A/n: Well I haven't written a chapter for this in a long time. So here you guys go, so sorry for the wait. I think I've gotten my writer's block out of the way. I do apologize for any and all mistakes found in the chapter, I haven't had the time to properly edit it. Thank you all so much for the review/follows so far.
Chapter 6: The search begins
The trio found themselves in front of warehouse, early the next morning, waiting for Ricky to appear.
" Good morning, you three, I hope we could discuss our plans for today over breakfast." Ricky said, as he led the three into the the building through various corridors and arriving into a dining room with an buffet of breakfast food.
"What exactly is this place?" she asked as she examined the finely furnished room, which stood in stark contrast to building's rough exterior.
" Legally speaking it where I store my collection of artifacts and artworks. What it really is a place where I store anything I don't want anyone to find, magic or otherwise." Ricky said as he sat down as the head of the table.
" So what we're just going to be going through all these objects and seeing if one will lead us to Gold's son. If you'd remember magic wasn't that accurate, it led us to you not Baelfire. And I thought magic doesn't exist here." She said as she piled her plate with food. Great just what she needs more magic.
" First of all Emma, that is what the old man will be doing, not the rest of us. You don't know how to handle magic properly, and making Henry look, well that just irresponsible. The three of us will be doing this the magicless way, stiffing through public records. As for magic, leave that to me, I may have brought some with me, saved some for a rainy day." Emma flinched, remembering the last time she heard that phrase, hopefully it won't involve dragons this time.
" How exact did you bring magic here Nico?"Gold asked as he sipped his morning tea.
Ricky gets up and leaves the room. The sound of a heavy vault door's lock clicking echos back into the dinning room. A few moments later Ricky enters with a small old ornate chest with several glyphs engraved into the wood and various locks. He places the chest one the table and unlocks it and briefly shows the contents , a palm size dark blood red stone , before securely locking it up again.
"Is that... No... but that's impossible?" Gold said shocked.
"What so important about a rock?" She asked, her curiosity sparked by Gold's reaction.
"In alchemy, actually in all magic, there is something called equivalent exchange."
" Which is why you always say magic comes with a price." Henry said.
" Yes Henry. This stone has the ability to replace anything in that exchange., even magic itself. The Philosopher's stone."
" Wait the Philosopher's stone, as in like the one in Harry Potter? The one made by Nico- wait you're Nicolas Flamel. "
" The one and only." Ricky replied smugly as he leaned back in his chair.
" I thought the stone was only able to make any metal into gold and make you immortal."
" It would seem as ms. Rowling got a few facts wrong." Ricky replies.
" How did you come about the stone Nico?" Gold asks curiously, a glint of pride can be found in his eye as he looks onto his former apprentice,
The smirk on Ricky's face quickly vanishes and his shoulders seems to have gained the weight of the world." Magic has it's price, that stone is no exception. " From his grim expression, Emma could only imagine the price he had to pay for such a powerful stone.
After leaving Gold with his collection of magical objects, Ricky brings the two to another room filled with computers.
" Welcome to the lookout." The walls are lined with several computer screens, each with it's own separate feed. One is of Gold in artifact room.
"So you just trust Gold in a room full of magical artifacts?" She asked Ricky.
" Yes I do. Though they won't be of any use without the stone. "
" So you don't trust him with the stone" she probed.
" I trust him with everything, but I wouldn't trust a man blinded by his emotions with it. Now I am sure you have your methods of finding people, let's get started." He says as he sits down at one of the computer terminals.
" So what do we know about Baelfire?" She says as she takes the one beside him.
"We know he is here somewhere in New York. Curly Brown hair, brown eyes, age 14+, 5ft5 or taller, and this sketch. I suggest you start looking through the records"
" Great so it's like finding a needle in a haystack. While I do that, what will you do?"
" I'll just sit here and look pretty."he said as he winked at her."Of course I'll be helping. I'll just be doing something highly unethical and something that will most likely land me in jail. I'll be searching through every database that has some dna trace on file, so if has so much as sneezed in New York I will find him. Though it means going through somethings our government doesn't want us to know they have, so if you hear a pounding on the door, I suggest you run." he said as he began typing furiously on a keyboard.
" You're kidding right?"
" Partly. How did you think to where I am? I didn't exactly get here, by the most legal of means." he smirked.
" But you we're raise by a cop."
" Yes, but you forget I was the dark one's apprentice."
" So what can I do to help?" Henry asked, looking a little lost.
" You can-" she scans the room, looking for something suitable for Henry to do.
"You can go through these photos, see if you find someone that looks like Baelfire." Ricky responds, and Emma shoots him a look of gratitude.
" I can do that. Operation fireseeker is a go." Henry replies as he sits at another computer.
" Operation fireseeker?" Ricky asks with his eyebrows scrunched up in bemusement.
" Yes, Operation fireseeker." Emma replies.
" Ok, operation fireseeker it is." He replies with a chuckle.
The lone man stood among the shelves housing various magical artifacts leaning heavily on his cane. He examines the two tables in front of him with sleeves rolled up, as his suit jacket and waist coat were long discarded. On top of the table to his right were the "definitely not" and the other table was the "possible solutions" table, unfortunately the top was still bare. He swings his cane to hit the empty table leaving a huge dent, and a crack in his cane.
" I never did like that table." A voice says from behind him.
He turns around to see Ricky with a tea tray in hand. He places the tray on the dented table, and makes Gold sit in on one end the leather couch, before making a cup and handing it to Gold.
" I take that it hasn't been going well." Ricky asks as he takes a seat on the opposite end of the couch.
"No it hasn't." He says as he looks over the rim of cup.
"I let Emma and Henry out for dinner. How about you and I take a break and grab something to eat?"
" No, I can't. I need to find him." he says as he tries to get up, but Ricky pushes him back down.
" No, Rumple you need to take a break. You can't work like you immortal here, because you're not."
" That may be the case, but everyday that goes by is another day I've abandoned him."
Ricky looks over to his former mentor and decides to break the silence. It would do his old mentor no good to be alone with his thoughts right now.
" I'm sorry for abandoning you the way I did."
Gold turns to face Ricky, shocked by the the apology, but quickly tames his features. "I understand. Family is important. What happened after you left? Did you save her, your mother from your father?"
" No I didn't. I was too weak. I only made things worst. " Ricky answers, not looking Gold in the eye.
" I'm sorry."
It is Ricky's turn to be shocked. " What are you apologizing for? You know they call you a monster, and they called my father a hero. And yet here you are doing whatever it takes to get a chance just to say your sorry."
" Do you think Bae will forgive me?"
" Yes. It might take some time, you just have to show him that your not the monster he thinks you've become. And I know your not. My mother use to say all the time, For every glance behind us..."
" we have to look twice to the future." Gold finished.
" Oh you know it?" Ricky said in surprised.
"I had to accompany this traveler for a deal once, she use to say it all the time."
" Yah so there is no point of dwelling in the past, you can't change it. You got to focus on the future. Focus on finding Bae, and being the man he wants to be. I know it's not any consolation, but there were many nights I wished you were my father instead. Baelfire is lucky to have a father like you."
Notes: So what do you guys think? So Nico is Nicolas Flamel, who would have thought? Cookies to those who can guess correctly where I got my inspiration for this philosopher's stone from. We'll see Baelfire soon. In the next two chapters I think. Again a bit of a transition chapter.
Next time: X marks the spot and Nico and Rumple have a disagreement.
Also, I've started a companion piece to this, about Nico's and Rumple's adventures together in the enchanted forest.
And I have started a new fic called Taking Flight, which is a Rumbelle fic with Airships.