Chapter 1:
"Do you have everything?" Gold asked his six year old son just as he was about to board the school bus to Storybrooke Elementary, ensuring his backpack was securely strapped to his back.
"I have, Papa," Bae replied brightly, giving him a hug.
"Well, have fun at the library today and I'll see you this afternoon."
With a final wave and a smile, Gold watched him climbing into the bus and settling behind one of the windows.
Once the bus had driven away, he himself got into the Cadillac and drove to the pawnshop to open up.
It was Tuesday and Tuesday's where usually slow without many customers, but he had a particular fine clock from around 1900 in the backroom of his shop, ready to be repaired and he was very much looking forward to getting on with that.
Entering his shop, he switched the sign on the door and made his way to the backroom, contemplating how much his life had changed in the year that lay behind him.
After a long drawn-out, vicious court case he had finally managed to obtain sole custody over his son.
After his ex-wife Milah had left him a year after Bae's birth and ran off with biker named Killian Jones, grasping her chance at the adventure she had clearly been so very much lacking while being married to him, she had initially left the boy with him.
Caring for a one-year old infant single-handedly while keeping a pawnshop and a rental business afloat had been hard.
But in many other ways life had become a great deal less complicated once Milah had left. Yes, he had resented her for leaving her son behind so selfishly, but at the same time there was no denying that his private life became a great deal more pleasant without having to manage Milah with her razor-sharp tongue, her constant complains and her frequent indiscretions.
As hard as being a single parent was, all things considered, he was coping quite well.
And he loved being a father, loved his son more than anything else in the world. From the very moment he had first held him in his arms, Bae had been his greatest joy.
The day Milah had returned with Jones in tow, demanding her son back had marked the start of the darkest, most trying time of his life.
It had been the day of Bae's second birthday and he had spend weeks meticulously planning the day, wanting to make sure everything was just as perfect as it could be. Even if Bae would barely remember an of it, he wanted his son to know that he was loved and special and worth every effort, even if his mother had abandoned him.
Then Milah showed up, a court order in hand, ready to start the custody battle. If he had genuinely believed that Milah missed her son and had his best interest at heart, he might have been able to push himself to working out an arrangement.
But after the first hearing it became crystal clear that all his ex-wife cared about was making him as miserable as possible and destroying everything he hold dear.
And so a grueling battle began. Milah appeared to be at disadvantage at first, having been the one who had walked out of her son. But soon the lawyer she was paying for with his alimony managed to turn the tables by pointing out that children were generally more depended on their mother and that Milah could offer Bae a stable home with two parents present.
That Killian Jones was a selfish, careless bastard who looked upon his son as if he was merely an amusing pet and that he didn't want that cocky idiot anywhere near his son was of no consequence to the ruling judge.
Milah had been given full custody of Bae and the day he had to surrender his son and watch him taken away by Milah and Jones had been the most devastating day of his life.
He missed his son every minute of every day he wasn't with him and it soon became apparent that Milah had no intentions of sticking to the visiting arrangement they had drawn up.
He was only entitled to see Bae for a weekend once every month and every single time Milah managed to drop him off hours later than they had agreed on, cutting into the precious time he had with his son.
After a couple of months it became clear to him that Bae wasn't happy with his mother. His boy often looked unkept, was often covered in diaper rash and frequently sporting odd bruises that Milah claimed he acquired from him and Killian playing 'rough house'.
Then one weekend she didn't show up all together and when he finally drove over to their place he found the house to be abandoned and their phones disconnected, leaving him without any means to contact them.
By the time it was Monday he had worked himself into a state of complete panic, terrified of what could have happened to his son, begging the police to start a state-wide search.
Then Milah had called, telling him in a cheerfully apologetic voice that she had totally forgotten it was his weekend and that they had taken a family trip together instead and that she was sure he wouldn't mind skipping a month, would he?
He had lost his temper in a way that he had never lost control before and had Milah actually been standing in front of him he was certain he would have shred her to pieces.
Instead he had called her every name in the book, years of frustration over their horrible marriage and the way she had treated him pouring out of him like hot lava.
A week later he was back in court after Milah had accused him of threatening her. Instead of a conviction, he was offered a deal: he was only allowed to see Bae an hour every fortnight under supervision of a psychiatrist.
Knowing that if he got convicted Milah could ensure he wouldn't get to see Bae at all, he had agreed.
In the end, the psychiatrist assigned to him had had turned out to be a blessing in disguise. Archie Hopper was a quiet man who treaded carefully, but proved to have a valuable insight in the situation.
Only after a handful of visits, Hopper determined that he was no threat whatsoever to his son and that Bae actually appeared a great deal happier and better adjusted when he was with his father.
He helped him document the signs that would work in his favor if he were to try and regain custody again.
And then fate finally smiled down on him.
Killian Jones got himself arrested. From what Gold could gather, he had pissed off the wrong people and someone decided to inform the authorities of the illegal pot farm he kept in his shed, earning himself a three year jail sentence.
Milah claimed vehemently that she had been entirely ignorant of her boyfriend's antics and as there wasn't enough conclusive evidence against her, all charges against her were eventually dropped.
However, this time when he filed for sole custody of Bae again in the midst of the trial against Jones, he won and after almost three years of fighting and lawsuits, Bae was finally back in his care permanently.
The first months after he had gotten Bae back had been difficult. His son had suffered under the often neglectful and unstable 'care' he had received from Milah and Jones and as a result was troubled by nightmares and painfully timid around people he didn't now well.
But upon Hopper's suggestion, Bae had regular sessions with him and improved slowly.
Now, a full year later, Bae was thriving. He was doing well in school, having just started First Grade, had friends and was bit by bit becoming a carefree child again.
And he relished in having his boy close. After the horror of being separated from him for three years, nothing made him happier than seeing his son sprawled out on the rug in front of the tv watching cartoons or turning the kitchen table into lego world.
His son was the brightest, most fascinating creature in the world and the way his little face lit up every time he saw his papa had Gold thoroughly convinced that he needed nothing else in the world.
The call came around four o'clock that afternoon, an hour before he was about to lock up the shop.
When he picked up the phone his mind was still half on the clock he was repairing, but as soon as the caller identified herself, his insides ran cold.
"Mr. Gold, this Sheriff Swan speaking. I'm sorry to tell you this, but your son was involved in an accident this afternoon and is currently at Storybooke Hospital to have his injuries checked out. I can assure you that he is not in any life-threatening condition, but you should come over at once. I'll meet you there to tell you the particulars."
The well-rehearsed speech was delivered in record time and if anything he could appreciate the Sheriff's effective directness.
Meanwhile the shop was spinning around him and he needed to hold on to the counter to keep himself from collapsing to the ground.
Bae had been in an accident. He was hurt. Not life-threatening, but enough to warrant a visit to the hospital. His son was alone and in pain in the hospital and he wasn't there for him.
That at last made him move frantically, shrugging into his coat and running towards the Cadillac, cursing the cane and his useless, shattered knee that slowed him down at a time like this.
Not even bothering to lock up the shop behind him, he dived into the car and floored it to the hospital, his insides twisting in fear.
By the time he arrived there, he was panting, almost hyperventilating from anxiety and he shakily made his way to the reception desk.
"Where's Bae?" he rasped to the formidable nurse sitting behind a computer.
Cold, grey eyes were lifted to his and the woman pursed her lips derisively. "Name?"
"Rowan Gold. My son, Bailey Gold was brought in earlier this afternoon. He has been in an accident," he managed.
"You need to fill out these forms," the nurse replied, handing him a clipboard. "The doctor will be with you shortly to explain to you what happened."
"The hell I will!" he bellowed, slamming the clipboard down on the desk again, fury oozing out of every pore of his being. "I want to see my boy!"
"Mr. Gold?" A soft, gentle voice penetrated the haze of his anger and Gold whirled around to face a red-haired woman in uniform.
"You're Bae's papa, am I right?" she asked soothingly.
"Yes… where is my son? How is he?" he pleaded desperately.
"I am nurse Astrid and I'll take you to see him straight away," she told him, waving into the direction of the hallway.
"He still needs to fill out these forms," the nurse behind the counter snapped.
"I'll take care of it," nurse Astrid replied smoothly, taking the clipboard from her. "This way if you please, Mr. Gold."
Without even a backwards glance to the nurse at the counter, Gold followed nurse Astrid around the ER to one of the small rooms in the back.
"Bae is doing just fine," she reassured him as they walked. "He has suffered only very minor injures, but he has been asking for you."
She stopped in front of a pale blue door and Gold felt his nerves flare once more, terrified of what he would find inside the room.
When the door opened and he stepped inside he was greeted by a beaming, excited six year old, hopping up and down on the bed.
"Papa! I got to ride an ambulance!"
"Bae…" His voice broke as he enfolded his son into his arms, hugging him as tightly as he could. "Oh my dear boy…"
"It was awesome, papa…" Bae told him, wriggling against him. "They even put on the siren for me."
Gold laughed through his tears, relief flooding him. His son was fine, appeared to be unscratched even and considered the whole thing to have been a big adventure.
The door opened again to reveal Sheriff Swan and Dr. Whale and Gold turned around to greet them, refusing to let go of his son as he did so.
"Apart from a pair of scraped knees and a scratch on his arm, your son is completely uninjured," Whale told him at once. "He has been extremely lucky."
"What happened?" Gold demanded, turning his attention to the Sheriff.
"I have already questioned several witnesses," Emma Swan replied. "As you know the school had a field trip to the library today. From what I've gathered from Miss Ray, Bae's teacher, the class had just left the library and were headed back to the bus.
Bae was one of the last children to cross the street and just when he did a car rounded the corner into Main Street, driving way faster than the appropriate speed limit allows.
You'll be happy to know we have managed to arrest the driver and he is now in jailed at the station, awaiting charges for driving under influence, reckless driving and driving above the speed limit.
"Did the car collide with my son?" Gold asked, hugging Bae tighter against him as he realized what could have happened and how much worse this could have ended.
"Not quite," Emma Swan said hesitantly. "You see, your son was amongst the last students to cross the street because he'd been talking to the librarian. When she saw the car approach, Miss French rushed into the street and pushed Bae out of harm's way."
Standing very still, Gold wrecked his brain.
Miss French had only been very recently appointed as the new Head librarian. She wasn't one of his tenants, so he hadn't had the chance to meet her properly yet.
From a few coincidental glances he knew she was a petite, brunette woman… and that her name was Belle. Belle French.
Belle French who had saved his son's life by the looks of it.
"Good god…" he breathed, ruffling his sons hair.
"Miss French got to ride the other ambulance, papa," his son volunteered suddenly, "Only hers was going much faster than mine."
Immediately his attention snapped back to the doctor and sheriff in front of him.
"How is Miss French?" he asked worried. "Is she all right?"
Swan and Whale exchanged a look between them before Whale answered the question. "The car did hit Miss French… she is currently at the IC because she has suffered various injuries. At the moment I cannot yet divulge information concerning the extent of them."
A wave of concern for the unknown woman washed over him. "Do anything you have to do to help her," he implored. "Spare no expense… make sure she is comfortable. I'll cover any costs that may arise… just make sure she gets well again."
"You can be assured Miss French will receive every possible care," Whale replied. "Would you like to be informed when she is ready to have visitors?"
"Yes!" Gold replied eagerly. "As soon as she is ready for it, I'd like to see her… thank her myself…"
"Very well," Whale replied, extending his hand. "You are free to take Bae home, nurse Astrid will give you his discharge papers."
"I'll be in touch as well to update you on the progress of the investigation," Sheriff Swan told him. "I will have to question Bae about the accident, but that can wait until tomorrow."
A quick look of sympathy crossed over her face. "Take your son home, Mr. Gold. And be thankful it ended like this."
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