Dark One's Daughter *Book Two*

And Straight on 'Til Morning

It was the morning after Bae had died and someone was yet to tell Papa to news. Considering we were family, I decided that I should probably be the one to break the news to him. But to do that I needed to find him.

Of course when I realised I should probably do this, I had been constantly putting it off as much as possible so instead of doing that, I chose to go to the park with Mary Margaret, David and Emma. But not for any good reasons. At the park was where Granny was babysitting Henry and someone needed to break the news to him.

When we got there, I was extremely surprised to see that Papa was actually at the park watching Henry.

"Papa. What are you doing here?" I asked him, as we walked over to him.

"Well, my son made it clear to stay away from him and you, so... I'm spending time with my grandson instead," Papa told us.

Emma and Mary Margaret whispered for a moment before Emma left to go talk to Henry.

"You can do this, Tash, ok? We're right here," David muttered to me, giving my shoulder a squeeze.

"Papa, we need to talk. I need to tell you something and... and it isn't good," I said.

"Not interested," Papa replied, going to walk away.

"It's about Baelfire," I said, and I could feel my eyes welling up.

"Yeah. What about him?" Papa asked, but didn't look over at us.

"Tamara shot him," I said simply, causing Papa to turn and face me.

"What?" He asked.

I tried to tell him the rest of what happened but when I opened my mouth to say it, I couldn't find the right way to say it.

"He's dead?" Papa asked, taking my silence as the only answer he needed.

"They used a bean to open a portal. Neal was hurt so badly, he fell through," David explained for me, as the tears started again.

Mary Margaret came over to my side and wrapped a comforting arm around me. Papa looked over at me, gasping in shock.

"He's gone," David said sympathetically.

"Bae wasn't supposed to die," Papa muttered.

"Greg and Tamara—they took something from Regina—a magical trigger. A fail-safe in the curse that can destroy Storybrooke," David explained.

"If they activate it, it's a self-destruct. Everyone not born in this world will die," Mary Margaret added while she kept me close to her.

"I know this is hard, but we need your help," David finished.

"No," Papa replied after a minute.

"They killed your son in cold blood, and you don't wanna stop them?" David asked.

"They didn't kill my son. I did," Papa whimpered, as he too had tears streaming down his cheeks. "I brought magic to this world to find Bae. And now he's dead. Magic always has a price, and this—this is it. But I'm prepared to pay it."

"But... we'll die. You'll die," Mary Margaret reminded him, as I tried to process what he had just said.

"No, I've made my peace with that," Papa muttered.

"What about Tasha?" David asked.

Papa looked me straight in the eyes and with shaking hands he took my free hand.

"She understands," He said.

He then limped away, leaving us all in silence. I had never seen him look so serious about something. At least this way I can see Bae again. Probably hadn't thought it would be so soon, but I could see him all the same.