Author's note: More Rumpelle mush. I love them so! Sadly Emile De Ravin got a pilot on ABC so we may not see much of Belle in the future : ( I do not own OUAT, Romeo & Juliet, Disney's Sleeping Beauty, The Canterbury Tales, or anything else. I usually don't put songs into the stories, but I love the one from SB so it's at the end. And I am not a doctor I just watch a lot of ER/Grey's, I'm pretty sure that in today's world they can treat you pretty quick if you step on a nail but I needed something to make the character fall into a coma so I made up nail poisoning…see I'm not a doctor! Please enjoy the first installment of the Lost Ones.
Summary: This is a sequel to The Rag Girl and Her Guardian. Belle, Isabel French, is free, and has her memories back. She is still working at the pawn shop and will be volunteering at the hospital. Belle wants to find the other princesses and try to help them get their memories back. The mayor knows she knows the truth and shot her, luckily she missed, so that is where we leave off…
Prologue
Regina heard Mr. Gold's cane down the hall.
"Ironic isn't it? Being on the other side of the bars?" Mr. Gold said coming to visit the mayor.
"Please, unlike your extended stay here I'll be out in a few hours" Regina said wondering why he had come here "Your precious beauty is in the hospital alone with no one to watch her. You better scurry back there"
He struck his cane against the metal bars. "Not before you heed this warning Regina" Mr. Gold came up to the bars "if you go near her again, threaten her, I will pull every deal in this town and no amount of your power as mayor can stop me from bringing you down"
"Idle threats from you Mr. Gold"
"My words are not idle"
"Very well; I'll stay away from her" Regina simply said.
Mr. Gold didn't buy it for a moment but played along. Their relationship had always been a back and forth conquest for power.
"I wonder if Isabel knows about the other one? " Regina asked
"Other one?" Mr. Gold wondered what she was playing at now.
"Yes, your little investment you made a while back with the three old ladies, what were their names?" Regina questioned him. He knew better to threaten her, and she would dig up every piece of dirt she had on him and expose him to Isabel, make her leave him… again.
"Martha, Franny, and Flow Thorn" Mr. Gold replied.
"Oh yes, them and their poor granddaughter, stepped on a rusty nail and got poisoned. What are you going to do with her now?" Regina wondered
"She is not mine to have, her great aunts came to me and we struck a deal. I loaned them a sum of money for hospital bills. Would you rather the girl have died?" Mr. Gold gritted his teeth.
"Well if she's just taking up a good hospital bed" Regina cackled "Oh Gold do lighten up, I was only kidding"
"I'm afraid your humor is lost on me, excuse me I have to get back to the hospital, and remember not a word to her or you will pay"
Regina waved at him from behind the bars "you forget who runs this town, you'll soon learn again"
"And you forget who owns it" Mr. Gold said, if she wanted to push him, play the power game then he was willing to push back. He had something, someone, to lose now and he was not going to let Belle slip away again.
Briar Rose
Isabel sat in the hospital bed talking to a male nurse. The Paul Stevens was in his early twenties, a good build, brown hair and brown eyes, he was a humble guy, with a lot of book sense. "So there I was on the ER shift and a man came in my yelling my wife is out in the cab she's having the baby, so I run out there and lift the girl's skirt up, turns out I opened the wrong cab door, wasn't the lady at all"
Isabel laughed "that's not true, come on"
Paul shrugged "ok, it's not my story but it's a good one isn't it?" He checked her vitals and charts "Looks like everything is good here, Dr. Whale should have you out tomorrow. Keep you here overnight for observations is the normal procedure."
"Thank you" Isabel said kindly as he left the room she turned the TV on "ABC introduces new Desperate Housewives tonight at 8" the TV blared. She flipped the channel "nothing good on Sunday night"
"Am I interrupting?" Mr. Gold asked as he came into the room. "No" Isabel smiled "I was just expecting to see you sooner"
"I had to go see a friend" he replied quickly.
Isabel cocks her head knowing he is lying
"Just a little chat between business partners" Mr. Gold replied.
"And that business partner she wouldn't have almost shot me today right?" Isabel asked.
"Yes, well I just wanted to make sure you would be safe. Do you feel like a walk? "
Isabel nodded and Mr. Gold helped her out of the bed. He took his jacket off and put it on her shoulders so the hospital gown wasn't showing. She looped her good arm through his and they started to walk down the hall.
"Is it a surprise?" Isabel asked wondering if it was something he had planned for her.
"I'm afraid not my Dearie" the arrived at the elevator and he pushed the button to go up one floor. "I told you I would be honest with you, and so before Regina tries to spin the tale in her direction I want to show you a secret I've been keeping from you. Her name is Barb Thorn, and she's been in a coma for a while from nail poisoning"
Isabel stopped him in the hallway and looked him in the face and quietly asked "you thought she was Belle?"
"Yes, I knew you were in Storybrooke somewhere but at first I didn't know you were Mr. French's daughter. Before that I made a deal with the Thorn sisters, thinking she was you I paid for her medical bills. "
"You didn't want me to die" Isabel could see where he had come from.
Mr. Gold nodded "Yes, it was a selfish cause on my part"
'I think it's pretty brave, fighting for someone you don't even know" Isabel said.
Isabel and Mr. Gold walked into R730. Isabel looked at the girl sleeping. "Isabel meet Barb Thorn" he said. She looked to the side of the bed and traced her hands over a novel on the table. "She has visitors, right? I mean she's not in here alone" Isabel knew how horrible it was to be alone.
Mr. Gold nodded "her aunts come in during the day and the nurses do a good just at night"
Paul knocked on the open door. "That's my cue, visiting hours are up" he walked over to the other side of the bed and checked all the machines. "Goodnight Mr. Gold, Isabel, Nancy will be in to check your vitals soon so you better get back to your bed"
Isabel took Mr. Gold's arm and looked over her shoulder leaving the room she saw Paul pick up the book. They walked down the hall together back to her room. Isabel spoke cautiously "Rumpel, what is it?" she could tell he had something on his mind. She took hold of his arm as she sat back on the bed.
"I would like for you to move in with me" Mr. Gold said simply.
"Like or insist?" Isabel said questioning his motive.
"I want you to make your own mind up Dearie' " Mr. Gold was in the line of demanding things from people but things were different with her. He knew he could not demand such a thing or she would run for sure.
"You're worried and you're being too kind. I know you want me there. I bet you already have a room ready for me? " Isabel questioned him knowing he probably had a room ready for her months ago maybe even years.
"And a library, it's just a small room" he simply said.
She kissed him on the cheek lovingly. "Goodnight"
Mr. Gold left going back to his empty house, empty heart, waiting for her to return.
Nancy Parker, a stocky middle aged woman with curly black hair on the graying side came in to check Isabel's vitals later that night. "90/60 you should be fine to go home tomorrow morning" she said "will have to keep that arm bandaged up for a few days"
"Nancy, what do you know about Paul Stevens?" Isabel questioned wondering what his relationship with Barb Thorn was.
"Bright young man, he could have been a doctor by now, had a chance to go to Yale, but he stayed back" Nancy replied.
"Why?"
"Not my business to gossip, but I think it's because of Barb"
"The girl in the coma?" Isabel asked.
Nancy nodded "he reads to her every night, sad really, she's such a beauty, but she'll never wake up"
"Brain trauma?"
"That's the thing, her vitals are fine, the poison has left her body, it's like she's just sleeping"
"that's so sad" Isabel replied thinking how awful it must be stuck in your own mind asleep.
"Indeed, now you get some rest yourself" Nancy said leaving her room and turning her light off.
She dreamed that night of her life long ago.
Rumpelstilskin sat at his spinning wheel spinning away. Belle came over and sat on the stool next to him. "did you finish dusting?" he asked not looking up from his spinning wheel. "And the dishes, and the sweeping, so where'd we leave off?" she asked and opened the book. "And sleeps again. This is that very Mab That plats the manes of horses in the night, And bakes the elflocks in foul sluttish hairs, Which once untangled, much misfortune bodes: This is the hag, when maids lie on their backs, That presses them and learns them first to bear, Making them women of good carriage. This is she—" He stopped spinning and looked over watching her read.
Isabel got out the cab in front of Mr. Gold's house. She took a moment to look the outside of the house over. The house was well hidden by the gate and shrubbery around it. There was a note on the door "make yourself at home – R" She opened the door and walked inside. Mr. Gold had given her the alarm code so she pressed the buttons and closed the door. The house was fairly big, with a foyer leading to a dining room and kitchen, on the left was a living room, a small parlor area and then another room with a closed door. The place was dark, so the first thing she did was open all the curtains. She then made her way to find her library. By the time Mr. Gold arrived Isabel had organized all the books in the small library and pulled several books out she wanted to bring to the hospital. "So you found the library?" Mr. Gold said entering the room. Isabel nodded "but you seem to be missing something". He looked around thinking that he had everything she could have ever wanted. "What is it Dearie?"
"The spinning wheel" Isabel said with a smile, and he smiled back "It didn't go with the decor" Mr. Gold said making a hand motion.
Isabel was busy at the pawn shop when Henry entered after school.
"Henry, good to see you" Isabel smiled
"I don't have much time, I just wanted to let you know I found my book, thanks for looking" he said politely. He put his book down on the counter so she could see it.
"Oh Henry, look at this work" she said flipping through the pages "its hand sewn, you see the middle here, and these pages all look like they were hand typed. This book is definitely very special. Mr. Gold has a whole collection from around the world but nothing like it. Where'd you get it? "she asked curiously.
"Ms. Blanchard, she knew I liked stories" Henry said with a smile.
"That's so nice of her. You must be a really special student." Isabel thought for a moment. "Henry your book, does it have a story in it about anyone sleeping a long time?" Isabel asked wondering what kind of fairy tales were in his book.
"Yeah, a few." Henry thought a moment, and flipped through the book. Snow White had to be awoken with a kiss but he already knew who Snow White was. He flipped through the book past The Little Mermaid, past Beauty and the Beast, until he arrived on Sleeping Beauty. "Briar Rose, she got stuck with a poisoned needle and she fell into a deep sleep and could only be awoken with"
"True love's kiss" Isabel finished the sentence "that's all I needed to know, thanks Henry"
"You found her didn't you?" Henry whispered scared Operation Cobra would get wrecked any minute. "I knew you were the one to awake the others"
"I'm not sure Henry, but I know there is a sick girl in the hospital in a coma. I think she may need a little help to wake up" Isabel told him truthfully not really sure if Barb was the real Sleeping Beauty or not.
At that moment they heard a car horn honk outside.
"I have to go" he grabbed his book, took a quick look at the tea cup in the glass box and started to make his way out the door "I'm sorry about my mom!" He said before closing the door, and then he was gone, and Isabel was left with even more questions.
Isabel scribbled "True love's kiss can break any curse" on the first page of every book she pulled from Mr. Gold's library. She entered the hospital and walked into Barb Thorn's room. "No wonder you haven't woken up. I don't blame you for sleeping through Ulysses" she put the books down on the little table by her bed. "I brought Paul some better reading material for you, one of my favorites… the works of Shakespeare, and the Canterbury Tales, and Beowulf...it's bloody but brilliant at the same time"
Isabel turned and was faced with the Mayor, coming to check on her favorite coma patient.
Regina dropped a basket of apples next to the books on the table.
"It's so sad the poor girl" the Mayor said in a sympathetic tone. "I come to check on her every chance I get"
"Yeah, I'm sure you are so upset" Isabel said in a callous tone. She was not playing the little princess card anymore, she was going to be the heroine one way or another.
"Make no mistake Ms. French, no matter what kind of restraint order is on me or no matter how much your boyfriend threatens if I wanted you dead, I would not miss firing again. The only reason you walked out the hospital in the first place the other day was because my son seems to have taken a fancy to you. And the less time he spends with Ms. Swan the better" Regina glared back at Isabel. "If you'll excuse me I have a hospital board meeting" she left the room in a rush.
Isabel watched Regina leave and looked back at Barb "I wouldn't eat those apples if I were you" she said before leaving herself.
Later that night Paul Stevens was making his rounds "Hey Barb" Paul said going up to the monitors near her bed. He checked them over very carefully making sure every wire and plug was where it was suppose to be. The auburn haired pale faced girl with ruby red lips and closed eyes did not respond of course but Paul went on talking anyway. "I don't know if you heard, but there is a dance in a few days, the whole town is going, it's a pretty big deal. It's like the first social event in decades around here. I volunteered to work that night, so don't worry you won't be alone" he spoke softly and sweetly to the girl as if she were six years old. He looked over at the basket of apples and a new stack of books "You could have said something if you were bored with my book" he smirked to no one but himself. He picked up The Canterbury Tales and opened the first page where he saw the words "True love's kiss can break any curse." Paul flipped pasted the page and opened to the Knights Tale. "Once on a time, as old tales tell us, there was a duke whose name was Theseus..."
Isabel had a terrible dream that night. She usually dreamed of being back in the castle with Rumpelstiltskin, but this time there was something different about the spinning wheel. The Queen was there, and she poisoned the wheel. Belle reached up and touched her finger to the needle and poked her finger. She screamed and fell deeper and deeper into her dream.
Mr. Gold heard something across the hall and made his way to Isabel's room. "Isabel" he said shaking her a bit. Isabel gasped waking up. "Oh Rumpel, she poisoned me" she said hugging him tightly. He let her embrace him, breathing the smell of her sweet hair in. "It was just a dream Belle" he whispered to her, comforting her. "When I'm there in that land, in my sleep, it feels so real" she said telling him her dream. "Do you dream of your other life often?" he asked. Isabel nodded "every night". "Me too, Dearie" he said in a calm voice letting her know she wasn't the only one.
The next afternoon the trio of ladies sat at a table in Granny's diner talking about the dance that night. "... threats by your boyfriend… the mayor said that word sounded so funny. We are close but..." Isabel said and Mary cut her off "forget what Regina said, you don't have to label yourselves. He seems kind of old school anyway, you know courting and such" Mary said with a giggle and Isabel joined in. "I don't think he's much for social functions so I haven't even brought up the dance" Isabel said. "Well its ok, I'm not going with David, and unless the mystery man asks Emma out I don't think she has a date either so we can all go together. It will be fun" Mary Margaret smiled "After all that has happened this year we could all use a night off" Emma said. "Cheers" they all three said holding up their soda cups.
Paul clocked in for his shift. He made his rounds down the hall and saved Barb for last. The quote at the beginning of the book had been on his mind for three days now. True love's kiss can break any curse. "Quiet around here tonight Barb, everyone is at the dance, well almost everyone" he said checking her vitals and then sitting down next to her bed. He opened the book. The quote popped out at him again. True love's kiss can break any curse. Paul sighed and started to read the Knight's Tale to her where he left off. He closed the book and stared at her for a moment. "True love's kiss can break any curse" he said to himself, and then gently, cautiously he stood up and bent down, bringing his lips to her chapped ruby red lips. There was a flash of him dressed in a royal velvet suit riding a white horse. He shook off the strange image and waited a moment, watching, waiting. Nothing. He went back to reading the book.
The dance was held in the high school auditorium. The theme was A Mid Summer Night's Dream. The whole room was filled with blue streamers and twinkle lights that made it look like stars. The music was your traditional dance party music which the DJ pounded loud enough away to make the whole place shake. Emma, Isabel, Mary, and Ruby danced in a crowd with the rest of the town in the middle of the gym. "So this is what prom was like" Isabel screamed loving the dancing. "Yeah, except my prom date puked on shoes" Emma told her glad those days were over with. They all laughed and continued to dance in a big circle.
Barb Thorn opened her eyes slowly. The bright light of the room made it hard to see at first. All she saw was shapes and shadows. She turned her head slowly watching the man in the chair next to her bed reading. It was the same voice she thought she had heard every day in her dreams. Except in her dreams he was a prince and she was a princess. Paul was engrossed in the reading "The goddesses of Clemency and Love, We've waited patiently all this fortnight. Now help us, lord, if it's within thy might." Barb felt the sharp needles in her arms, it was hard to move, and she had a deep thirst. "Water…" she managed to say in a whisper. Paul looked at Barb and dropped the book on the floor in shock.
When he got over his shock he poured a glass of water for her and stuck a straw in it so it would be easier for her to drink. She drank two cups and finally stopped. "I'm Paul Stevens" he said "I'm not sure if you remember me or not. I was a few grades ahead of you"
She shook her head trying to remember about school, most everything was still a blur. "Did we miss the dance?" She asked in a whisper.
Paul smiled and shook his head. "No, no we didn't" he laughed so ecstatic she had heard him.
The DJ turned the tempo down and a slow song came on.
"Looks like your date showed up after all" Mary Margaret said to Isabel pointing to the entrance. Isabel turned and looked towards the door, Mr. Gold was watching her. She guessed he had been there a while. She walked over to him and he made his way over to her. "Thought you ran away again" he said. "I didn't know you would want to come" she shrugged feeling a little guilty.
"You're right" Mr. Gold replied. He usually liked to stay away from these social functions. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you" she felt disappointed in herself, he had been honest with her and yet she kept a small something from him. "I'm not one for dancing but would you have my hand?" Isabel took a hold of his arm and they made their way out to the dance floor for a slow song.
Paul sat Barb down in the wheelchair and looked at her "are you sure you want to do this?" She shook her head. It felt nice to breathe in the fresh air and to see everyone again. Barb knew she would have months of rehab to endure to get back to a normal life, but she wanted this night. "I'm going to get in trouble but it's worth it" Paul said pushing open the door to the auditorium. The two made their way into the dance.
Everyone stopped dancing and turned looking at them. Whispers spread around the room. She was the coma patient that wasn't suppose to wake up. Everyone gave them a moment. Isabel made her way over to Paul and Barb. Isabel bent over and whispered in Barb's ear "I'm Isabel but you can call me Belle" hoping the name would mean something to her. Barb smiled and shook her hand, but the name meant nothing to her. "Nice to meet you" she said with a smile. Paul gave Isabel a small hug. "Thanks for the books" he said to Isabel figuring she was the one that had dropped them off.
Isabel walked out of the dance very disappointed that Briar Rose didn't remember like she did. She stood outside looking up at the stars. "It didn't work, she doesn't remember." Isabel said disappointed as Mr. Gold made his way over to her. Mr. Gold took her hand "I want to show you something Dearie" he said leading her back into the dance. Paul had picked Barb up and was holding her, dancing with her in his arms. They both had smiles on their faces. "You don't think you did well? You have more magic then I ever did in the other world" Mr. Gold said. Isabel smiled at him. He reminded her "Belle, it doesn't matter if she remembers today or tomorrow the hard part is over. She's awake"
I know you
I walked with you once upon a dream.
I know you
The gleam in your eyes is so familiar a gleam
Yes, I know it's true
that visions are seldom all they seem
But if I know you, I know what you'll do
You'll love me at once
the way you did once upon a dream
Author's note: Don't yall love that song? I do! Thank you all for reading and reviews please. If there were any grammar errors I apologize, I tried to get part 1 finished before I went out of town for a few days.
Stay tuned for The Lost Ones Part 2… The Little Mermaid and more with Briar Rose and Belle of course!
And if anyone has suggestions for princesses/princes/storybook characters let me know. Thank you all again for reading!