X Marks the Spot
Chapter Three
After she left her son and the man she loved at the docks beside Killian's ship while they prepared to set sail, Emma walked slowly to Granny's and when she entered inside, Snow immediately jumped up from where she was sitting and pulled her daughter into a quick hug as she spoke up saying, "Emma, I'm so glad you're here. You sounded very worried on the phone earlier when you told me you needed to talk to us about something. Is something wrong? Are you okay? Is Henry, or Hook?"
Emma sat down in their booth across from Regina and Belle and took her baby brother into her arms to hold him while August grabbed a single chair from another table to sit down with the rest of the women, then the Savior answered, "I'm fine. We all are. I asked Killian to take Henry out on the Jolly Roger today while we talked. But uh… well Killian and me, we found something important while we were searching Gold's shop last night for some answers that might help to explain my visions."
"You two searched Gold's office last night and he didn't catch you?" Regina asked with disbelief. "You were lucky."
"It looks like he stepped out to get himself from fresh air," the blonde woman replied with a chortle. "His shop was a mess. Gold trashed the place and I'm guessing that he would have needed to go out to calm himself down. I'm sorry, Belle."
The beauty shook her head and responded quietly, "It's all right. I was a wreck last night too. Only I didn't make a mess of anything other than the sheets and the bed I gave birth on."
Snow reached across the table to place her hand over Belle's while Emma looked at her with remorse and sincerely asked, "How are you doing this morning? You're looking well, all things considered."
"I'm fine," she answered strongly as she lifted her chin. "All things considered. Blue helped to heal me faster than I would have normally healed after going through such a rough birth. I'm just hoping that Gideon's alright. Blue too."
"Of course," Snow replied with assurance while she patted her hand. "I'm sure they're just fine. Blue's a powerful woman. She will protect your son with her life."
Belle nodded and then turned back to Emma as she stated, "You were saying… about what you and Killian found in Rumple's shop?"
The Savior cleared her throat as if to refocus and responded, "Yes. Well… in all of my visions, all I've seen is the figure under the hood stabbing me with some kind of sword after we fight. They haven't really changed all that much, except for some being a little longer than others. Still, the details have been very limited. But Killian and I saw a sword buried in the rubble of Gold's mess with its hilt sticking out. When I reached out to touch it, another vision suddenly came to me and this time I saw the hilt of the sword this villain uses to kill me with, a red jewel buried deep within its center."
"It was the same sword we found," she added as she swiftly materialized the blade into her hand to show it to everyone surrounding her.
"This is the exact sword that this unknown villain uses to try to kill you?" August asked worryingly as he reached out to touch it, to examine its jewel in the head.
Emma glanced at him sadly and with frustration he answered, "He doesn't just try to kill me, August. He succeeds. I know it because I felt it. But I'm doing everything in my power to try to stop it from happening, which is why Killian and I went looking for some answers in Gold's shop. It's a good thing we did. At least now we have the upper hand and so long as we keep this sword, there may be a chance that we've changed what happens to me. Belle, do you recognize the sword? Do you know anything about it?"
The red haired woman looked at the blade carefully as she replied, "I've never seen it before. But there's lots in Rumple's shop that I haven't seen, that he probably kept hidden from me. It's most likely that the only reason why you were able to find this weapon was because he had his tantrum and was careless with his possessions when throwing and breaking everything in sight. I take it that's what you meant by mess when you walked in?"
"You've got that right," the Savior responded. "Regina, do you know anything about it at all?"
"I'm afraid that I've never seen it before either," the former Evil Queen answered when she took it away from August and examined it herself. "It's well crafted and I can feel a power within it, though I'm not sure what kind of power. I can't exactly sense it like I can other enchantments. Perhaps if I take the sword for some tests, I could…"
Emma swiftly interrupted, "No. I mean… I think I would prefer to just keep it with me, in a safe place where no one else will know where it is. It's not that I believe you're the figure under the hood, Regina. Because I don't. I just would rather keep it close for now."
Regina nodded in understanding as she replied, "Perhaps that's best for now until your visions reveal more, if they ever do."
"Why don't we go and talk to Gold himself?" August said again as Emma made the jeweled sword vanish with her magic. "If anyone's going to have answers, surely he would since the sword was found in his possession. He probably stole it from whoever it really belongs to."
"I wouldn't put it past him," Belle responded sadly. "I would normally go with you, to try to reason with Rumple, but he and I aren't exactly speaking. Not after what he did to me and my son. I can't face him right now."
Snow quickly answered, "Of course not. We wouldn't ask that of you. But perhaps it'll be best that I wake up David so he can go with you to speak with Gold, Emma. He was always better with interrogations. He is one of this town's sheriffs after all, not me. I think he'd prefer to be with you when you go back there, especially after yesterday. Gold won't be so keen on talking with you."
A short time later in Gold's pawn shop…
Gold was busy trying to clean up his mess when Emma, David, Regina, and August all walked through the door and without turning to face them, he called out curtly, "If any of you are here to apologize to me for distracting me with squid ink, or to offer up your condolences after losing my child, just forget it. I don't want your false apologies, or your pity."
"I am sorry, but we didn't actually come here for either," Emma sternly replied, then magiced the sword from her vision into her hand once more to show it to the Dark One. "I need to know what you know about this."
"After everything, you have the audacity to steal from me as well?" the shopkeeper questioned angrily when he finally looked at the heroes and stared down at the sword within the Savior's hands.
David moved to stand beside his daughter while he responded, "You have no right to call us thieves when your shop is filled with possessions that don't belong to you."
Rumpelstiltskin glared at the Prince as he answered, "Yes… well if no one comes to claim the items that belong to them, then I can't possibly have a way of knowing what of these possessions belong to whom. Can I? Where did you find that sword?"
"Right here, buried underneath the rubble of the mess you made last night in some fit of anger," the Savior replied in frustration, then sent the blade back to where she could keep it well protected from anyone who may try to steal it. "Do you know what it is or where it came from?"
"Why the interest?" the Dark One questioned again, turning his eyes on Emma. "I'm almost certain that I have nothing belonging to you here, dearie."
Emma looked over at her father as if for guidance, then glanced to both her closest friend and to Regina, and when each of them nodded to show her their support, she turned back to Gold as she continued, "The sword is the same blade which the dark figure from my visions uses to kill me with. I was hoping you might know where it might come from."
Rumple sneered and then responded, "You barged in here yesterday, bringing that pirate of yours with you and allowed him to mock me about having been the kind of father I was to my first born son. And you're both responsible for my second son being taken away from me. If you want answers about that sword, you're going to have to look elsewhere. Now get out of my shop and don't come back any time soon. Or the next time you won't be leaving here by your own willpower."
"Oh my God…" Emma suddenly whispered fearfully just as David stepped forward to talk to Gold again until he turned back to his daughter and saw her reading a message that just came through on her phone, then rush towards the door to leave.
"Emma, what's wrong?" he called out to her before she could leave.
The Savior looked back at her father and friends as she spoke again saying, "It's a message from Henry. Black Beard stowed away on the Jolly Roger before the ship left the harbor. Killian's in trouble."
She swiftly vanished in a silver cloud of smoke leaving the others behind, then Regina placed her hands on David's and August's shoulders as she stated, "Don't worry, I'll get us there too. How the hell did Black Beard get here to Storybrooke?"