The pawnshop is, as per usual, a place that makes Roni's hackles draw up. Maybe it's because of the memories she has of things that happened here, or maybe it's just Rumplestiltskin. Shivering slightly, she walks up to the front counter, waiting silently. She can hear him in the back as he walks through, cane clicking against the hardwood floor. When Gold steps through, he stops, looking at her strangely.
"Are you having a mid-life crisis?"
"No," Roni says. "I'm not her."
"And that explains everything," he says, coming forwards to stand opposite her, on the other side of the glass countertop. Roni scans it almost thoughtfully, pausing at the sight of Belle's chipped cup and then again upon seeing Anna's wishing star necklace. "See anything you like?"
"I heard around town that you deal in real estate or at least loans," Roni addresses. "Would this happen to be true?"
"To whom am I speaking?" Gold replies, tilting his head. Roni pauses.
"Roni. Yes, I'm related to Regina, no, we don't know each other, yes, I know that I look like her, no, I've never tried tricking people into thinking I'm her." All very true statements and I've never had to trick anyone into thinking that I am me, either.
"Do you get asked those questions a lot?" he asks humorously, before questioning, "What kind of real estate are you after?"
"There's a place just off Main Street. Parts of it have already been renovated – there's a giant number one on the side. I'm also looking for a place to live."
"Troubles in paradise?" Gold asks, turning to limp across to a filing cabinet, opening the middle drawer and taking out a folder. "Number one, Harbour Lane. A very imaginative name. It's part of the old factory- well, old being relative considering how fake the town is." He opens up the folder for her to see and Roni skims the details. "Two floors, with running electricity and water, though they've never actually been on, so you'd have to get a contractor in if there were any problems."
"Is the second floor habitable as an apartment?" Roni questions, wondering if that could work instead of buying two separate buildings.
"It could be. I'm willing to part with the deed for this property for one hundred thousand, seeing how much disrepair it's in. That includes the planning permission, notes on infrastructure and other legalities."
Roni's heart drops to her stomach, but she doesn't let it affect her face. "Is there anything you'd take rather than cash?"
"What do you plan to do with it?" he yet again avoids answering one of her questions.
"I want to open my own bar," Roni says, before repeating herself. "Is there anything you'd take rather than cash?"
Gold scrutinises her. "What have you to offer?"
Roni, in turn, looks him over. This reality in unfamiliar to her, yes, but Rumplestiltskin is the same scheming bastard as always. She smiles, though, as she realises she does have something – hopefully. Considering Danny's parentage, however, it seems more than likely the trend remains.
"Baelfire."
In an instant, Gold's face changes. Fear, anger – settling on the latter. He slams his hand on the counter, glaring.
"What do you know?"
"I know about Peter Pan, too," she says, which is a mistake on her part, she figures out as soon as Rumple's hand lifts, choking her in mid-air. He disappears, materialising behind her, letting up on the choking, only to bring his stupid dagger to her neck. Roni tries and fails to tamp down her annoyance. "Really?"
"Who are you really? I can sense that glamour on your face – if I ripped it off, who would I find?" he hisses in her ear.
"Regina," she says, "Regina Mills, you ingrate. A much more evil version of you sent my son and I here, preventing us from every being returned home."
"Care to prove your own words?" he whispers. Roni flinches as he pushes her up against the counter, turning her around and ripping the glamour off her face. He stares for a long, hard moment before stepping back, knife still bared against her throat. "Explain. Now."
"It's a long story. Want me to give you the Cliffs Notes?"
"Just tell me," he glares.
Roni grits her teeth. "This is a different reality. I have no way to know whether or not it's the same, which is why I thought to check with you. Now put away the dagger, before someone sees."
"Why do you care about the dagger?" he questions. "And why should I believe you?"
"You're such hard work, you know that, Weaver?" Roni mutters, wincing at her own words. "Shouldn't Belle be around to temper you?"
"Belle never got swept up in the Curse," Gold then says, Roni frowning at his reply.
"Really? I'm sorry."
"Why are you sorry?" he asks, "She was out of range with her wife. A good thing – who knows what Regina might have cooked up for her?"
"Belle's what?" Roni's eyes widen. "Wait, you mean, you and Belle never…"
He frowns. "Me and Belle never what?"
"…oh my, it's not just Emma and other me," Roni whispers. "I thought there were only minor changes. You and Belle…that's not a minor change. Are she and her wife True Loves?"
"They certainly love each other very much," Gold takes the dagger away from her neck, holding onto it tightly by his side. "Mulan and Belle are well suited. They help protect those in the Enchanted Forest, a wasteland though it is now, apparently and filled with ogres besides."
Mulan – she was in love with Aurora, poor girl. Roni can't help a small smile. At least she's happy in this reality. "What about you? Do you have anyone?"
"That's a rather personal question, Roni. Why that name? Why not call yourself 'Regina', rather than keep up the sham?"
"Because Roni is my name," she says, "I was put under the Dark Curse for what seemed like the millionth time and that's who I became. You were Detective Weaver. Things were a mess – the last thing that happened before I came here, your Wish Realm self trapped you, the Wish Realm version of Hook and my son and his family in a snow-globe."
"This is ludicrous."
"I know it sounds ridiculous," Roni sighs, rubbing the bridge of her nose. "This reality isn't so different that you know who the Author is, do you? Does Henry even have his Book?"
"Aye, the boy has his storybook," Gold says, peering at her. "Who is the Author?"
"The writer of that storybook," Roni says. "He's currently trapped, for good reason, cursed only to record rather than create. Unless this reality is different, of course. In my world, Henry grew up and became the new Author. He had a magical Pen that used squid ink. He could write worlds into existence and a Wish Realm version of you tricked the Wish Realm version of Henry into trapping the both of us here, in this reality."
"This is ludicrous," Gold repeats, voice quieter than before. "Why do you want the building? Why not ask for my help to get home, instead?"
"Because there's no way home," Roni says, swallowing a lump in her throat. "You're the master of contracts. If you wrote a story about your enemies being trapped in another land, with every word to become the truth with the stroke of a pen, would you leave any loopholes allowing us to return?"
"Depends on the loophole," he replies. "I'll strike a deal with you. You will tell me the entire history of your life and any other that you know and in return, I shall point out the differences, if there are any and the building will be yours, free of charge, along with another property of your choice."
Roni narrows her eyes. "What else do you want? That's too lenient. I know you, nearly all your evolutions and only the selfless one looking out his family asked for nothing."
"Family?" Gold questions, but Roni stays silent. A long, long moment passes and then his dagger is waving in front of her face and she feels her glamour restore itself. "You're right, of course. I want favours."
"How many?"
"Let's say…five. If you really are Regina from another reality, then I want you under my thumb," he says and this is Rumplestiltskin, the ruthless, cut-throat man that was her teacher. Roni grins viciously.
"My privacy, too. You keep every word I say on these subjects under lock and key. Every secret of mine you give away, you lose a favour and you tell me when you do, because I know you will, eventually."
His smile is all teeth as they shake on it.
Roni walks out of the pawnshop with a deal and a sizeable loan, meant to be paid back over the next five years with a two percent rise of per-annum interest. The deeds to 1 Harbour Lane and the old Zimmer household – claimed by Gold long before the brother and sister were discovered to be living alone – are waiting in a new filing cabinet, ready to be claimed as soon as Roni sits down with gold for a long, long chat.
Stopping off at the bank, she manages to get an immediate slot booked so as to make a new bank account, marking 1 Harbour Lane as her address. There are a few worrying moments, including how Roni has no form of ID until she creates a facsimile of a Storybrooke drivers license under the table after 'taking it out of her pocket'. Roni uses the social security number she had in Seattle, noting the bankers odd head tilt as she types it into her computer, but thankfully the banker doesn't seem to care too much – she gets more distracted by the cheque that Mr Gold had written for Veronica North.
"You must have been good friends in the Enchanted Forest," the banker squeaks.
"I made a deal, one that I can repay," Roni replies calmly, even though her knee bobs up and down rapidly. Once the cheque is cashed in, Roni summons the paperwork the hospital left her and brings it up out from under the table, the banker sighing a little as she eyes it.
Roni watches the numbers change on the computer screen as she bills it, remembering her time in Seattle living on less than fifty dollars a week for food and personal items, all other money going to pay bills. Victoria Belfrey – always trying to steal my bar out from under me, to push me out of town. For once, she's thankful. If she were just Regina Mills, she'd have no idea how to scrimp and save like she knows that she's going to have to do now, so as much money as she can keep goes back to Gold as soon as possible.
After her business at the bank finishes, Roni takes out some hard cash and does a small grocery run, sending her shopping bags straight to the cabin where – hopefully – Danny will put the freezer items in the cold box. Roni hopes he's sensible enough to realise how you unpack food and isn't deficit in basic tasks from being a monarch – gods know she was, when Storybrooke first unfolded all those years ago.
Then, after that, she goes to the local tech shop and buys a new phone charges, two laptops and the newest phone on sale – which is a Samsung Galaxy SII, getting a contract rather than top-up. Like the groceries, she sends them to the cabin.
"Hey! Roni!" she hears someone call her name, which is unexpected to say the least. Turning on the pavement, Roni blinks at the sight of Red jogging up to her, taking her headphones out, grinning at her. "How are you? Granny gave me the rest of the day off."
"I'm…good," Roni says.
"You look it – nice arms," Red grins, reaching over to poke them. Roni gives her an amused look.
"Are you hitting on me?"
"Oh yeah," Red nods, leaning up against a nearby lamp-post. "How often do you work out?"
"Usually, every few days," Roni replies neutrally. Red, standing in front of her, seems like the same old Red – but she isn't. She's not the Red that Roni knows, she's a veritable stranger. A stranger who likes to flirt with her, it seems. "You?"
"The wolf keeps me pretty fit," Red shrugs, "I have too much energy. I got let off today because I'm too hyped up. This shit with Archie is just…you'd think it would sap away at me, but I'm just so full of adrenaline."
"It'll pass," Roni murmurs. "Has anything happened?"
"In what? The last few hours?" Red shrugs. "Regina came around, thanked me for getting her taken in for questioning. I said sorry. It was awkward. I think she might have mentioned you, though. You were out last night?"
"I was. I had to get my arm seen to. I saw my aunt, which was why I went in," Roni says, wondering if Red is in a chatty mood today. The least she can do is try to help repair her younger self's reputation – which would happen, if Red told this is Leroy.
"Your aunt…you mean, Regina's mother? Cora?" Red frowns, before shaking her head. "She must have come through after them. That's awesome."
"It really isn't," Roni says in a defeatist tone.
Red grimaces. "Yeah, it isn't. But at least I met you – we should go out some time."
"Where to? The Rabbit Hole?" Roni snorts, Red reaching out to poke her shoulder.
"I used to live there during the Curse, practically. I know it really well. Enough to get free drinks. What do you say?"
Roni gives an amused chuckle, shaking her head. "I'll get back to you on that. I'm trying to set up shop here, properly and honestly? It's a lot more stress than it's worth."
"All the more reason to come out with me," Red encourages, before standing up straight and coming in close, kissing her cheek. "See you round, Roni."
"You're not even going to ask for my number?" Roni looks up at the monstrously tall woman, heels not doing much for her today in the face of Red's long legs. Red smiles brightly.
"You'd give it to me?"
"Now, I didn't say that, however maybe if you asked, I might," Roni teases, reaching up into Red's ponytail for the pen still tucked into it. "My phone's flat, unfortunately, so we'll have to do this the old-fashioned way."
"Ooh, hand or arm?" Red says, rolling up her sleeve. Roni doesn't answer her, awkwardly writing down her cell-number, Red holding rock-still. It's difficult to manoeuvre with only one arm available, though luckily, Roni is ambidextrous. Once she's written her number down in blue, the pen is taken from her, Red writing down her number just over Roni's wrist. "There. Now you don't have an excuse."
"I have a son," Roni says, not sure whether or not she mentioned him last time they talked. Red pauses, but bravely jumps into the topic.
"How old?"
"Nineteen in November," Roni recites. "The twelfth."
"That's ages away, yet," Red says, before putting the pen back in her hair. "I'm getting a little jumpy, now, so I'm going to run – literally. Text me when your phone's charged?"
"I promise," Roni says, before watching Red start jogging down Main Street, picking up speed slowly. When she turns a corner, Roni starts meandering back towards Gold's, stopping in at Granny's for a coffee.
Waiting at the counter, Roni does see the split-second pause Granny takes, watching her adjust her glasses before stepping closer.
"Yes?"
"Could I get two takeaway coffees, please? And a donut."
Granny raises an eyebrow. "Sure. What kind of coffee?"
"Americano."
"You'll have to speak English, here," Granny says, before waiting patiently. Roni falters for a moment, before remembering what she used to call it here in Storybrooke.
"Two black coffees?"
"Two takeaway black coffees, coming up," she says, before turning to her machine. Roni glances at the patrons of the diner, catching sight of Leroy and Astrid in one booth, Snow in another, sitting alone with marking and a pot of tea. Roni watches for a while, then forces herself to stop looking as Granny sets down her coffee cups in front of her. "What donut?"
"I don't mind, so long as it's not got any jam in it," Roni says, wrinkling her nose. Granny chuckles, before taking out a pink frosted donut, putting it in a paper bag. Roni hands over the correct amount of change necessary, thanking the woman before leaving with her purchases, balancing the coffee cups on top of each other and holding onto her donut with the ends of her fingers. Once she's certain no-one is about to bump into her, she heads across to Gold's.
Once inside the musty old shop once more, Roni peers into the back room, where Gold is repairing a watch. He motions her in with a flick of his fingers, barely looking away from his watch. Roni sets down her bounty, passing him his.
"What is it?"
"Black coffee. I only got one donut though," Roni says, sitting across from him. "So, should I start from the beginning?"
"As far back as you can remember," he says, not touching the beverage she'd brought him.
Roni nods, taking a deep breath, starting with a general outline of her life – that she grew up in Prince Henry's estate with her mother and father. She tells him of Matias and Julieta's assassinations, of her mother using magic to keep her in line, of her father's cowardice when it came to facing Cora. To her own surprise, she gets through the story of her teenage affair with Daniel without cracking or even feeling much pain. It's been so long since it all happened.
She tells Gold of her saving Snow, of being forcibly engaged to Leopold and Daniel's death. She tells him of pushing her mother through his looking glass and that her marriage was a farce and loses track of herself for a moment, hand clenching around the coffee cup.
"You killed him, didn't you?" Gold prompts.
"Technically, it was Sidney. He was a genie, before he put himself in my mirrors."
That, of course, happens to be the first change Gold recognises. "Sidney Glass is a woman."
Roni blinks in surprise, eyebrows rising. "Say what, now?"
"Sidney is a woman," Gold repeats, amused. "I have a feeling that your life is exactly like our Regina's – it's simply the people around you that have changed. Though, I do believe in this reality, you and Sidney had something of an affair."
Roni shivers, making a face. "Why? He's utterly obsessed with me, in my reality, even however many years later."
"A trait they share. This Regina, however…what are your preferences, Roni?" Gold questions, sitting up straight in his chair, cracking his shoulders.
"If you're asking if I like women, then yes," Roni says, "but I haven't been in a relationship with any since Maleficent, back in the Enchanted Forest."
"…interesting," Gold squints at her. "You became my pupil, during your marriage to the king?"
"Yes. You tried to make me kill that horse – I crushed the heart of that woman, instead."
"I manipulated you." Gold says plainly. "You've gotten better at noticing, I see."
"Oh yes," Roni gives him a fake smile, before digging into her donut, trying to think of significant events to compare. "Hansel and Gretel – Ava and Nicholas Zimmer?"
"Miss Swan reunited them with their father before the Curse broke," Gold confirms.
Roni swallows her mouthful. "Frankenstein?"
"Aye."
"And Jefferson – I trapped him in Wonderland."
"Oh yes."
"Tinkerbell, showing me my soulmate after I fall off my balcony?"
Gold pauses. "I've never heard of you having a soulmate, but I've heard that name: the fairy who was banished from the order for stealing dust."
Roni frowns, "Her wings were taken, in my reality. Is that the same thing?"
"No…this 'Tinkerbell' doesn't go by that name any longer, however. I know not what it is, but she is no longer the fairy she once was," Gold shrugs. "Take that how you will. If you end up telling Regina of your tale, perhaps you can ask her if it happened."
Never happening, Roni swears. "Right."
She talks of going to Maleficent, watching Gold nod along, then goes on to describe the beginning of her war with Snow, taking the Huntsman's heart and terrorising those that oppose her rule.
"You were a conqueror."
"I was their rightful queen by marriage," Roni argues, "They liked me before I blamed Leopold's death on Snow."
She talks and talks and truly, there's not much Gold says is different. Only when she mentions capturing Belle, does he protest.
"Why would you do that? That didn't happen here."
"Here, she isn't your True Love," Roni laughs at his disgusted face, but feels rather sad at it, anyway. This Rumple will never know the story Roni did, of his life with Belle. Gideon is never going to exist, here, she realises.
"I think maybe more important changes may be further ahead," Gold says.
"The Dark Curse," Roni murmurs. "I sacrificed my father for it. Pinocchio and Emma went through that wardrobe."
"Pinocchio didn't go through the wardrobe, dearie, not here," Gold says, eyeing her. He waves his hand, coffee glowing briefly before he finally picks it up, sipping it slowly. "Tell me of what you know about Emma Swan's life."
Roni frowns. "Pinocchio and Emma appeared on the side of the highway, just outside Storybrooke, near a diner. They were both taken into the system and Pinocchio was given a new name: August Booth. Emma was adopted by the Swan's. Her blanket with her name on it is one of the few things she has from her childhood. She went back into the system when she was three. She grew up, met Lily Page a few times and then met Neal Cassidy at sixteen. He knocked her up less than a year later, but he framed her for a job of some sort and got her chucked in prison. He didn't know about Henry."
"And then…"
"Then, she put him up for adoption. I came to you for help and I adopted the Saviour's son, in the end. Nine years later, I told him he was adopted and for an entire year, our relationship deteriorated, mostly due to the Book. He found out about the Curse and then he used Mary-Margaret's credit card to buy a Greyhound to Boston, to find Emma and bring her back."
"I see. Then what happened."
"Do I really have to go over this part?" Roni murmurs, feeling that old ache, that hurt and pain she had buried so, so deep.
"Aye, but perhaps at this point, I should interject with the events of this reality," Gold says. "The Blue Fairy accompanied Emma across the worlds, here."
"Blue?" Roni nearly chokes on her coffee, coughing for a few seconds to clear her throat. "That gnat?"
"Blue was separated from Emma, but she still had her magic even in the land without it." Gold explains, "She kept watch. Emma's childhood was much the same, however Blue did, oh…stalk her, rather plainly. Then, when Emma was a teen, full of angst, she accidentally used her magic to banish the poor fairy from the realm. Luckily for Blue, Storybrooke counts as another realm, due to the Dark Curse separating us. Blue ended up in Storybrooke, no false memories and no excuse. Regina locked her up in the asylum after she refused to talk. She's been there ever since. I managed to get that story out of her when I visited, last."
Blue's in the asylum. If it weren't so strange, Roni might have laughed.
"Are there any other events you feel need to be mentioned? Any deaths? Births?"
"Cinderella had her baby, Alexandra. I had custody of her briefly, though Miss Swan really pulled through on that girl's part," Gold smirks. "She owes me a favour, still."
"That happened in my reality, too," Roni says. "Anything else?"
"Well obviously, Archie is dead," Gold says, arms splaying wide. "There's also Jefferson, of course."
"He went through the hat," Roni disagrees, "that doesn't mean he's dead."
"Oh," Gold lowers his arms, "and yet another change shows. No, dearie, he's dead as a doornail in this realm. Paid for the funeral myself – Regina and I were the only ones to show."
Roni feels something ugly curl in her gut, forcing herself to remember that he's still alive in her reality, that he's teaching Grace how to weave realm-hopping magic into her creations.
"Any deaths on your side?" he questions and Roni shakes her head, briefly before realising that's not quite true.
"Emma vanquishes Mal, to get that vial of True Love of yours," Roni says, head tilting. "I trapped her in dragon form in the caves below town."
"How cruel of you. Maleficent was more than happy to let me take the container off her, if it meant not having to pay rent for that apartment of hers," Gold states. "She and her little girl are quite the adorable pair. They live below the clock tower."
Roni jolts, "She and Lily are here, in Storybrooke?"
"Maleficent and Sofia are quite happy, yes. They live the quiet life. Their Storybrooke personas were much louder – I think Regina enjoyed giving them something of a happy life, here, unlike others. The woman has a soft spot for the child."
"How did they live?" Roni asks, honestly curious.
"Comfortably. Maleficent was known as Beatrice Davide and Sofia, Kara Davide. Sofia still enjoys giving me her newest creation of the day," Gold motions to the wall behind her and Roni twists, blinking at the sight of a corkboard full of children's drawings, pinned all over the top of each other. Roni wonders how she could have missed it. "I have box's worth, from all twenty-eight years of the Curse. Sweet bairn."
"Children really are quite the weakness of yours, aren't they?" Roni questions, smiling at her own realisation. She turns back around to see Gold looking at her blankly and scoffs in reply. "Come on. You had Regina cast this curse to get Baelfire back."
"Yes, I did. You mentioned him earlier. What do you know?"
"I know that he doesn't use the name Baelfire anymore," Roni replies. "That favour Emma owes you, save it. There's a blood globe you either have or will gain, soon. Using it shows you that Baelfire is in New York – SoHo, to be exact. I've had the displeasure of visiting his apartment when it was inhabited by…acquaintances, of mine."
"New York," Gold breathes the words like they're diamonds. "And you're sure?"
"At least in my reality. I'm not saying it's the same here, but quite honestly, the only thing you do need to do before going to find him is ask Emma Swan if Henry's father is Neal Cassidy."
"And why would I need to do that?" Gold questions. Roni finishes the last of her coffee, pointing at her.
"Listen to what I'm saying. I already told you he hasn't used the name Baelfire in a while, if things are the same, here. If you pull Emma up on her favour to find him, you might be running into a wildfire of other problems that are the only reason he gives you the time of day."
"So, what?" Gold looks pained, "Bae- Bae is Neal Cassidy?"
"In my reality, yes," Roni confirms. "And others. I mentioned the Wish Realm – in that realm, your son was Henry's father, just like in mine. If the trend follows, Neal is Henry's father here, too."
Gold presses his hand to his chest, curling in on himself for a long moment, before he shakes his head. "But I don't have a blood globe. I don't have a way to locate him, not like you said."
"It'll fall into your lap, unless this is another change," Roni says. Closing her eyes, briefly, she wonders again if Danny has put the shopping away – if he's even found it. If he's out…hiking, or something, the ice cream is done. "What is Henry like, here? Does he- does he wear that scarf of his?"
"If you're talking about the red and grey one, aye, he does. My grandson. My special grandson," Gold mutters. "Did he ever leave the house, in your reality?"
"…yes. Why?"
Gold glances at her. "Henry is a very special boy. As in, he's autistic to the point where going to school isn't just a nightmare, it's hell. Very high sensory issues, that boy. The only reason he made it to Boston was because of his sunglasses and sound-blocking headphones."
"Sensory- sensory issues?" Roni repeats, not quite understanding. "Henry isn't- he's not autistic in my reality. No."
"He is here. It's probably why our Regina and our sheriff are so close," Gold says, eyeing her. "Regina caves all the time, when it comes to her son. He went to Boston to pick Emma up and brought her back, all so she could live with them. Whenever she tried to leave town, he had meltdowns."
"How do you know all this?" Roni frowns deeply, pushing off her astonishment at how different this Henry is so as to press into the real issue.
Gold shrugs. "Regina speaks to Archie, but she also speaks to me. I'm good at listening. Henry also only likes me up to a point, so she can say she's coming to visit me and he won't want to come along, unlike if she mentioned the psychiatrist."
Roni swallows, "I don't think you should be telling me these things." It seems like too much – even if Roni is a Regina, she isn't this Regina.
"Very true," he says. "Your Henry – he didn't have that kind of power over you, not like this Henry does."
"No," Roni says. "He was…a very black and white thinker. All children are, I suppose."
"Indeed. The events that brought you here to this reality, they caused you to leave your loved ones behind – did that include Emma Swan?"
Roni blinks, frowning. "I suppose so. In a very broad spectrum of supposition, at least. Emma and I aren't romantically involved, in my reality. She and Killian Jones were married with kids, actually." She doesn't expect the sudden stiffening from her old mentor.
"Killian Jones?" he questions.
"Yes, Killian," Roni narrows her eyes at him. "He was quite the lady-killer before tying himself to her. Your version should be in town, considering my mother's presence."
Gold almost spasms in place. "He's here?"
"Yes, do I have to repeat myself? Why are you acting so strange? Is your rivalry conflated, here?"
"Our rivalry," he repeats, before shaking his head. "The captain and I have a complicated relationship."
"Define 'complicated'."
"He stole Milah away for adventures," Gold snaps, "and then afterwards, he decided that he was into men. My apologies if my wrath seems undeserved."
"Into men?" Roni's eyebrows rise. "Are you serious? I knew he'd flirt with anything on legs and Prince Charming, but into men singularly?"
"I would know," Gold grumbles and it takes an embarrassing number of seconds for Roni to understand, her mouth dropping open as she stares at him, speechless. "You'll let in flies," he snaps at her.
"You…you and the pirate. You…and the pirate." Roni gasps, trying not to laugh. "Oh, this is irony. I never would have imagined…are you True Loves, Rumple? Does he make you feel funny inside?"
"Stop it," he says mulishly.
Roni leans closer, teasing, "Do you stare into each other's eyes dreamily? Do you lie together in bed and wish that the sun wouldn't rise, so you could stay together forever?"
He points at her, glaring. "If any more words about the pirate and I come out your pathetic mouth, I'll turn you into an insect."
"My lips are sealed," Roni mimes it for good measure, before smiling at him. "I honestly never would have guessed."
"You don't know me. Not this me. You know a heterosexual Rumplestiltskin, obviously."
"Big words, Gold," Roni says, before checking the time on Gold's numerous wall-clocks. It's closing in on half past five and it's been nearly half the day since she's seen Danny. "I've got to go. Danny will be worried."
"Danny?"
"Daniel," Roni glances at him, lip twitching at his wide eyes. "My son, Henry Daniel. We thought it would be a better idea if he took on another name, considering the other Henry and Regina in town. He's my son, but from the Wish Realm. You can come meet him, if you like – technically, he's your grandson as well."
Gold fidgets, before nodding. "Where do you live?"
…ah.
Roni is the one fidgeting now. "Don't get angry. I couldn't think of anywhere else." She waves her hand, transporting the both of them to the cabin, to find Danny on the ground by the fire watching a 'how to' video on YouTube on one of the laptops. He looks up as they arrive, pausing the video with one click. Roni raises an eyebrow. He got it set up already?
"You're back," he says, standing up. He looks Gold up and down. "Dark One."
"I hear you're my grandson from another reality," Gold says, eyes locked on the young adult – but Roni sees when his eyes stray, a frown appearing on his face. "This is my cabin."
"We've only been here since this morning," Roni says quickly, nervous. "We had absolutely nothing, until you gave me that money."
"I understand, though I'll expect minimal rent, until you're set up in your new home." Gold straightens his back, sniffing. "Is that fish?"
"Uh…" Danny winces, "I fished in your pond? We had no food."
Roni shuts her eyes, feeling the embarrassment mount up alongside her worry. What if he kicks them out? What if he pettily reports them to Sheriff Swan for squatting? What if, what if.
"I see," Gold steps closer to Danny, banishing his glamour temporarily, looking at his face. After a long moment, he puts the glamour back into place. "You're my grandson. Even if your counterpart here is not, you are. I've changed my mind. I'll make a deal with you."
"I don't make deals with you," Danny says, a hostile edge to his voice as he narrows his eyes. "The last time I did that, you trapped me here."
"That wasn't me, dearie. Hear me out." Gold leans forwards on his cane, smirking. "This cabin can be yours, completely. I'll give it to you, free of charge."
"Gold, what are you doing?" Roni questions, unsure over whether to let this continue.
"In return," Gold says, smiling, "you work at my shop. I'll even pay you."
A crease forms on Danny's brow. "Work for you?"
"Aye. An assistant, perhaps even inheritor…an apprentice, even."
There. "Do you think Danny has magic?" Roni quirks an eyebrow. "That's a leap. Your magic was given, not borne."
"But this boy is the son of the Saviour," Gold glances back, "and I'd be an idiot not to notice Emma Swan's very powerful magic."
"Ah," Roni smiles widely, "but this is why we should have gone over the rest of my life. The Wish Realm was created by Emma Swan by a genie, when she wished she was never the Saviour. This Henry was born from a True Love child, but not the Saviour."
Gold pauses, frowning, before he shrugs. "No matter. He's still my grandson. What do you say, Danny?"
"…I don't know how this world works," Danny murmurs, still frowning. "I don't see how I could be of help. Her Majesty…Mother, she put in good word for me at the station. I would be a part of the town guard."
"An admirable position," Gold says, encouraging. "A part-time position, then? Perhaps you could even learn of the Land Without Magic under me as well. I have this realm's version of a law degree imprinted on my psyche – I know it well. You wouldn't have to rely on Roni, here."
Roni can see his words are having an effect on her son. Don't listen to him, she wants to say, but there's nothing untowards about his offer – in truth, it's something she might expect from Gold. She still remembers when Henry went undercover in her reality, working there with his grandfather, wearing that well-fitting suit. A part of her wants this Henry to wear it, now, for Danny to see the variety of clothing in this realm and fall in love with something, with a style.
"This cabin would be mine?" Danny looks around, obviously being convinced.
"Aye, it would. Your mother here already made a deal with me for another house, so she has somewhere she can live in town. There's enough room for you there, but I sense you're an old-fashioned man."
Roni gives Gold a look. Danny is barely more than a boy. He might be an adult by law, but he is not a man, yet – not for another few years. It turns Danny's opinion, though and he nods firmly.
"A part-time position," Danny confirms. "What do I call you?"
"Mr Gold, unless you feel more comfortable with Grandfather." Gold grins, obviously loving the term. Danny's lip twitches, obviously catching onto his glee. Soon, a small smile appears and Roni's doubt lightens.
I can deal with Rumple if he steps out of line, she thinks. Let Danny have more people, here. Let him have some semblance of family.
"Thank-you for the opportunity…Grandfather."
Gold looks like he's on top of the moon. "Excellent, Grandson. Now, for your cover stories – you haven't identities here, yes? It won't be long until someone tries to look you up and discovers the discrepancies. I'll do you both the courtesy of creating the appropriate documents, of course."
Roni puts her working arm on her hip. "And what are you planning to do?"
"Well," he smirks at her, "making you my daughter shouldn't be too hard."
"Ha," Roni snorts, shaking her head. "You can try. Unfortunately for you, I've already interacted with several key players, as you might call them. I used my social security number from Seattle and claimed to be a bastard of Prince Sebastian in the Enchanted Forest. Danny is supposedly Xavier IV. If you want to make having Danny as your grandson seem legitimate, we can tell anyone who asks the truth: that his father is your son."
"How does the timing for that work if my son isn't in the Enchanted Forest? The Blue Fairy will see through it," Gold warns.
"We make up another son. Were you a nun in all your time as the Dark One?" Roni challenges. "We just refuse to answer, beyond the fact that he's another son. It's true in many aspects."
"Because my father was from another reality," Danny adds, sounding positive. "We wouldn't even be lying."
Gold looks slightly disappointed as he steps a little away from Danny, making something of a circle with the two of them. "Write down what details you gave the bank and I'll forge some documents," he orders. "Veronica North?"
"Veronica Gabrielle North," Roni adds, grimacing. "You might want to hurry. Who knows when Sheriff Swan might try finding me."
"The records in the town hall will be her first port of call, unless you had any sort of paperwork in the station," Gold says and Roni can hear the encouragement there. Rolling her eyes, Roni tries to remember what few priors she had from Rogers' station, looking up.
"Drunkenness, loud noise and four- no, five cases of assault, usually for punching someone in the face and kicking them out my bar for being creeps. Though I broke this guys kneecap once with my baseball bat. He roofied someone's drink." There's no reply and Roni looks between Danny and Gold, who're looking at her with faces of surprise. She glares at them. "What? Am I not allowed to be badass?"
"It's just…unexpected," Gold says, "though considering your past, it shouldn't be. You've done worse. I just didn't expect such hands-on measures. I'll falsify some police-reports by Graham during the Curse."
"Don't add the baseball bat one," Roni says, cautious. "I don't exactly have a bar history and Red has never seen me in Storybrooke before – as Ruby she practically lived in the Rabbit Hole."
"I'll…twist things," Gold promises, but there's something about his expression she doesn't like. Roni eyes him for a second before looking to Danny, needing something like positivity from him. His expression is still twisted, though, like he can't imagine it. After a moment, he asks her a question.
"What does 'roofied' mean?"
Roni grimaces. "Practically poisoning someone's drink. Rapists usually like to use them so they can take advantage of their mark. You roofie someone, or get roofied. Part of being a bartender is watching out for it, just in case, though it's the responsibility of the owner of the drink to watch their own."
Gold takes out a pen and notebook from his pocket, handing them to her. "Write out any pertinent information about your cover identities. Names, dates of birth, significant events, family – anything. Quickly. We should have dealt with this sooner, before you went off to speak to the Charmings."
"I know," Roni mutters, going over to the dining table and scribbling down info, half-listening to Gold's conversation with Danny.
"What's your name here, boy?" Gold questions.
"Danny. Daniel. Daniel North."
"You were Henry, before coming here," Gold says, sitting in one of the armchairs, Danny joining him cautiously. "I'll be making you forms of identification that weren't necessary in the Enchanted Forest. Was there anyone important to you that you wish to incorporate into your new name?"
Danny swallows uncomfortably. "Not anyone I can use."
"Are you very sure of that?" Gold asks.
"I'm sure," Danny says, before pausing. "I suppose there was my great grandfather, King Leopold."
Roni's heart almost stops. She doesn't even hear herself speak.
"No."
Gold looks her away, amused. "No, dearie?"
"No." Roni says again, clenching the pen tightly, staring at the notebook. "I'd never name my son after him."
"I thought this was my choice?" Danny argues, "He was a great man."
"He married me. You have no idea what- no idea about anything."
Danny balls his fists up, "He was great."
"He was horrible." Roni hisses, glaring at her son. "You weren't there. You weren't married to him."
Danny goes to argue more, but Gold puts his hand up, looking at Roni.
"And wouldn't it make sense if he had his name? The Dark Curse was meant to punish. You've taken on the guise of being Regina's cousin; naturally you would hate the strange man who married your young child of a cousin."
"We weren't cursed," Roni says, voice like ice, eyes flashing. Gold doesn't reply to that and Roni wonders if that means he's not going to do it, but her stomach still drops. He'll do it. He'll push me and push me, trying to see how far I go until I break. This won't break me. Roni feels nauseous, though, sick to her stomach. I'd never name my son after the King. I never would. No. No.
Pressing her hand to her face, Roni tries to ignore the rolling that's more like boulders than butterflies, shivering as she remembers too much, too soon. Captured. Bruised. Aching to hold them while they breathe. She squeezes her eyes shut, almost falling out her chair when Gold's hand clasps her shoulder, jumping at his touch.
"Dearie," he murmurs. "He's dead, girl. Get over it. You've nothing to fear from it."
"I can't help it," Roni mutters to him, ashamed at her reaction. "I've not had cause to think of it all in…in years. All the reminders were rebranded. Snow was my friend. I think the last time I ever was…afraid was when my granddaughter was born."
Gold frowns. "How old are you?"
Roni's lip twitches. "Wouldn't you like to know?" She was the one to bring it up – it's no surprise that she remembers it now, Lucy's birth such a happy occasion. Only, after dark when Ella was asleep, Henry off telling his friends of his new daughter, Roni had held her and remembered another dark-skinned princess she'd held by a window, looking up at the stars.
"…it still makes sense," Gold eventually says and this time, Roni fights to keep control, nodding stiffly. His hand leaves her shoulder and he taps the notebook before turning back to Danny, asking him if he knows how to use that sword by the fireplace.
Roni puts pen to paper, trying not to notice how her handwriting shakes.
EMMA
"Hey, kid," she says, leaning on Henry's doorframe. He glances over at her from his desk, pausing as he does his homework, putting down his pencil to sign hello at her. Emma doesn't hesitate before signing back, asking him how he's doing, pausing before stepping into his room, asking him to remind her the sign for homework, pointing at it.
Henry does, waiting until she's copied it into the series of gestures, asking him how his homework is doing. When he signs back fine, hard, Emma taps the watch on his wrist, signing to him again.
Dinner, five minutes.
His nose wrinkles up, before signing back rapidly. Emma immediately signs back for him to repeat it slower, but he only repeats it at the same speed and she finds herself lost.
Talk, English, she eventually signs, holding up four fingers and tapping them to her chin twice, clapping her right hand over the back of her left. After a moment, she adds a small shaken fist over her chest for please.
Why? He asks.
I don't understand, Emma signs. Henry stamps his feet a couple of times, but hums a few times, then speaks out loud.
"I don't know what's for dinner, but please, I don't want lasagne tonight," he begs, making puppy-dog eyes at her. "Quiero tener un sándwich para la cena."
"Tell your mom that earlier, next time." Emma says, crossing her arms. "I'm still learning Spanish, remember, so I don't understand what you said."
Henry makes a face. "I want a sandwich."
"You get sandwiches for lunch, not dinner," she remembers what Regina said so long ago about sandwiches, when she first moved in. Those words are something ingrained into her, now – she hasn't had a sandwich for dinner in over a year. "Want to come help me set the table?"
"Not really," Henry says, but he gets up from his desk, taking her hand. Emma smiles at him, squeezing it lightly. She'd missed the kid desperately in the Enchanted Forest and she's glad to have him back, now. Going out the door and down the stairs, Henry doesn't let go of her hand until they reach the dining room, where Regina is setting out the colourful ceramic bowls and sideplates. Emma raises her eyebrow at her.
"Henry came to help with cutlery," Emma pronounces, Regina giving a smile to her son before handing over the handful, setting out the last red bowl before speaking to her.
"A word in the kitchen?"
"Sure," Emma looks to Henry, ruffling his hair. "You alright here, kid?"
"I'll wait for you," he says, putting the knives down on the wrong side, like he does every time. Emma's lip quirks, reminded of why he doesn't usually help.
When he sets out the cutlery, they have to use it with those hands as well or he'll freak out inside – usually meaning his stress levels will rise, meaning he'll have a meltdown of some sort in the next week. Regina learnt through trial and error, raising Henry, though when Emma first arrived there were lots of freak-outs and lots of meltdowns as she learnt his habits and boundaries. Trying to leave when she got too stressed out with it all wasn't an option.
Probably how we started hate-fucking, Emma thinks as she follows Regina into the kitchen. Destressing is fun with this woman.
"I looked into that woman," she says once Henry is out of sight. Emma frowns at her low voice. "I had no records of her."
"So…she's unregistered? Is that even possible?" Emma questions.
"I could probably check again tomorrow, or have Annie stay late," Regina says, clenching her jaw. "Roni North. I don't pretend to know everyone in town, but I had thirty years to get very familiar with this town and she had the chance to pop out of the woodwork when you arrived."
"Hey," Emma reaches out, tucking a stray hair behind her ear, stepping closer to her. "Calm down. We'll figure this out."
"She says she saw my mother," Regina says, the tension in her shoulders visible. "And she looks so much like me. I've never even heard of her before this. Sebastian had bastards, I know he did, but he was open about them – I would have heard if he had one who looked like me. Mother would have been all over it."
"Maybe that's why you didn't hear about it," Emma suggests. "I mean, she's older than you, supposedly. Maybe she looked different when she was younger. Your mother had a rep long before you could have realised – maybe her dad hid her."
"Maybe," Regina sighs, rubbing the bridge of her nose. "I haven't thought about Julieta and Matias in years, Emma. I executed their assassin. I'd- I'd forgotten, for a while. What does that make me?"
"To be fair, it's been a long time," Emma jokes. "How old are you, again?"
"Shush," Regina says, leaning to kiss her gently. Emma leans into it, hand coming to rest on her hip, before Regina ends it. "I'll check my records again. Maybe she's down under a different name."
"I have her number. I can make conversation, ask her about her life in Storybrooke," Emma frowns. "When I was talking to her, did you get the same vibe I did? That someone else hurt her?"
"Yes," Regina agrees. "She did say she wasn't alone. Her son was hurt, too."
"I'll chase the doctors report up tomorrow, too, while I collect Archie's death certificate," Emma says, feeling bitter. "We need to tell Henry."
"That's what the plates are for," Regina mutters. "We're having chilli, tonight."
"He loves chilli," Emma says, slightly distressed. "Won't that make it horrible?"
"I'm running out of dishes to break bad news over." Regina says, "It was this or tacos."
"Don't ever break bad news over your tacos," Emma begs, "Please."
A small smile tugs at the corner of her lip and Emma kisses her again, just as Henry calls out, asking for dinner.
"We're just coming, Henry," Emma replies, before stealing another kiss, grabbing the nearby bowl of rice to bring to the table, Regina bringing along the chilli and avocado slices. They join their son at the table, sitting down at the table, dimming the lights to halfway so Henry can take off his sunglasses.
"Thanks, mom," Henry says as Regina serves him his plate. Regina presses a kiss to his head before sitting down.
"Your welcome, Henry."
Later that night, Roni waits until Danny is asleep before teleporting to the town line. The mark on the ground is written in red spray paint and far from the thick, painted-on orange line that she's used to seeing at road out of town. She tugs her jacket around her shoulders, cursing her sling and broken arm as the damp air chills her cold. For a moment she looks out into the outside world, before reaching seeing her hand slip through the barrier.
It makes the townspeople forget. What would it do to me? Roni wonders if she counts – if she would turn into the real Regina Mills, the cursed persona of a town mayor who never existed. I won't chance it, she decides, before reaching deep into her magic. She plans it out carefully inside, pulling together more wards for the sake of protecting Storybrooke than she ever has before. They press against her as she holds them, strong and steady, moving her hand so it's resting just against the wards already there.
"This is my town," she murmurs, before slowly releasing the wards from inside, the magic still releasing too fast for her liking. Purple slips up and around her, the sky shimmering as a dome forms around her home. "Don't take them down," Roni begs her other self, knowing she could do it, if she really wanted. "Please," she begs, praying. The physical manifestation of the wards fade and Roni goes to transfer away, only to hear the faint thrum of an engine.
Turning, Roni sees headlights appear around the corner and quickly, she enacts a spell of invisibility, pushing her magic far, far down into herself, feeling like she's bereft of a limb as she stumbles towards the treeline. The car approaches quickly, slowing to a stop as the spray-paint comes into line with the headlights.
That's Rumple's car, she thinks, cocking her head. He gets out, not even projecting his magic, solely focused on whatever's in his trunk. Roni daren't move, watching and waiting as he smiles at the contents.
"This will only take a moment," he says, before abruptly hauling a man out. Roni jerks slightly, not expecting it, recognising the man as one of Hook's old crew, the red hat a familiar item on top of his round head. He rights the man, putting him on his feet, tugging a gag off his mouth. Roni watches as the pirate twists, raising bound hands.
"D-d-don't push me over," he says, walking backwards as Gold approaches, magic prickling outwards in menace, meant to scare the man. Roni doesn't even think he senses her, so focused on his prey. "If I cross the line, I'll lose my memory. It's a cruel fate."
"A fate you were more than willing to bestow upon a little girl and her mother," Gold says, causing Roni to frown. Who? Does he mean Mal and her daughter? "You know, Sir Maurice was one of the men to join King George on his wolf-hunt, I'm not surprise he doesn't like dragons."
Definitely Mal and her daughter. Roni purses her lips, not sure what to think about this. Gold has a soft spot for this reality's Lily. What was her name again…
Gold hits the man with his cane, who loses his balance and falls, nearly crossing the line. Roni bites her lip, watching on in nervousness, eyes flickering to the invisible wards now conjoined with the remaining ones. She can practically see the magic melding, her connection to her wards making her aware of the morphosis.
Gold takes the man's hat. "You've had this rag since the day we met. Why is it so important to you?" He reaches into his pocket, taking out a clear glass vial.
"My grandmother made it for me when I was a boy," he says as Gold pours the contents over it, a shimmer of magic glimmering and fading. "It's always brought me good fortune, what difference does it make?"
"Oh ho ho, all the difference in the world," he throws the hat back at him, "It's your only chance."
The man – mistakenly – sits up, putting the hat back on his head, asking what he means only to be cut off as Gold kicks him across the line. Roni lets her magic unfurl then, invisibility lifting as she comes to his side.
"You idiot," she glares, "Do you know what you've done?"
Gold narrows his eyes at her as his head snaps sideways, but he doesn't answer her, looking back at the pirate. Roni grits her teeth, doing the same.
"What's your name?" Gold asks as he looks up at them in…wonder? Confusion?
"William Smee," he says.
"And who am I?" Gold asks.
"…Rumplestiltskin," Smee says, standing, in awe. "The Dark One. I remember everything!" He says, moving back towards the town line. Roni looks away right as he bangs into her wards, stumbling back. "What? What is this?" He questions.
"Yes, dearie," Gold looks to her, "What did you do?"
Roni glares at him. "I protected the town from outsiders. Except now, Smee is an outsider! I could have told you that potion worked if you had bothered to mention it!"
"Well, if you wish to retrieve him, the answer is simple," Gold waves his hand around, "Lower the wards."
"I can't," Roni grits her teeth, looking to them, reaching out with her magic and already finding them knotted in with the pre-existing frame. "It's too late. I was trying to stop Peter Pan's men from getting in."
"Peter- Peter Pan?" Smee stutters, eyes wide. "What do you mean by that? How can Peter Pan have men in the Land Without Magic."
"He's after the heart of the Truest Believer," Roni steps forwards, so very close to the line, pointing at him. "You're trapped out there, now, until I can figure out a way to get you back inside. I've done it a different way from last time. If they find you, don't tell them anything. Even if they lock you up and promise you all the gold in the Enchanted Forest, you keep your trap shut."
"But- but where do I go?"
"There's a road-side diner, up the road," Roni says, "unless you'd rather camp nearby for an unknown amount of time."
"I…can I camp?" Smee grimaces.
"We'll arrange something," Gold says, before grabbing Roni's broken elbow, causing a sharp ache as he jerks her away from them. "You, with me."
"Don't touch me," she pulls out of his grasp.
"Get in the car," he points, angry. Roni huffs, but walks around to the passenger side, getting in and watching Smee stand in front of the town line forlornly, up until Gold starts driving and turns them around. "That was reckless."
"We can't let Greg Mendell or any other agents get in," Roni says. "You don't know what he wants."
"And you do? Miss I'm-from-another-reality-so-I-know-best? Haven't we already established that our realities are different? Now a man is trapped outside the town, because of you."
Roni scoffs, "Like they're that different. Tell me, is Peter Pan still your father in this reality?"
Gold grips the steering wheel of the car tightly. "He is."
"Henry was the key to Pan's quest for immortality, in my reality," Roni says. "He was the Truest Believer. I don't take shortcuts when it comes to Henry safety."
"Well, according to you, this happened in a different way last time."
"Last time, you and I were already stuck on Neverland with the Charmings trying to rescue Henry when Belle raised the new protections," Roni says. "I was being pro-active."
"It was dangerous."
"I never said it wasn't."
"How am I supposed to explain this to Regina? New, random wards appearing around town?" Gold questions, driving into town. "You're going to explain to me exactly what you did and then maybe, I can lie to her face and tell them I cast them and why. Then, you are telling me everything else you missed out about your reality's future."
"Oh, fuck you," Roni grumbles, leaning back in her seat. I'm protecting Henry. Hell, I'm protecting Danny, too and I'll keep doing it. Fuck you, Rumple. I'm going to keep my son safe.