LAW &
ORDER
SPECIAL VICTIMS UNIT
In the Criminal Justice System,
Sexually based offenses are considered especially heinous.
In New York City,
The dedicated detectives who investigate these vicious felonies
are members of an elite squad known as the Special Victims Unit.
These are their stories.
Emma Swan first noticed it at the party to celebrate the defeat of Zelena.
Mr. Gold sat in the back corner of Granny's as silent as the grave. Just staring straight ahead like he wasn't really all there. This was before Emma came to the conclusion she was currently contemplating, so she thought it was just him recovering from losing Neal. She missed him, too.
Emma walked over to him and gently placed a hand on his shoulder to get his attention. That's when it happened. Rumpelstiltskin jumped out of his skin and jerked his body away from her with a small terrified yelp. Staring at her with his brown eyes. Those eyes. Something in them just wasn't right. The look on his face could only be described as pure terror.
As soon as he recognized it was her, Mr. Gold calmed down. He placed a hand on his chest and sighed. "I'm sorry Ms. Swan, you startled me."
Startled? Rumpelstiltskin did not get startled. Emma knew him well enough to know that. He was lying through his teeth. Her superpower told her so. But Emma supposed it was best to worry about it after the party, so she replied, "Sorry Gold, you just looked a little… off. Are you okay?" She asked.
"Off? I'm afraid I don't know what you're talking about, dearie." He said, with his Scottish accent. But something still wasn't right. He spoke in a flustered tone, like he was trying to calm himself down.
The next event that led to Emma's suspicions happened the very next day, when she was on a walk with Hook and they happened to pass by one of Storybrooke's few bars, The Rabbit Hole. Emma happened to glance over and was surprised to see Mr. Gold through one of the windows. Based on the empty shot glasses, he'd been drinking. A lot.
But what made it her business? She ignored it and continued on her walk.
But she noticed other things as the week went on. She visited him at his shop once, and they went out for coffee. He was her son's Grandfather after all, and one of her only two ties to Neal she had left. She noticed it when he reached over to pick up his cup. Precise, deliberate cuts on his wrists, over faded bruises.
Did she ask about it? Of course. "Gold."
"Hmm, what is it?"
"What's that?"
"What's what?"
"That." She grabbed his arm and forced his sleeve down, showing a fading hand-shaped bruise around his wrist and precise cuts along his forearm, an obvious sign of self-harm.
He jerked his arm back. "It's nothing." He insisted. "It is not nothing, Gold. You are cutting yourself. And where the hell did those bruises come from?"
"It was Belle." He said. He answered too quickly and her superpower was calling BS. "You're lying." Then a terrible thought came into her head. "Was that… Zelena?" She asked quietly. "No." He answered too quickly and her superpower was calling BS.
"Don't be ridiculous… I have to go."
"Gold. You have to talk to someone, anyone."
"No, there is nothing to talk about. I have to go."
"Gold. I worked with New York's Special Victim's Unit for four years. I know-"
"Swan, you are pushing it. I don't know where you're getting that from. I was not… I didn't..."
He trailed off then angrily grabbed his coat and disappeared in a swirl of red-violet smoke. Emma had enough experience from her SVU days to know a rape victim when she saw one. And Gold wasn't just an ally, he was the grandfather of her son and the father of the man she had loved. He was an asshole sometimes, but he was family. Which was exactly why Emma Swan felt perfectly justified in what she was about to do.
Emma went into the hallway in front of the bathroom for privacy and got out her phone. She went through her contacts to dial a number she hadn't called in years. The number rang several times, and finally she heard a click as the person at the other end of the line picked it up.
"Hey Olivia, it's your old friend, Emma Swan. Look, I know this is short notice, but I've got this friend who I think might need some of your… expertise. I'm calling in a favor."
Cue Law and Order music…
Hey guys, I may or may not continue this story, but it really depends on what you guys think. If just one person tells me they want to hear more, I'll post more. Review, review, review!
-alphashley14
