Act IV
Interlude
Emma jumped down from the farmer's cart and thanked the driver for bringing her this far from the center of the small town. She had been travelling for two days from Storybrooke; guilt and fear nipping at her heels, chasing her all the way to Boston and then to this tiny, sleepy town at the city's outskirts. Emma could think of no other place to go. The town resembled Storybrooke in many ways: it was populated by gossiping, excitable people who congregated on a bustling main street and public green by day and lived surrounded by quaint pastureland and farms. There was also a district of the town that held the more grand and stately homes wherein women of Emma's particular caste of society frequently found employment. Indeed, it was very much like Storybrooke, but it lacked the few things that had made Storybrooke home…
As the cart she'd ridden on resumed its trundle down the road, Emma walked the worn country path off of the gravelly main road and eventually found herself standing on the porch of a small farmhouse surrounded by a few acres of planting fields and apple orchards. It was just coming to the tail end of winter, and the ground was still dotted with patches of ice and slush that refused to melt and marred the landscape like the pox. Dead yellow grass could be seen where the snow had already melted away, and the trees were still barren of leaves and buds. There would likely be one more deep frost before the winter gave New England up to spring, and Emma knew that she was lucky to have dodged any bad weather during her travels.
She rapped on the door sharply, and chewed on her lip, praying that she had the right address. Much to Emma's relief, it was Mary Margaret who opened the door.
"Emma!" The dark-haired woman cried when she recovered from the momentary shock of her oldest friend appearing suddenly on her door-step. "I was just about to write to you and see if you could get some time to come visit me!"
But Emma could not hold her emotions back any longer. Mary Margaret was as close to family as Emma had ever had, and the last few weeks had been so brutal…
Emma began to weep in deep, soul-wrenching sobs that brought her to her knees right there on Mary Margaret's front porch.
"Oh my goodness!" Mary Margaret exclaimed, bending to pull Emma into an embrace. "Emma, what's happened?"
"It's wrong… it's all gone wrong." Emma managed to say between gasps for breath.
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Ten Days Earlier
They came for him a month before the wedding; with a knock at the door and a sudden and invasive intrusion into their lives.
Emma and Jefferson had been taking tea in the living room with Dr. Whale, when a series of loud shouts came from the hallway and Ruby was knocked to the side as six burly men shouldered their way through the front door, followed closely by none other than Regina Mills.
Jefferson leapt to his feet at Ruby's cry of alarm and his face darkened to a scowl when his antagonizing cousin stepped through the door. Emma looked to Dr. Whale in confusion, but Victor's attention was fully directed to the men that flanked Regina on either side.
"Hello, cousin." Regina began with a voice like honey. "So sorry, to interrupt. You are, no doubt, arranging your nuptials. My deepest and most sincere apologies to the bride-to-be," With this she gave a mocking nod of her head towards Emma, "but they must be postponed for the moment…"
Jefferson glared at his cousin. "What the devil does that mean?" He snarled.
"Jefferson, these gentlemen are here to deliver you to the Maine Insane Asylum, in Augusta. After notifying the courts of your impending nuptials, as is my legal duty as your next-of-kin and legal-guardian, a judge has determined that Miss Swan and Dr. Whale are clearly unable to provide you with the care you need in your fragile state; you are therefore a danger to yourself as well as to this community. Your accounts and properties must henceforth be seized by the state, but I persuaded the judge that they should be transferred to me instead... Don't worry Jefferson, I will make sure that everything is taken care of."
With that, the room exploded in an uproar. Dr. Whale was railing against the men in the room that the courts could not supersede his medical opinion; given that he was Jefferson's primary physician and that they could not so abruptly tear him from Victor's care. Emma was hurling threats at Regina and two of the men were restraining her from following Jefferson as he was dragged from the room by the other four. Jefferson himself was pleading with Regina to give him another chance, but evidently she heard none of it, standing in the center of the room with a smirk of imperious satisfaction curling her lips.
When Jefferson had finally been dragged away, Emma crumpled to the floor in defeat. Victor immediately rushed to her side to see if she was alright and Regina stood over them in feigned concern.
"Emma, be a dear and call the other staff to the room, won't you?" Regina said ever so sweetly when it had been determined that Emma had not swooned from the shock but was rather simply too overwrought with emotion to stand.
Emma already felt as if the rug had been pulled out from under her, but she did as she was bade. Asking for August, Ruby and Mrs. Lucas to come into the parlor via the house's communication systems. Once assembled, the group waited for Regina to say what she meant to.
"Given that your employer, Mr. Dodgson, has now been taken into state custody, care of his estate and everything in it falls to me. As such, it is my duty to inform you all that all contracts between you and Jefferson are null and void, your services no longer required, and you are all, therefore, unemployed. Except for you, of course, Dr. Whale. Please vacate the premises by the end of the week, or I shall have the constabulary evict you. That is all, I will see myself to the door."
Regina turned to leave, but Emma found her voice once more.
"You can't do this. I won't let you get away with it!" Her voice trembled, but with fury not with weakness.
"I believe I just did, my dear." Regina said with a wicked smile, then she waltzed out of the house as quickly as she'd arrived; a habit of hers it seemed.
After a few moments of stunned silence Ruby was the first to speak.
"What are we going to do now, Emma?"
But Emma didn't reply, she couldn't. What was there to say? Emma was a woman with no family, no connections, no resources… There was nothing she could do.
"Don't worry, Miss Lucas." Dr. Whale spoke instead, placing his hands on both of her shoulders, comfortingly. "We will make this right."
But as Emma had first surmised there was nothing to be done. Regina had paid off all the judges and lawyers, making her case air-tight. Jefferson was gone, he wasn't even allowed visitors. Regina even reported Jefferson's scandalous engagement and shameful institutionalization to the newspapers, claiming that the madman, taking leave of his senses had been manipulated into marrying his housekeeper. So the next time Emma stepped out of the house the looks she got were not the usual glances of curiosity that she and Jefferson had almost relished, and the chatter that followed in her wake was not the tittering gossip of the town's ladies. But rather looks of scorn and disgust, and wicked words that slandered and shamed her. Emma found all this difficult to bear despite Dr. Whale's reassurance that people were just fickle, and in a few weeks no one would care about her engagement to her master, however falsified the details that Regina provided were. But it was Jefferson's reputation she mourned the most. They had tried so hard to nurture his courage, and to build up his esteem in the town, but it had all been for naught; for if Jefferson were ever to return to Storybrooke now, all the townsfolk would see would be the scandal and the insanity, rather than the man within. And Emma knew that that scorn would kill any kindness or gentleness that the asylum should leave him with.
August was the first to find new employment; as an apprentice at the local carpenter's shop, and was therefore the first to go. It would be harder for Ruby and Mrs. Lucas, as they needed to find a place to live as well as work, but Dr. Whale offered Ruby at least a small wage if she helped to clean his office and small apartments while she got back up on her feet. They moved into the small bed and breakfast on Main Street until more permanent lodgings could be found. Thus Emma, despondent and heartbroken decided to leave Storybrooke altogether, and that was how she found herself on Mary Margaret's doorstep three days later.
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Emma sat in a rocking chair by the fireplace in the small room that served as Mary Margaret's dining room, sitting room, and kitchen all in one. Meanwhile Mary Margaret juggled baking a fresh loaf of bread in the oven, plucking a chicken for the stew that would be their dinner that evening, and fixing Emma a cup of tea for comfort while Emma told Mary Margaret about what had transpired over the last year or so. When she had finally finished her tale, Mary Margaret stood gaping at her in shock.
"I'm so sorry to hear that, Emma!" the dark-haired woman said, the sincerity and pity in Mary Margaret's voice made Emma's stomach twinge and her eyes start to burn with fresh tears.
"I always said you deserved a happy ending, and you were so close…" Emma ignored her friend's fixation on fairy tale endings in favor of finishing her cup of tea. The leaves were not nearly as fine as the teas she was accustomed to in Jefferson's house, but she'd have to get used to weak teas and less finery now wouldn't she?
"You can stay here, as long as you want." Mary Margaret said kneeling before Emma in the rocking chair to get her attention.
"Are you sure your husband won't mind?" Emma asked, for Mary Margaret had been married while Emma had been working in 315 Forrest Road. "I don't want to be a burden…"
Mary Margaret shook her head. "Of course not! I've told David all about you, it's like you two are already family!"
At that moment the very man in question entered the house from where he had been digging a spare mattress out of the cellar.
"Is everything alright?" David asked, seeing Mary Margaret kneeling before Emma on the floor.
His wife hummed in answer and stood to peck him on the cheek. "Mmm… yes. Emma's just worried about being a burden on us, and I told her that was nonsense."
"Good, because it is." He replied. "Emma, you are welcome in our home for as long as you want to be here. Mary Margaret speaks of you often and fondly, she considers you family, and her family is my family…"
"Thank you." Emma replied with a weak smile, she was glad to know that she had friends such as Mary Margaret and David, and she was happy to see that Mary Margaret was positively glowing with happiness because of him, but that didn't stop it from hurting her own heart for what she'd lost.
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Three months passed and eventually Emma moved off of the mattress in front of the fireplace in Mary Margaret and David's kitchen and found her own space, once again as a maid in a wealthy family's home.
The Bankses were an average sort of family, a father who worked, oddly enough, in a bank, a mother who ordered the household staff around and attended suffragette meetings in the afternoon, and two children who simply would not obey their nanny. The housekeeper was a gruff lady in her middles years who went by the name of Mrs. Cook. All the rest of the staff lived in constant fear of her since she frequently found fault in the work of others, and often drove them on ceaselessly without breaks. Unfortunately no other employment opportunities had opened in the town since Emma had arrived, and so she was forced to put up with the situation, no matter how ghastly.
One day after three weeks of working for this new family, one of the other servants answered a deliberate and urgent knocking at the door, and opened it to find a tall, thin man and a beautiful young woman standing beside him. Emma was called to greet the guests evidently here to see her.
When she entered the drawing room where the two strangers had been set up with a tray of tea and scones Emma was shocked to realize that they were not strangers at all, and her heart plummeted swiftly towards her shoes.
"Mr. Gold!?" She cried, standing rooted to the spot where she stood with her mouth agape in shock.
"Hello, dearie." The man said with a shark-like grin.
Suddenly, Emma was irate.
"You were supposed to help him!" Emma shouted advancing rapidly and standing over him as menacingly as possible.
"You said anything!" There were tears threatening to fall now, but Emma refused to cry in front of this man. "You bastard! You complete and utter bastard! You let her do this to him!" She grabbed Mr. Gold by the lapels and dragged him to his feet shaking him all the while.
"Emma, stop!" cried a voice beside her, and Emma ceased her assault of Mr. Gold long enough to look around and finally register just who Mr. Gold's companion was.
"Belle?" she cried. "What are you doing here?"
"We're here to help you, Emma!" Belle said softly, advancing to place a calming hand over Emma's and leading her away from Mr. Gold.
"But what are you doing here – with him?"
Belle smiled and glanced down at her shoes prettily.
"Well, he is my husband." She said.
Emma found herself speechless once again.
"Miss Swan, I understand your… distaste towards me, but I assure you if I could have spared Mr. Dodgeson this injustice, I would have; if only to put Mrs. Mills in her place. But she had everything too tightly sealed in her favor… That is no longer the case, which is why I have come to find you, no easy feat, I will admit, you have eluded me surprisingly well without evidence of trying. But I thought you would be amiable to the opportunity to both rescue your beloved Jefferson, and to push Regina Mills out of his circles for ever."
Emma narrowed her eyes at him. "And what would I have to give you in return?"
"Nothing, much. Just your time, and you would have to quit this town tonight and come with us back to Maine…"
At that exact moment Mrs. Cook chose to investigate the racket that had been emanating from the sitting room.
"Miss Swan!" She said indignantly, stamping her foot. "What on earth is all that hue and cry about? Good lord! And just who are these people, do you know them?" There was a great deal of disgust present in her voice as she spoke.
Emma turned back to Mr. Gold with an annoyed sigh, and he cocked an inquisitory eyebrow at her.
"The decision is yours…" He said.
Emma turned back to Mrs. Cook without much more thought.
"Mrs. Cook, I resign." She said with a curtsy. "And if this is to be our last meeting I would just like to take this opportunity to say that you smell of pee, you look like the wrong end of a dog and I have been feeding you burnt acorns instead of coffee without your knowledge for the past few weeks and you've been none the wiser. On that note, farewell you miserable cow."
Mrs. Cook turned a rather impressive shade of purple and puffed up like an angry hen.
"Now see here!" she wailed.
"I will collect my belongings this evening, kindly have them put out for me."
Mrs. Cook seemed to find her voice again at this. "I'll see to it you never work in this town again, young lady!" she shouted.
"I don't intend to!" Emma replied with a laugh.
At which point Emma, Mr. Gold, and Belle left the house never to return.
"Well done, Miss Swan." Mr. Gold said, once they were outside. "There's hope for you yet."
But Emma was too pleased with herself to rebuff him.
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Emma found herself back in Maine a few days later, this time returning to a collection of friends and acquaintances all gathered together for the sole purpose of freeing Jefferson from the asylum. Dr. Whale and August had agreed to meet them in Augusta, bringing with them Ruby's regards and Mrs. Lucas' blueberry pound cake.
The plan was simple; they would march into the asylum, and with a new court documents procured by Mr. Gold, free Jefferson into Emma's care. The main document had been drafted by both Dr. Whale and Mr. Gold and was meant to convince the head physician of the asylum that Emma would be a suitable guardian and caretaker for Jefferson outside of the asylum. The other was a copy of an original which Dr. Whale had stumbled upon in his research into Jefferson's case, this was to be used as their leverage.
Emma stared up at the foreboding brick structure though its wrought iron gates with a sense of dread curling through her stomach. She dimly remembered another time she had felt like this; as she peered through the iron bars that made up the fence in front of 316 Forrest Road and wondered at the man who lived in that mysterious dwelling… So much had happened since then, so much had changed.
"We're with you, Emma." Dr. Whale said noticing her dismay and placing a comforting hand on her shoulder in a gesture of solidarity.
Emma glanced back at him and smiled weakly.
"I'm just afraid of what we'll find in there…"
Victor sighed. "It won't be pleasant, that much I know. Inmates are sometimes loud or violent and often physically restrained to keep them from hurting themselves or others… I hope to God that Jefferson has been spared that indignity at least."
"Do you think he has?" Emma asked, her eyes pleading.
But Victor could only shrug and shake his head, and with that they stepped through the gates for better or worse.
They were greeted by an attendant at the door and brought to the director's office. It was a room that was at once impressive and foreboding. Impressive for the dark wood furniture and bookshelves that filled the room. Foreboding for the fact that the bookshelves were stuffed to overflowing, and not entirely by books. Dissected fragments of human brains sat pickled in jars along several of the walls accompanied sporadically by dense tomes labelled with titles such as "Phrenological Studies," "Studies in the Treatment of Diseases of the Mind," and three sinisterly bearing the titles "Lobotomy," "Galvinism," and "Electroshock Therapy."
The director sat behind a large mahogany desk that took up the better part of the small office and was littered with papers. Only two chairs sat before it however, so Emma and Mr. Gold sat while Dr. Whale hovered above Emma's left shoulder.
"I understand you're here to appeal to me on Jefferson Lake's behalf…?" The director said without looking up. He was portly and balding, with a pale complexion similar to Victor's; that of a man who spent most of his days indoors.
"Indeed," replied Mr. Gold. "We have reason to believe that he was wrongly placed in your care."
The man snorted, rudely.
"Is something funny, Dr. Ledeaux?" asked Dr. Whale.
"Only that I find it hard to believe that his illness had escaped your attentions so much as for you to believe him not in need of professional care…" Dr. Ledeaux, did look up then and seeing their expressions chose to elaborate further. "The man, in my professional opinion, is quite mad; without hope of recovery."
"And I'm sure Mrs. Mills' donations to your institution have not swayed your professional opinion on this matter?" Mr. Gold said coldly.
Dr. Ledeaux stared at Mr. Gold hard for a long while. "It is true that Mrs. Mills was generous with her funds in order to secure proper care for her cousin, but I assure you – "
"Dr. Leduck – was it?"
"Ledeaux…"
Mr. Gold waved his hand dismissively, and retrieved a document from his briefcase and lay it out on Dr. Ledeaux's desk. "Dr. Leduck, I have here a copy of a contract signed by yourself and Mrs. Mills outlining the conditions for her donations… including, in line 34, the 'indefinite incarceration' of Mrs. Mills cousin, Jefferson Lake, herein referred to as 'the patient,' and the 'arrest of all attempts to free him by any other outside parties.'"
There was an awkward silence.
"So you see Doctor, in a court of law the two of you could be found guilty of conspiracy to hold a man against his will, quite possibly kidnapping, and I suspect, of cruel and unusual punishment... All of which could be avoided on your part with your full cooperation here today."
Dr. Ledeaux began to sweat visibly and mopped his forehead with a handkerchief that he pulled from his pocket.
"Who- who exactly did you say you were?" Dr. Ledeaux stammered.
"My name is Mr. Gold, I am a family friend of the Dodgesons, including Miss Swan here."
Dr. Ledeaux's eyes swung over to Emma for the first time.
"And you are?" he asked.
"I'm his housekeeper." Emma said, and the doctor raised an eyebrow at both of them.
"Tell him who you really are, Emma." Mr. Gold prompted her.
"His fiancée." She said, finally catching on and pulled off a glove to show the doctor her left hand.
"Ah." Said the doctor and he shifted uncomfortably in his seat.
"And I believe you know, Dr. Victor Whale; Mr. Dodgeson's personal physician?"
"Yes, we are acquainted."
"Now sir, will you be cooperative? We intend to take Mr. Dodgeson off your hands today, and I will assure you that no legal repercussions will fall on you or your establishment for aiding us to expedite the process."
"Mr. Gold, I apologize but – "
"Dr. Ledeaux, I will personally see to it that you are handsomely recompensed for your pains."
"Yes, but Mr. Dodgson remains to be unwell." The Doctor said, seeming to have found his spine once more. "I couldn't possibly, in good conscience, release him into the public without assurance that he will be properly looked after!"
"Mr. Dodgeson was well looked after before he entered these walls." Dr. Whale said with a layer of barely concealed malice. "You have nothing to worry about."
"But Mrs. Mills told me – "
"Doctor, did you not find it odd that Mrs. Mills seemed so adamant to see her relative kept here indefinitely?"
"In truth, Mr. Gold, I did not. That is not an uncommon desire amongst the relatives of the patients of my hospital…"
There was another awkward silence but mostly from Mr. Gold this time.
"Then people are barbaric in the face of those most in need of kindness." Mr. Gold said. "But Mr. Dodgeson's cousin was more interested in obtaining his fortune, as opposed to relieving herself of her duties to him… You see, she had nothing to do with him, entrusting his care entirely to strangers and friends." Mr. Gold paused then changed tack, looking almost pleading. "Give him to us. Those who love him and call him 'friend'; he will be safe and happy, and never bother a soul."
After a pause Dr. Ledeaux sighed. "I will let you see him, and if after seeing the sorry state he is in you still want him, he is yours. I can always use the space for those who are truly unwanted."
Emma's fist clenched involuntarily and her heart leapt up into her throat.
"Shall I take you to him then?"
"Please do." Mr. Gold replied.
To be continued.
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A/N: So this chapter got so long that I had to break it in two. But not to worry, the second half is finished and buffed up all shiny and will be up tomorrow!