A TWIST IN THE TALE
Summary—Many surprises lie in store for Storybrooke a week after the curse is broken, especially for our mysterious pawnbroker.
Disclaimer—I own nothing. All rights to Once Upon a Time belong to ABC.
Chapter 1—Plan
As he sat spinning at the wheel in his home office, Mr. Gold thought of all the recent changes in the little town of Storybrooke.
A week had passed since Emma had broken the spell, restoring everyone's memories, and since he had brought magic—power—to Storybrooke. Snow and Charming were happily together now, often spending time with Emma and Henry. Booth had come back to life (fully human except for the wooden leg that served as a reminder for him to be a better man) and to work as his father's assistant. Granny and Ruby continued to run their café.
The Dark One plotted.
The first part of his plan had remained the same for over thirty years—finding Bae. He only hoped that, when he found his son, he could be forgiven for letting the boy go. The only person he had told about Bae was Belle, his true love.
Belle. The only thing that surprised him more than the fact that she was here—alive—was the fact that, even after remembering everything, she still loved him. She forgave him for his cowardice and rejection.
"My power means more to me than you."
"No. No, it doesn't. You just don't think I can love you." She'd been right and he knew it.
She'd never seemed truly afraid—not of him, not when they made the deal. Until now. Every night for the past week she had woken up screaming. Nightmares, she said through her tears, of what they'd put her through in the psych ward. He would hold her in his arms as she cried, trying to comfort her. "Shhhh. It's alright, dearie. I'm here…" he said over and over while silently cursing Regina for hurting his Belle like this. With Belle asleep again, he'd quietly leave the room, plotting new ways to make the queen pay for all she'd done. And she would pay dearly—for locking Belle away for 28 years, for making him believe she was dead for years even before the Curse.
As if on cue, the blue-eyed beauty opened the door, smiling. "You have a visitor."
"Show him in," he said, stopping the wheel mid-spin and going to his desk.
Judging from Belle's smile that the guest was young Henry, Gold was surprised as a young girl walked in, carrying a large schoolbag.
"Mr. Gold?" she asked nervously.
"Yes. What can I do for you, dearie?"
"My name is Bailey Dawson.
I'm your granddaughter."