Thanks, scifiJoan! The bit about Rumplestiltskin turning Gaston into a rose is in the show, actually -- the Dark One is powerful enough that there's no epic battle for them, just a snap of Rumplestiltskin's fingers and a rose to give to his maid -- but it IS funny. Rumplestiltskin IS a complex character, which is why I love him, and yeah, I think you either love him or hate him because he makes a lot of bad decisions!
Thanks, Terry! Your comment really made me smile -- the problem with not having a true 'bad guy' of a story is that the tension has to be convincingly delivered, and I admit that I really struggled with that in the planning and writing stages, so it was so great to hear that it turned out well! I'm kind of fascinated by the similarities/differences of Rumplestiltskin and Clark, so it was fun for me to get to explore that a bit -- they both feel like they're unworthy of being loved, but both for very different reasons and each of them makes a different decision about how to handle that. Lois and Belle have just as many similarities/differences, but they're each there for their true love, which pleases me on multiple levels.
I would definitely encourage you to check out OUaT -- it's incredibly enjoyable with lots of themes and subtext in the fairy tale settings.
Thanks for sticking with me through the whole story despite the delays, Iolanthe!
Glad you enjoyed, amberlea! Crossovers are harder than I expected, so I am impressed with anyone who's ever written one now!
Rumplestiltskin is incredibly dangerous -- but he definitely does have a heart, Morgana! I'm glad you were able to follow along even without having watching OUaT!
Thanks, everyone, for following this story from beginning to end!!!
