked that they decided to barge into her apartment without even calling first.
This upset Snow White apparently Belle was supposed to bow down to her. Maybe, she would've in the past. In fact, she known she would've. Snow White was her princess, her father protected parts of her land. But now, well, now the woman seemed to annoy her more than anything else.
"I want to know where my daughter is," Snow had said after Belle said this. "I am your princess, Belle. Remember?"
"I don't think this is your kingdom." Belle said, "And like I said, I doubt Emma wants you to know where she is. After all, you almost killed her and her baby. Twice."
Not that that wouldn't be worthwhile, but she didn't mention that to Snow White she just wanted the woman to leave her alone. "I know she was with you last," Snow continued. "Grumpy spotted the two of you earlier."
"Yes, earlier." Belle said, "Obviously, we're not attached at the hip."
"But surely you can't be alone." Snow said, "Not with all your, uh, problems."
Problems.
Belle wanted to smack Snow White when she said that, "Obviously, I'm fine."
"You're not," Snow White said. "You're still with Rumpelstiltskin."
And Belle started laughing. Oh, was she going to put Snow White in her place. It felt odd how giddy she felt about what she was going to say, but she did. A day ago she wouldn't even want to admit it. "I'm afraid Rumple has moved on since Regina's little curse."
"You two were living together, I don't understand." Snow White said.
"He thought I was dead." Belle stated, "And he wasn't confined to Storybrooke."
"I know that," Snow White said. "I don't remember seeing him until a few months ago, but I don't understand. Regina bragged that she killed him. None of this makes sense. Especially Rumple's presence."
"Well, he's alive. Surely, you remember hearing who your daughter's baby's father is." Belle said.
"That's a lie," Snow White said, "Regina had Sidney say that at my trial because she knew it would upset me."
"Don't you remember Emma admitting she slept with Rumple." Belle snapped, "Are you that dense."
"I thought it was some of Regina's witchcraft." Snow White said, "Besides, Emma's married to Harry Potter."
"Harry Potter is Rumple." Belle spit out. "Don't tell me, you haven't seen some of the similarities."
It was Charming who put the pieces together first, "I think she is right, Snow. Harry and Rumpelstiltskin were never at the same place at the same time. They both have those two colored eyes"
"That doesn't mean anything."
"Snow," Charming said, "Think about it. Think about your interactions with Harry, he knew us. He toyed with us. It's Rumpelstiltskin."
Snow turned into a shade of white that was fitting to her name. "But…but…but…"
"Yes," Belle said feeling in the blanks. "Harry is Rumple. Rumple is the baby daddy to your grandchildren and he and Emma are married. And unlike my marriage to him, his marriage to your daughter isn't one based off a curse."
Smack.
It happened so fast; Belle was surprised as Snow White's hand hit her face.
She quickly apologized though, not that Belle cared. She had enough satisfactions knowing she got to the princess.
"I'm just telling you the truth," She said when Snow muttered she was sorry.
"We know that, Belle." Charming said with a sigh. "I—this is just hard for us to take. It's Rumpelstiltskin we're talking about."
"He can be quite charming," Belle said.
"He's a demon." Snow said, "Dear lord, knows what he did to my baby."
Belle rolled her eyes. There was no need for the theatrics. "Is it that hard to believe that your daughter could fall in love with Rumple. He's not that bad."
The Charmings shook their head at them as she heard Snow say to David, "He probably created this Harry Potter identity to seduce her. He's not that bad looking in that form."
Belle shook her head. "You know, she was going to leave Harry for Rumple, right? I mean, you heard her. She admitted she had slept with his alternate identity on the witness stand."
She was ignored though.
Charming and Snow were already theorizing how evil Rumple had seduced poor little Emma.
"God," Belle said finally getting tired of the must've bewitched her part. "He's good in bed. It's not that difficult to figure out." Though, she didn't even know how Rumple was in bed since they had never gotten to that level.
Yet.
Charming and Snow just stared at her.
"Well, you wanted to know how Emma was seduced by him." Belle said, "Obviously, the whole he can be attractive thing wasn't working so I had to get graphic."
"Uh, Snow, I think it's time we go." Charming who regained his sense of self first said. "I'm sorry we bothered you Belle."
She nodded.
Snow obviously didn't get the message though. "You have to tell Emma he's bad, Belle."
"I do not." She said, "You're daughter is a grown woman, Snow. She'll make her own decisions. And the more you meddle, the more you're going to push her in Rumple's arms."
Not that she'd ever see Emma again. She doubted that Emma would even know her own name now, if what she read about realm traveling was true. Days could pass quite quickly for mermaids. Maybe if Belle was lucky, Emma would die in the water long before Rumple made it back here and found she was gone.
Snow looked at Belle's face. "You don't want her to be with him, do you?"
"Snow." Charming warned.
"I'm just trying to figure this out, David." She said, "We all knew what happened. You're father told everyone how you threw away your life to be with that monster."
The fact that she said monster grated on Belle's nerves, but she controlled herself.
"And yet," Snow said. "You seemed perfectly content with telling us about Rumpelstiltskin and Emma right now."
"Because I have to move on." Belle snapped, "Unlike you, I acknowledge that twenty-eight years has passed. Rumple and I…we never…"
She stopped herself, because it was painful to admit that they never had a proper chance, but they would.
She sighed best she could and said, "I am just trying to deal with reality. I suggest you do the same, like it or not Rumple is your son in-law and the father of your grandchild."
"But you don't want that." Snow White said still pushing.
"It doesn't matter what I want," Belle said not getting what the woman's angle was.
"Snow," Charming warned.
"I just want a word alone," The woman said to her husband, "With Belle."
Charming gave her a skeptical look but relented. "Fine, I'll be outside. Take care of yourself Belle, you can call me if you need anything."
Belle nodded. At least David tried to be nice; she didn't near feel as much aversion as she did with Snow. It was an odd thing having sudden hate for the princess, whom she barely had any interaction with prior to today. Of course, there was that time she was presented in court and Snow had all but ignored her, but she couldn't exactly blame her for that. King Leopold had just died, and Regina had already started in on Snow. In fact, the festivities of being presented in court had been interrupted because of an argument between them.
Though, she should've had her day.
She still remembered being presented in all her finery. It was the same yellow ball gown that she met Rumple in. Mama had commissioned it for her. It was one of the only gowns her mother had specially made for her before her untimely death.
She still missed her mother deeply.
However, as she felt this she felt a sudden aggression towards the term mother. She didn't know quite how to describe it, but brushed it off since she had never had a bad day with her mother. Save for the fact she had foolishly sacrificed herself to the ogres leaving Belle with that sad sack of shit that was her father who tried to pawn her off on Gaston.
Just the thought of the man, made her feel angry as she turned to look at Snow White, "Okay, Charming's gone. What do you want?"
"You can't give up on Rumpelstiltskin." Snow White said.
"I think he already made his choice, Snow."
"Your highness." The princess corrected.
"What?"
"I'm still a princess. Or queen, I guess. I am of age now, and was going to have the coronation before the curse so you will address me accordingly."
"You've got to be fucking kidding me." Belle said.
Snow winced. "Well, there has to be some protocol some sense of order has to be respected."
Belle started laughing, "Do you really think you're still a princess? Here of all places? When people have been living twenty-eight years thinking that your Regina's whipping girl?"
"Lady Belle?" Snow said struck by Belle's candor.
Belle was struck by it to, but ever since she woke up that day. She found all those things she had repressed for so long much easier to say. "Well, it's true." Belle said, "Regina one upped you."
"Only because she used magic." Snow said as if this forfeited some sick win on Regina's part.
You know, up till recently Belle had never really understood the Evil Queen's motivations for hating Snow White so much. But now she sort of understood, Snow White was annoying. A bit self righteous, really. Still though to curse an entire population it might've been too aggressive.
It was not.
Belle inwardly raised an eyebrow at that though, but brushed it off as she started laughing at Snow White. "Are you fucking me?"
"Really, must you use such foul language Lady Belle, it's so unbecoming."
"If you're forgetting we live in a very different world now," Belle said, "And the language I am using is far less course than the language I had to endure because of the hell your stepmother put me through."
"I'm sorry for that," Snow White said.
"Are you really?" Belle said, "Because if you had some fucking control over your kingdom Regina would've never been able to take over."
"Again, she had magic. And we tried, tried at the end. We even had someone help us with magic. Poor sweet Zelena."
And Belle started laughing (again). Zelena, sweet. What lies. Obviously, Snow White didn't know the witch the way Belle did.
She frowned, she didn't know Zelena. Yet, that name she felt like she knew it and she could somehow associate the witch with something toxic.
She didn't tell Snow White this. Rather, she said. "Well, it really worked out for you. Didn't it?"
"We all underestimated, Regina." Snow White said, "But she's no longer a threat here. Blue thing she ran across the town line after the curse broke with Henry. It makes more sense than what Emma suggest."
"That she jumped to another realm." Belle said.
Snow White nodded, "Jumping realms is impossible these days. And, well, Blue thinks that it was more likely she took Henry across the town line. That's what Emma witnessed."
"And what about Rumple?"
Snow shrugged. "I think he ran off too. Now that he knows Charming and I are awake, there's no way he'd want to deal with us after we found out that he violated our daughter."
"Emma wasn't violated."
"If she knew about him she would've never slept with him." Snow White said, "She would've never married him. He played her, like he played you."
"Rumple never played me," Belle said, "I told you that already."
Snow sighed, "I know. You believe what you have is real, and if you want to be with him. That's fine. I'll help you if you get him away from my daughter."
"You said he was away from town," Belle said.
"That's what I'm assuming," She said, "In all likelihood I do think he ran way, but there's the off chance that he followed Regina to collect…to collect…"
"His son." Belle said, "It's hard for you to admit that Jaime is your grandson that you share with Rumple, isn't it?"
"I can't fault Henry for who his father is." Snow said closing her eyes, "And there are ways, Blue said that we can circumvent it. There are adoption rituals that can be done to wipe out his heritage."
Was she for freaking real?
Snow saw the look on Belle's face. "The darkness will corrupt the boy, Belle. It's in his blood. I—I never told anyone this, but I had to make some tough decisions when I was pregnant with Emma. And I don't regret them. I can never let the darkness in. And I won't let it touch my family."
Belle shook her head at her.
"Judge me all I want, but I am doing best for my family." Snow White said, "Besides, if Rumpelstiltskin does come back, I bet you'd love your chance for a happily ever after."
Belle just stared at her.
"Don't deny it," Snow said, "I can see that it's eating you up that he left you. You don't deserve to have your life destroyed by Regina either, you can still get your happy ending."
Belle laughed, "A happy ending. You yourself were saying that Rumple is the personification of all-evil just now. How would that be a happy ending for me?"
"Honestly, I have no idea how being with Rumpelstiltskin would be anyone's happy ending." Snow White said, "But I can tell you're not happy without him and you're with him for the long haul. You did spend almost thirty years locked in asylum for the man, after all. And like I said, you deserve to get your life back."
"At Emma's cost."
"Emma won't even think about him when all this is said and done," Snow White said. "It will just be a bad memory."
Or no memory, Belle thought, at the transformed mermaid.
Belle shook her head, "I'm afraid you're wrong, Snow. And I'm not going to meddle in Emma and Rumple's relationship."
At least for you.
She had already done her meddling, and it had been more than enough. The last thing she would do was to be Snow White's patsy.
That was so beneath her.
Funny, how long ago, she had been upset when she found out the princess had not chosen her as a handmaiden.
"I don't know what I did wrong." She told her mother when she found out that she had not been accompanied to go with Snow for the season. She had done everything you were supposed to do in court. Yet, when the time came Belle hadn't been chosen.
"Don't worry about it," Colette said with a sigh, even though both she and Belle were disappointed. Without being in court, it looked like her father would more than likely get his wish—marrying Belle off to Gaston.
Ladies who attended court had more options. They went to more balls. The princess or whoever was their mentor usually had a whole visage of suitors and the ones that were dumped usually made eligible matches for her ladies in waiting.
It turned out though, that she needn't worry about having been chosen to court since Snow had been banished before the season begun, but it still stung.
And she still wondered now, why wasn't she chosen?
She thought she had her answer now, as she looked at Snow White. She was better than her. It felt odd to be that self-assured, but Belle knew that just by looking at Snow now. And it just wasn't because Snow White had one ugly ass haircut—courtesy of Regina—in this world. No, it was everything else. How closed minded the woman was, how dumb she was. All Belle felt when she looked at Snow was disgust.
Snow White was shocked with Belle's rejection.
"Are you sure?"
"Of course, I'm sure." Belle snapped, "If Rumple wants me, he'll come to me. I'm not holding my breath, but I know better than to interfere. I suggest you let Emma make her own choices."
Snow White shook her head, "She doesn't know better."
"She's twenty-eight years old, Snow. I think she knows enough," Belle said. "Now get out of my house."
"Think about what I said," Snow White said.
Belle rolled her eyes as the woman left. She was now finally alone. And she could try to fucking figure out how she had a fireball appear from her hand.
She had wanted magic for as long as she could remember. It was an odd thing, moving in with Rumple. She knew she should be scared, but she was fascinated with his powers. In a weird way, attracted to them even though she should've known better. She had been raised in a household where she was taught to be weary of magic. Even Belle's mama, bless her heart, had told her that magic was to be wearied of.
"I don't see why Papa can't get a wizard to defeat the ogres." She had told her mother at the start of the war.
Colette sighed heavily, "It's not that simple, love. Magic always comes with a price."
"But sometimes the price is worth it," Belle said, "Mama, they are killing Papa's subjects. Soon they'll be in this castle. I've read a book about this wizard…"
"No." Colette said, "Nothing good ever comes of magic."
Yet, it did. Belle thought as she thought of Rumple. He could do such marvelous things, but even he refused to teach her.
"No," He said when she asked. "There's too much of a cost, dearie. Don't you think you're in already enough debt with me."
Belle sighed, "But I could be better use to you. I can only read books now, make rudimentary potions."
"And that's all I need you to do." He said, "Trust me, if there is ever a time for you to know how to use magic, I'll teach you. But you don't want to be burdened with that. It will change you. And you don't need changing."
Yet, apparently she had magic now. She didn't know the how or why, just that she had it and knew how to use it. Hell, she killed her father.
And she didn't feel bad about it at all. That was the worst part about it, Belle went to get a glance of wine as she heard the door ringing again.
She sighed heavily; she really did not want to deal with Snow White again. But imagine to her surprise when she opened the door and found Graham standing there with a woman—Hermione.
She had met the witch a few times. Only in passing, but apparently she was one of Rumple's closest friends as Harry Potter.
Rumple had mentioned that in a lot of ways, the witch reminded him of her. That she was smart and liked books, Belle wasn't exactly sure how to take it but seeing the witch with Graham she felt a sigh of relief. With the way they were holding hands, she was not a threat to the Rumbelle relationship.
Not like Emma.
"Hey," Graham said, "I know it's sort of late, but do you mind if we come in."
Belle nodded. "It's fine. I was opening a bottle of wine, you two can join me for a glass if you want."
Graham and Hermione nodded as she let them into her home. Idle chitchat was made for a moment, before Graham said. "I think you know why we're here."
"Because of Rumple." Belle said, "I know."
"Hermione is a witch too," Graham said, "I know you've been looking for a way for Emma to find Jaime and I thought she could help. Is Emma here?"
Belle shook her head. "No. She thought, she thought maybe it wasn't a portal."
Graham raised an eyebrow.
Belle sighed, "Blue thought it was likely that Regina took Jaime over the town line. I think Emma was going to track down leads from that end of town, I haven't seen her since earlier."
Thank you Snow, for providing with a good where Emma went to excuse.
"Makes sense," He said, "Though she should've called me before she left, I could've seen if I could've found something more about Regina's whereabouts."
"You weren't so successful in the past." Belle pointed out.
Graham sighed, "Yeah, I know."
As Hermione turned to Belle, "You know, I could do a tracking potion. If Jaime was taken over the town line in this realm it could help us find him. It doesn't explain Harry's situation though. He hasn't been picking up his phone, and trust me that he always picks up his phone. Or he would've made contact with me by now."
"Maybe, but the situation…"
Hermione shook her head, "No, Harry would've contacted me. He takes his job very seriously."
"It's still weird hearing Rumple called that." Belle said.
"It's weird for me hearing him referred to as Rumple." Hermione said with a small smile. "Regardless, they're missing. And you said Emma went to search the world without magic leads."
Belle shook her head, "That's what she told me. I was having a rather unsuccessful time looking for ways for her to realm travel. If that's indeed what happened."
"I imagine it would be difficult," Hermione said, "Harry did spent almost three hundred years just trying to find a way here. Which makes the whole they didn't travel to another realm theory plausible save for the whole not contacting me bit. God, for all the weeks for things to go to shit."
Belle raised an eyebrow.
"Things just have been very tense lately at work," Hermione explained, "Nothing that Har—Rumple can't handle, but it's annoying for me to be dealing with it."
Belle nodded. "He'll be back. Rumple will find a way."
"Oh, I don't doubt it." Hermione said, "But he'll need help. If he did go to another realm, we'll have to have a portal ready for him. Find some way to communicate, so that we can tell him when it's open."
"You don't trust him to find a way here back himself?" Belle asked.
Hermione frowned, "He's the Dark One not God, Belle. And he'll need help with this."
"Then I'm in." Belle said.
Hermione nodded as she held out Belle's hand to shake. An alliance was made. And for once that day, Belle didn't feel like killing anyone.