entrancelogs | I got to go because something's on my mind, and I won't get better no matter how hard I try

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I got to go because something's on my mind, and I won't get better no matter how hard I try

Who: GOLD AND ANYONE ON THE MIRROR SIDE + Mirror Gold and Regina
Where: Around the Mirror Mansion + eighth floor hallway
When: July 16th
Rating: PG-13
Summary: Gold's out to capture some Mirrors in his magical hat. Meanwhile, Mirror Gold is about to have a very bad time.

The Story:

♚ MIRROR SIDE: OPEN ♚

It takes Gold a few attempts before he arrives on the Mirror Side, armed with the dagger and the hat tucked away in its little gold box. He writes a note to Regina in the notebook in their customary Elvish, warning her that the plan is being put into motion, and that his Mirror is there waiting, and sets out to start gathering what he needs to complete this damned ritual and sever himself from the dagger once and for all.

It would be easier if he had someone to do it for him. For all the Captain is as frustrating as he is foolish, he made a lovely pawn, but if he's going to prove this isn't something dark and horrible, then he has to be willing to risk it, himself. It's a small price to pay to avoid alienating his loved ones and getting everything he wants.

This time, it will actually work.

While everyone else explores and hunts for the Core, Gold walks with a purpose. The Core, while a fascination of his, has no appeal for him today. That is something he will leave to the brave heroes daring enough to get close to it. He'll take what they learn and apply it to his own research- the Resistance is good for gathering that sort of information. Meanwhile, you'd think the bastard belonged here as casually as he moves through the halls, stalking prey he can lure off to fall victim to the hat.

♞ REAL SIDE: CLOSED TO REGINA ♞

Meanwhile, a very perplexed mustached man has found himself in Gold's room on the Real Side, which comes as a great surprise to him. Rumplestiltskin sighs drearily, figuring that, yet again, he'll be protecting the Reals from the antics of some of his brother and sister Mirrors. Really, it's becoming absurd, all this fighting. He's never going to be able to leave war behind.

Grimly, he steps from the room and out into the hallway of the eighth floor, glancing around for any sign of the chaos. It's coming- you don't surprise the Mirrors and not have them throw a few temper tantrums.

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The last time she's seen him, he'd been wiped free of the curse. His heart had been turned completely white, but he was lying unconscious and likely unable to wake for some time. If ever. So much had happened in such a short amount of time, all of it made her head spin. She had come into his shop so angry and hurt, but by the end of it, she was broken hearted and struggling to believe that he would come back.

But where did it leave them? And how was she going to reconcile all of her memories of Wonderland to what happened in Storybrooke. She had experienced banishing him from the town. Her relationship with Will and Rumpel's return. The loss of her heart from Regina and then the new Happy Endings written by the author. Where did all of that fit into what happened here in Wonderland.

There was little time to question any of it. As soon as she returns, she spots the rifts into the mirror realm. She knows at once that Rumpel is either responsible for it or simply taking advantage of the situation. It was where she would find him and where she heads without a second thought.

It takes a great deal of searching before she spies him. She doesn't know how to speak to him, even as she approaches. All she can do is stare and hope he recognizes her for herself and not a mirror.

Gold doesn't know a thing about Belle's Mirror, but he assumes she'd be someone like Lacey- cold and seductive and cruel, so when his eyes fall upon Belle, he doesn't suspect for a second that it might be the false one. Some part of him, a chiding, paranoid part, warns him of jumping to hope- Belle has been gone for a short time and, for all he knows, she could have come back with any sort of changes to her demeanor and the Mirror could reflect this.

But gods he's too relieved to see her to care. "Belle?" He steps forward. "You're back." He glances around, frowning. If it is her, then why on earth is she here? "What on earth are you doing here?"

"I just got back and there were these tears, people...mirrors were spilling out. I thought I should see what was happening." She said, stumbling on her answer, feeling tongue tied and lost. He looked healthy, strong, despite the cross over the line. How much damage had her actions caused him? Should she blame herself for the state he was left in? She didn't have any idea of what would happen to him, only that she was trying to protect others.

"I knew you'd be here." He was still trying to free himself from the dagger and now that she had these newer memories, it was hard to know what to feel about this.

He swallows a bit, relief crossing his features. It couldn't be her Mirror then- unless her Mirror had been watching him for all this time, and he's careful not to discuss things where they might see.

He nods somberly, once her words process, and he pulls the golden box out of his jacket. He doesn't want to hear about what future she came from, because the idea nearly frightens him. He'd much rather focus on the present. "It's very nearly finished."

She doesn't want to tell him, not when so much of his future is dark and heartbreaking. Matters aren't even fully resolved between them. She's gone from fearing he's dead to seeing him now alive, plotting again just like he used to. It's left her more than a little disoriented. This would need time to process.

"I thought you needed the heart of someone you've known since you became the Dark One?" The fact she knows about that ingredient should indicated she's from further in their timeline. "It's not Hook, is it?" Don't make her do all of that again, Rumpel.

"No, I thought of that as well." He keeps his eyes on the box for a second longer before lifting his gaze to meet hers. "I thought perhaps my Mirror would suffice." It might not work- a Mirror is a facsimile, not a real thing, and he knows what sort of disaster Zelena caused by trying to substitute things, but he's too desperate not to try, and too afraid to consider what happens if he fails.

"After all, no one knows me better than myself." A self-deprecating jibe, one that might cut her as much as it cuts him. His expression softens, sympathetic. "But that's going to change now."

"But can you be in the same place as your mirror to even get the heart?" She asked. She hadn't run into her mirror and had never seen them in the same place at the same time. It left her concluding that it wasn't possible. "How are you going to use it without getting near him?" He had to have someone else involved. Without hearing it from him, she could guess who it was.

"Rumpel, what if this doesn't work?" It was a possibility. "All of these mirrors are being sacrificed for it. What if there are repercussions from the Queen?"

"I have someone taking care of that." And he doesn't say Regina, because for that she's placed him in a bind with her insisting on making a deal, he doesn't feel compelled to put her in a situation that might cause her undue grief- it's more selfish than it is out of kindness, however. The space they occupy is small, and he'd prefer if he and Regina stayed on decent terms.

"She can remake them, Belle. They're only toys to her- pawns." He grimaces. "And she has bigger concerns with the Core, at any rate. She might not even notice they're gone."

Little she knows- little she cares. Why would she? They're disposable foot soldiers and she's utterly mad.

"They may be just her pawns, but she might view it as a personal insult. We're in her realm and what we do might be construed as an attack, whether it's meant that way or not." Didn't the Queen in the books say, 'All ways are my ways?' Everything they were doing made her nervous. The Sorcerer's hat, the spell in general. There was no comfort for her in this.

She didn't know if she could watch it all. She knew she should, just to guarantee that he didn't slip into complete darkness, but it reminded her too much of what had happened before.

"How close are you to finishing?"

"I only need a few more," he responds, somehow glossing over her concerns about the queen. He has no fear of the Queen of Hearts- he never has and he never will. Cora was the only one who had any sway over him and she's long dead and buried.

He glances behind him and then places the hat inside his coat, reaching out to take both her hands in his. "Belle, I made a promise to you- one I intend to keep, but I must finish this first. The consequences if I don't are far too dire."

She hesitates for only a second before taking his hands, giving them a squeeze. This is emotional for her on so many levels. He was passed out on the floor the last she saw him. She didn't know when he'd wake up or how he'd be. Excuse the tears that will start to form in her eyes. She's going to bypass just holding hands and go straight for a hug.

The sad thing is, she isn't sure she trusts him to keep that promise. Not after everything else they just went through. "I've missed you."

He holds her close, surprised by the hug, as he always is on some level, but the embrace is no less strong and meaningful for it. He places a kiss on the side of her head and breathes in the scent of her. "I missed you too. I love you, Belle." He sighs, chest constricting with how little those words have meant over the years. "I hope you never forget that."

She hesitated about that, not sure how to respond. He did love her, she knew that. But now there was that fear that his power meant a bit more to him. There was no going back to that idealism. "I know you love me." That's all she can offer him, even if there was a question mark to how much.

"Do you want me to stay during this?"

"I think it might be safer if you did." He pulls back, hands trailing down her arms to come to rest gripping her hands, as if he's not eager to let the contact end. "The Queen is occupied with something, which goes a long way towards explaining why she hasn't retaliated against me yet."

"Okay, I'll stay." It would also allow her to watch and see what he planned on doing. She loves him, but trust is still needing to be reforged between them. "How close are you to completing the spell?"

Rumors fly quickly when there's so little else to do, and it hardly takes any time at all for talk of mirrors being transplanted to spread. Not that it concerns him too much; Baelfire has few he cares for in this world, where those around him are merely shells of the people he once knew. Should he find himself in a land with color, it might mean a few interesting opportunities--but his Real hardly seems the sort to abandon family in favor of curiosity these days.

It's something they have in common, from a certain perspective.

So no, he isn't surprised to remain on his own side of the mirrors, although the sight of a familiar face causes him to pause. There's a flicker of a grin across his lips, because of course Baelfire knows who this man is, but Gold is somehow less father to him than even Neal Cassidy, quite a feat given what he knows.

"Looking for something?" The Core, most likely. It seems to be where most of the Real things are headed. He gives Gold a brief look-over, his hand instinctively coming to rest on the sword at his side. He doesn't wear the garb of someone from a modern world, instead dressed much as one might expect from the Enchanted Forest--namely, it's seas, where he has spent his days as part of a true family, one not broken by a man's cowardice, but rather forged by a mother's courage to steal her son away before his life could come to ruin.

Gold wasn't certain what to expect from his son's Mirror. He assumes, rather unfairly, that most of them are cruel when the Reals are kind. Shattered reflections that no one will miss when they're gone from this world. The hat has already claimed a few victims. A few more and he can be safely over to the other side and begin preparation for the final stages of the ritual.

And now he's face to face with his son.

It's more disheartening than he expected- here is Bae, as he should have been. A man who grew up in the place he was born in. Perhaps his Mirror isn't cruel at all, but a version of Bae who grew up properly in a loving home with his father and mother and...

He eyes flick to the hand on the sword, to the expression on his face, and he straightens, frowning. "Someone, actually," he corrects, gently. "Hello, Bae."

"Hello, Papa."

For a few seconds after, he lets the silence stretch, meeting Rumplestiltskin's serious look with one of his own--until he can no longer keep in the laugh, a wide grin spreading across his face as he shakes his head. "Oh, oh man. I thought I might be able to say it with a straight face, but I can't."

Is he a cruel man? That's debatable. After all, he grew up among pirates, but ones who abided by their captain's code of honor, as Baelfire himself seeks to do. He is in so many ways his father's son--that father being Killian Jones, and nothing Rumplestiltskin can do would convince him otherwise. In that, he may indeed be cruel, for the simple truth is that he cares nothing for the man he now shakes his head at.

He's looking for someone, and Baelfire can't help but wonder what he had expected to find.

"I can't promise they'll be here; any number of you are taking the opportunity to jump over to this side." Whereas the mirrors are still bound by their Queen's command not to leave without her permission, and Baelfire himself hasn't been forced through his Real indulging some sense of curiosity. "Like you--except there's always a reason behind whatever it is you do, right?"

So he's heard, listening through the mirrors.

"So why are you really here?"

Gold's expression falters in the second the laughter starts and there's no hiding that crestfallen look of despair that crosses his face. Even reassuring himself that it's only a Mirror doesn't do much to ease the pain that grips him. It's his son's face, his son's voice, and it's mocking him.

"No concern of yours, Bae," he remarks, dryly, unable to hide the hurt. He tries to walk past, not expecting that he'll be stopped. His son's always wanted to watch him walk away and leave him be on his worst days- why would his Mirror be any different? Better he get away than learn more than he wants to know, and he's not certain he can stomach feeding his son's Mirror to the hat, regardless of who or what he is.

There’s a large difference between the son of Rumplestiltskin and the man before him now, however: whatever pain or anger Neal Cassidy holds, it’s rooted in the love he feels when he looks at his father. That trait remains unshared, the few memories Baelfire has of Rumplestiltskin ancient, their impact long since worn away by being part of a true family filled with love.

So when Rumplestiltskin gets that look on his face? Baelfire merely shakes his head, unimpressed by how easily wounded he is. He has his own reasons for engaging in this conversation, which is why when Rumplestiltskin tries to move past, he is indeed stopped by Baelfire stepping into his path.

“Except it has to be; you know how things work over here. Who the Mirrors serve.” And if the Queen were to find out Baelfire let someone so powerful as Rumplestitlskin merely walk away, no doubt she would be displeased. “So why don’t you go ahead and tell me so we can be done with it? Unless you think you can hurt me--your son.”

Hey, he may be anything but, but Baelfire isn’t one to turn away from an advantage.

[Being a Mirror is frustrating for Captain Hook in one particular way.

Rumplestiltskin remains alive.

His Mirror is so far removed from the man Hook hates that it's barely worth his time, but the Real one, oh, the Real Rumplestiltskin is truly the man he killed so long ago. Hook's spent a lot of time watching him in the mirror, feeling the magic in him itch, and wishing to sink his hook into the villain's chest and remove his heart.

His chance finally comes when the other Dark One arrives on Hook's side of the mirror. With very little fanfare, he appears behind Rumplestiltskin in a puff of dark smoke.]

And what, I wonder, would happen if I plunged your dagger into your chest again? Would I gain twice the power?

[that is

simultaneously alarming and also utterly unsurprising.

Gold whirls, drawing his own dagger instinctively, a cold sneer working away across his face as he looks the dear captain over.] That look doesn't suit you at all, Captain.

Nor does your look. [Hook has his own dagger out in an instant, the words Killian Jones clearly emblazoned on the blade. His hook glitters unsettling, and if Rumplestiltskin cares to notice, he may notice that it's not metal at all, but simply a contruct of magic. Killian could regrow his hand if he chose. He'd rather keep the hook.]

I much prefer you dead.

[And with that he steps in, his dagger glinting as he attacks (atk 22, dmg 9).

He could use magic, but the idea of making Gold bleed is so much more appealing.]

[yeah, well. no one told Gold not to use magic. he hisses at the wound, and then summons a fireball, because guess who has never gotten to light you on fire (dmg 34, reflex save halves). That is going to be extremely satisfying.]

We're going to be at this all day, I think.

[at least until he can summon the hat.]

[Well he sure crit failed, so he's on fire now. He just kind of lets himself be on fire though, grinning manically through the flames.]

Underestimating me again? How well that worked for the Dark One of my world.

[He uses his magic to gather the flames and sends the fireball back at Gold, flinging it off his hook.]

Edited 2015-07-25 18:25 (UTC)

[If you think he can dodge that, you sorely underestimate his reflexes. He only really has time to throw up his arm to shield himself from the worst of the flames, which sears through his suit and causes him to wince when it the fire bites into flesh.]

Your world. That would be the world that the Queen of Hearts created, wouldn't it? [He favors his right side to cover the fact that his right is burned and healing slowly, circling towards the pirate.] You forget you're only what you are because she decided she liked you better this way.

Is that what you think of us mirrors? [He vanishes in a puff of smoke, reappearing behind Rumplestiltskin.] I couldn't care less who created me. Doesn't change the fact that I've felt you die before. Perhaps we'll learn if it feels differently when it's a Real, hmm? [He smirks, lashing out with his hook.]

They say Real Things that die on this side don't come back. Rather like the sound of that.

It's sooner than she expected, but that's how these things go, isn't it? One idea, a place to start and then Wonderland throws a wrench in the works. At least this time the wrench is beneficial, to one of them. It's almost enough to make her wonder what the price of this is going to be. Something of this caliber is going to cost the Dark One a lot, especially if he's trying a workaround.

With a quick reply in the notebook, she sets out to look for the Mirror. It's a shame, really. She almost liked this one, he had his own unique charm that the real Rumplestiltskin never possessed. But a deal is a deal, and the Dark One owing her is far more important than the life of a magical construct made by a pale imitation of her mother. She steps out into the hall to start tracking him down, only for him to step out of Gold's room.

Well, that was easy.

"Rumplestiltskin."

Rumple tenses, because he associates that voice to Regina's Mirror and being called by her- gods how come there are so many people on his side who have explicit memories of murdering him- is never a good thing.

His hand falls off the sword that he went to grab instinctively, relaxing visibly. His last conversation with the Real Regina hadn't ended in disaster, so he's not expecting treachery.

"Regina. Lovely to see you, though you seem to have caught me at an odd time." He glances around. "I do hate when the Queen gets her crown on too tight about us crossing over without permission."

"Wonderland's falling apart at the seams, I'm sure she has bigger things to worry about." So does Rumplestiltskin, but let's not ruin the surprise. Regina takes a few steps forward, arms folded across her chest. As casual as can be, because we don't want to startle the little hero, do we?

And that thought lights a spark of hatred in her chest, because it might not be the same one, who is currently on the other side of the glass, but he represents the same ideal. Rumplestiltskin the hero, if she needed a reason other than 'they made a deal' then there it was.

"Just like you."

Rumple turns back from his scrutinizing the hallway, frowning at her, and suddenly he regrets not going for his sword when he did... but that's ridiculous. Everyone knows Regina's Real is a far more decent sort these days, unlike his Real.

"Really," he drawls, skeptically. "And what exactly should I be worrying about." He doesn't retreat, however- that would be the cowardly thing to do. He just straightens up a little bit, even if it doesn't really help his height much.

But just like his Real, her capacity for backsliding is very real. Though, she'd prefer to think of this as a business transaction, and well, Mirrors are simply constructs of the Queen of Hearts, so it's not like it really counts.

"You see, I've learned some very interesting things lately." Unfolding her arms, she flicks a wrist and poofs his sword far, far away. "Namely about your counterpart, and since I can't hurt him, you'll have to do."

There's some prey that doesn't allow itself to be hunted-- prey that thinks itself invincible instead, walks right into danger with its chin held high, convinced that no harm could come to it. That it's too strong, too smart, impossible to to outwit.

Angelus is that prey-- or the shadow of him is, a fraction of the real Angelus that dwells within Angel on the other side of the glass. He smiles to himself as he finds himself wandering into Gold's path, hands deep in his pockets as he rounds the corner from the next corridor, eyebrows lifting when he spots him and proceeding to give him a quick once-over, appraising him hungrily.

God, he loved when the Reals came over to this side. It was like calling out for delivery.

"Lose your way, Real Thing?" he asks, a patronizing lilt to his words.

Gold's kneeling on the floor with the hat in its golden box form clutched in his hand, having just fed it another fractured piece of the Queen's magic. He straightens, dark eyes turning to... Ah yes, this must be Angelus. Yet another one of the Mirrors that he'd probably be celebrated for eliminating.

He lays a hand on the gold box, meeting the vampire's patronizing look with a condescending smirk. "On the contrary, I'm exactly where I want to be."

He folds his arms across his chest, watching Gold expectantly, unimpressed. Granted, even if someone did manage to meet his very high standards as to what was impressive, he would have pretended not to be. Part of his supposed mystique-- and his downfall on more than one occasion, letting his own reputation go to his head.

"Now why would you want to be over here?" He takes a few measured steps forward, a smile pulling at one side of his mouth. "I know all you Real Things think of us Mirrors as being awfully nasty."

"You talk as if I have something to fear from you." He's still smirking, finding all of Angelus's posturing to be terribly amusing. Mirrors are just things- well-constructed pawns of her Majesty. Shadows of their Reals.

"Pathetic, groveling little things that you are." The smirk becomes a sneer.

"First off? I don't grovel."

Never been his style. Angel? Maybe he'd give it a go every now and then, plead with people for approval and forgiveness, but not him. No begging and no apologies. He's never had any need for either one of them.

"Second? You really think you're so much better than us that you're untouchable over here? You know, if you get hurt on this side of the mirrors-- or, I don't know, die, there's no reversing it. Food for thought. Pays to be careful on this side of the glass."

"You talk as if you can kill me," Gold clicks his tongue, thoughtfully, trailing his fingers over the box in his hand. "You have a Dark One here. You ought to know that we're quite difficult to kill."

He shakes his head. "But I didn't come here to fight with you, Angelus. In fact, I actually come bearing a gift. You see, you Mirrors are going to become a part of something far greater than the Queen's design."

"I've had some practice." Besides, it's not the end result he's interested in, not really. He smiles, and it's wholly unpleasant, hungry. "Mostly, I just want something to eat."

Feasting on the other Mirrors won't earn him any friends, and while he doesn't care about company, he doesn't need more enemies on this side of the glass than he already has. He's violent, but he's not stupid.

"A gift. Really. It's not even my birthday."

"No, but it is a day for... liberation, I should say." He holds up the little gold box and waves a hand, keeping his eyes on Angelus as it unwinds itself to reveal the... hat from Fantasia, only seemingly made of a tiny galaxies and stars.

"Liberation."

He doesn't sound convinced-- but the box's contents has his attention once they're revealed, if only for a moment.

"That hat looks familiar," he remarks mildly, both eyebrows lifting. "What's next, dancing brooms? Scary. Shaking in my boots."

"Remarkable how easy magic is to underestimate."

That's sort of how you got cursed, isn't it, Angelus? Well. Now it's time for an entirely different kind of curse. With a bared teeth grin of a madman, Gold tilts the hat so that the bottom faces the vampire and... the hat begins to do its thing. Do not ask me to eloquently explain the process of someone being sucked into a magical hat, Christine. I won't do it.

"What the hell is--"

He never gets a chance to finish. His reflexes are good, but when he didn't know to suspect the hat, well-- it doesn't matter how fast he can move. It doesn't help. There's nothing more to be done, other than rid the Mirror Side of one more violent resident.

I won't make you do it, Chris.

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I got to go because something's on my mind, and I won't get better no matter how hard I try

Mirror Side - Season 4 Finale Spoilers

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:D

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mirror side!

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Gold, Mirror Side!

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