A.N: Hey guys, had this idea jumbling around my head for the past few days and couldn't shake it so i decided to try it to see the response, right now i have not outlined this story at all, as this is the worse possible time for me to start writing again (mid terms) so if the reviews are good and i see theres potential i'll start outlining the plot more seriously, i'd also appreciate a beta reader if anyone has the time and patience for it :) all of which I'm writing is based ( well not all of course) my life a criminology student who is volunteering in a psychiatric hospital so most of the disorders and conduct is based on what i know and see, but if any of you think otherwise and find a mistake please point it out to me so that i might change it. Enjoy!
Storybrooke Sanitarium looked like the creepy mental asylums Emma remembered seeing in old movies, large, made out of stone and covered in ivory. Prior to her getting accepted here, Emma had volunteered at the psychiatric ward in Boston Children's Hospital. It was a requirement of her second degree in Clinical Criminology but Emma had also done it for the recommendations and the experience of working with mental illness patients.
At 27, Emma finally received her Masters degree in Clinical Criminology with a Bachelors degree in Criminology and Psychology. Sure, she had a rough start, only starting college at 20 with a work/study type of scholarship and later on due to her hardworking, no partying 4 years she also received a scholarship for her Masters degree, and now she aimed to impress the scholarship program once again so she can get her Ph.D and for that a couple of hours volunteering after school wouldn't cut it, she needed at least a year of real experience working at mental health facility, especially one that held the criminally insane, which is what she plans to dabble in after all.
After passing through security she reached the lobby where a dark haired beauty with bold red lipstick was talking on the phone. She raised her head when she saw Emma approaching and singled her to wait.
"Sir, those are the visitation hours, I'm sorry there's nothing else I can do for you, goodbye." With an exasperated sigh she hung up. "Sorry about that, how can I help you?" She said with slightly more cheer to her voice than earlier.
"Hi, I'm Emma Swan, I'm the Clinical Criminologist from Boston…I'm supposed to meet with a …Dr. Gold?" Emma handed her I.D and paperwork over to the girl.
After scanning the pages and looking at her computer screen a few times the girl handed Emma back her papers and I.D with a smile.
"Hi Emma I'm Ruby, welcome to Storybrooke Sanatarium!" She got up from her desk and looped her arm around Emma's whilst leading her through the main entrance. "It is so great to have another girl here, we have a really male dominated staff as you'll see so more girl power is more than welcome."
Emma kept silent as Ruby continued to yap about something or another until they reached the elevators. Ruby was wearing a red high waited pencil skirt that did wonders for her perfect figure with ankle breaking stilettos and pin straight hair. Emma felt a bit plain in comparison, her long pale blonde hair was hanging tousled waved down her back, she never wore much makeup so curled her lashes a bit and lined her eyes with black eyeliner that brought out her sea foam green eyes, she was wearing dark wash skinny jeans with a light blue button down shirt, her most elegant looking black leather jack and black knee high boots.
"Well, here is where we part, Dr. Whale will continue your tour and take you to see Dr. Gold and Ms. Mills the head of the hospital. Oh, and come find me on your lunch break I'll fill you in on all the gossip."
"I'm afraid one lunch break won't be long enough for that Miss Lucas." A tall blonde man smirked as he just walked out of one of the elevators. He offered his hand out to Emma. "Hello, I'm Dr. Whale, you must be Miss Swan, nice to meet you." He smiled politely showing no teeth.
Emma shook his hand cautiously. "Same here."
"And now Miss Lucas, I believe it's time for you to return to your desk, lest some rumour escape your attention."
"Haha." Ruby replied sarcastically but her flirtation smile betrayed her intent. She gave a small wave to Emma and went back to the front desk.
"I'm just here to take you to Dr. Gold, he's currently at the main lounge where most of our non-violent patients spend their time." He said as he used a key card to open the elevator and pressed the "L" button. "Dr. Gold will give you one of these so you can wander the facility freely."
"Really? No secret forbidden areas where you preform tests on patients?" Emma tried to joke, but it obviously didn't register with Dr. Whale as his expression remained humourless when he replied with a stiff "No." Off to a great start there Swan.
The elevator ride was uncomfortably silent after that.
When they reached their floor, Whale led Emma through another door where he used the key card and entered a password while signalling for the guard to buzz them in.
"Umm Dr. Whale, I was just wondering about my getting hired here-"
"I don't know anything about that, that's Dr. Gold turf, he brings in all the fresh meat, so to speak." He cut her off.
After going through the gate they reached what she presumed was the main lounge. she saw both male and female patients hanging around together so she gathered that they were a Co-Ed institution. To be honest Emma knew nothing about Storybrooke Sanitarium, nor could she find much about it online.
"The patients here range from Personality Disorders to Psychotic Disorders, Eating and Mood Disorders. But they all share one common belief, fantasy if you will, they all believe they are fairy tale characters."
Emma eyes widened in shock "All of them? How can that be possible?"
"We're not sure yet, could be attributed to them all coming from the town." Whale responded absentmindedly as if the whole conversation bored him.
"Wait- they're all from the same town? Storybrooke? None of the patients are from out of town?"
"It's more convenient Miss Swan for the residents of Storybrooke to come here, while other towns have their own institutions." A new voice responded behind Emma. He had a slight accent with greyish brown hair reaching his ears, a white doctors coat like Whale over a pristine grey suit, expensive looking leather shoes and a walking cane.
He extended his hand out to her. "Dr. Robert Gold, excellent to make your acquaintance Miss Swan, I've been looking forward to your arrival."
Emma nodded her head "Is that so."
"Oh yes, very much so, we have been in desperate need of someone with your expertise." Gold turned to Whale "You're excused Dr. Whale."
Whale nodded his head curtly and without another look at Emma turned around and headed back to the elevators.
"Prickly sort, isn't he? Brilliant Doctor though." Gold gave a giggle that gave Emma the creeps.
"Why don't I continue the tour hmm?"
"Dr. Gold, I have to ask, how is it that you hired me? I didn't send my credentials to Storybrooke- I mean, not that I wasn't happy to have been accepted! This is coming out wrong…" Emma rambled when she was nervous, luckily though she didn't blush easily, a skill which saved her more than a few times throughout her life.
"No no, it's fine deary" Deary? He's friendly fast "I understand what you meant, I received your credentials from Mclean Hospital with their recommendation to hire you as they didn't have a slot available, the head of the hospital is an old dear friend who owed me a favour and knew I was looking for one such as you. No need to be embarrassed we're not a very known institution I'll admit, but we have a staff here like no other and we are very fortunate as to have gained you."
"No, I'm the fortunate one to have been accepted here, thank you." Emma smiled politely.
They continued to observe the patients hanging around the lounge while Gold explain more thoroughly the uniqueness of Storybrookes patients.
"So they all have their own diagnosis's but share a delusion? That they're all fairy tale characters? Did they all start to believe this at the same time…?" Emma asked peering at a petite and frightfully skinny women with black hair in a pixie cut stare dreamily out the barred windows.
"Actually it was rather gradually, each patient came at a different time but believed just as the one before them that they are fairy tale characters stuck in some curse where they don't remember who they really are, but somehow they've awoken to the truth."
"Are there patients whose delusion is identical to another? I mean, do two woman here believe they're Sleeping Beauty?" Emma asked while looking around the room to see if she spotted some girl fake sleeping.
"As a matter of fact, no, all have their own character, and they all believe that the others are the characters they're claiming to be too. Funny you should mention that character as she is one of the only ones not to have been attributed to a patient here."
"Dr. Gold, sorry to bother you but if Miss Swan would like to meet her patient now would be an opportune time as he just finished his session with Dr. White." A pretty brunette wearing a nurse's uniform approached them.
"Speak of the Devil! Thank you Nurse Dormant we'll proceed there now."
Smiling, Nurse Dormant went to help a patient, a pretty asian women who was doing a puzzle.
"Why speak of the devil Dr. Gold?" Emma asked curiously eyeing the nurse.
"Well Rose, I mean Nurse Dormant is believed by the patients to be Sleeping beauty."
"The patients fairy tale fantasy extends to staff as well?" Emma was getting more intrigued by the minute.
"Not only the staff, the entire town as well." Gold led her back to the elevators and inserted his key card. "You'll be getting one of these by the end of day I assure you, right now I'll be taking you to the reason you where brought here." He Pressed the "D" button and grinned at her "D for dangerous, the criminally insane floor." He paused. "Well, that's not accurate, we only have one real criminal, he'll be under your care amongst other doctors of course, but we hold the more violent patients on this floor, some of which I'd like for you to examine as well."
"Yes I did wonder how could a non-state facility house a criminally insane patient…"
"Well it was mostly due to the fact that he is from Storybrooke, and I was the head consulting psychiatrist on his case, the court thought it best that he continued his treatment under my care."
"Yes but you stopped treating him, Nurse Dormant said that he was now being treated by a Dr. White…?" Emma asked curious as to why Gold would take such trouble to assure this patient would remain under his care and then stop treating him.
"Let me explain Miss Swan, this patient, sharing the same delusion as the rest believes himself to be Captain Hook and views me as his arch nemesis Rumplestilskin, don't ask me why him specifically but the other patients view me as that character as well. He believed I killed his true love and cut off his hand, which I assure you was gone before I met him." Gold smiled as if he told some funny joke.
Emma smiled politely back "So, may I see his file? I'd like to know more about him before I meet him."
"Apologies, I left the file in my office, but no worries deary we'll head over there as soon as you meet him, I'll brief you on all you need to know now."
Emma thought this was quite strange, as even in the Children's Hospital before meeting a new patient they were given the full medical history of the patient, including their personal background, she would've thought a place such as this, slightly more serious than a children's psychiatric wing would be much more thorough and not just give her a quick review.
"His name is Killian Jones, age 32, has been institutionalised for nearly a year for carving out a womens heart and stabbing it repeatedly, I have further belief though it was not proved in trial that he had murdered and possibly raped some women beforehand."
"Charming." Emma grimaced. The truth was she wasn't scared to meet him, she had met and worked with many killers and even rapists even when she used to visit prisons as part of her school requirement.
"Funny you should say that." A voice remarked from behind her as she and Gold stood in front of a door.
A brown haired man, who was rather attractive in Emma's eyes even though he wore a slightly maniacal smile approached them, he too was wearing a doctors coat and holding a chart in one hand while stretching out his other to shake her hand.
"Dr. Jefferson White, nice to meet you Miss Emma Swan, so looking forward to working with you and hearing your insight."
"Likewise Dr. White. Now what was funny?" Emma asked with a raised brow.
"Oh." He chuckled while smiling a secret sort of smile, like only he knew the reason behind it. "Well this patient has uh caused problems with some of the female staff before."
Emmas eyes widened at that. Oh my god did he rap-
"No no, nothing as bad as you imagine, he had a way with charming them so as to look the other way when he was being naughty you see."
"If by being naughty you mean almost attacking me 3 times…" Gold mumbled under his breath.
"Well don't worry about me." Emma replied as they signalled the guard to open the door. "As hard as it may be I think I can resist a murderous psychiatric patient."
When the door opened Emma's eyes widened a notch at the sight before her and a tiny voice inside her mind whispered No promises though. Sitting handcuffed to the table before him was probably the most sinfully handsome man she had ever seen- bedroom blue eyes, dark hair just the right length, sort of unkempt like he'd just run his fingers through it and left it. He had the perfect amount of stubble along his jawline and his mouth was just meant for kissing- perfectly shaped and was now stretched into the most obscene looking smirk as he cast an appraising look her way.
"Well well, who is this delicious looking morsel?"