Assault
Emma's cheerful, almost giddy mood had dwindled by the time she returned home, exhaustion having taken its place. She smiled as she thought of her warm bed and gently turned the door knob, easing the door open as quietly as possible. As the door swung open, however, it turned out that the silence was pointless.
Standing in the center of the apartment, looking strangely identical in their disapproving glares, were her parents. Snow visibly gave a sigh of relief as the blonde entered, but Charming's face seemed frozen in disappointed concern and she had to work to hold back her chuckle. It was then that Emma realized her mother was out of bed. She still looked sickly and tired, but standing upright was a good thing. And while her eyes still held their perpetual guilty sadness, they were also filled with concern. Her parents meant well, but they were just as new at being parents as she was. Not to mention that her kid was actually still a kid, not a grown woman.
"Emma," Snow said airily, her eyes widening even more, which Emma thought impossible, "where have you been?"
"We were worried sick," Charming joined in.
Emma furrowed her brows humorously and closed the door behind her. "I was out getting wasted at this rad party. But then the cops showed up so I had to bail right in the middle of the beer pong championship."
"That's not funny," Snow glowered, looking down at her feet, as if ashamed.
"It's not. I was winning."
"Emma."
"It kind of is funny. Come on, guys, I'm almost thirty years old. I appreciate the concern, but this is a little…" she drifted, not wanting to hurt her parents feelings too much.
Despite Emma's efforts, Snow still looked upset and she instinctively nestled herself into Charming's side. His arm came around her shoulders and held her close. Emma had to look away at that. Her parents were so naturally intimate, so attuned to one another, that sometimes it was hard to watch. She wasn't sure if it was the fact that her parents were being romantic or something else. Deep down, she was probably jealous of what they had, though she'd never admit it to anyone, much less herself.
"We were supposed to have dinner together," Snow said finally. It sounded as if the motherly worry had left her, and the lethargic tear-trap had returned. She looked over longingly at her bed, wishing she could return to it. But Charming held her firmly to his side.
"And where's Henry?" Charming asked, looking around Emma as if the boy had been hiding behind her the entire time.
Emma turned her back to them as she slid her jacket off and hung it up on the hooks by the door. "He stayed the night at Regina's."
Two audible gasps filled her ears and she rolled her eyes before turning back around to face them. Snow looked as if her heart had just been ripped out, looking from side to side as she clutched at her shirt over her chest. It was a trait she had developed as of late, since Cora. Clearly, she still wasn't over that, and Emma sighed. Charming leaned forward slightly, his hand coming to rest on his hip, where his gun holster normally sat.
"You let him stay with her?" he asked, his voice filled with such disdain that Emma had to scoff at him.
"She is his mother. He was tired after his birthday dinner. He fell asleep on the couch and…it was just easier. It was what she wanted."
"But she—
"Dad," Emma implored, watching the muscles around his eyes loosen, "she's really trying. You should have seen the look on her face. She was genuinely happy."
Snow looked up then, almost hopeful as she continued to clutch at the fabric in front of her chest. "She's…she's happy?"
Emma shrugged. "Seemed like she was."
"It doesn't matter. Her happiness is irrelevant. She tried to kill us, Emma. Given the chance, she'll do it again. All you're doing by letting her in is making it worse. It's going to hurt more when she eventually turns against you."
Charming spoke confidently, laying his hand out flat as if saying his final word, though Emma knew that was unlikely. Snow had taken to looking at the floor, swaying back and forth and slowly easing herself out of her husband's arm. Emma felt anger rising in her chest, and an overwhelming urge to scream and stomp her foot. Instead, she just shook her head, choosing to give her parents a disappointed glare.
"Look, everything Regina's ever had in her life has been taken away from her, good or bad."
At this point, Snow finally released herself from her husband and slowly stalked over to her bed. Charming glared at Emma in an attempt to place the blame but she ignored him.
"Henry is the one thing she has left, and the one thing she has never tried to hurt."
"Except for when she put him under a sleeping curse," her father returned, nodding to further prove his point.
"That was meant for me. And…and they're really good."
Charming let out an incredulous laugh and looked up at the ceiling for a moment. "Is that supposed to make it better? That a poisoned pastry was meant for you and that they taste good? Emma, do you honestly hear yourself? That witch has had more chances than she ever deserved."
"Just sparing her life isn't a good enough chance. She needs more—
"We should go get Henry," he interrupted, casting his eyes to the door behind Emma's head. "He's not safe there."
Emma's mouth opened and closed for a few moments as she tried to gather her thoughts. They just didn't get it. And she was beginning to wonder if they would ever get it. Regina was a very difficult woman. She knew this firsthand. But she'd also seen the woman behind the cruelty and lies, and she was very, very much in need of help. Emma looked up at her father, the Prince Charming of fairytales, and found that she couldn't look at him. So she lowered her eyes to the staircase and uttered a simple, "No."
"No?" he repeated, his brow furrowing, tilting his head to the side.
"No, you're not going to get Henry. I am." She met his eyes then and Charming visibly shrunk back at the determination in them. "Tomorrow."
"But—
Emma merely held up a hand to silence him and retreated up the stairs. Her comfortable bed looked even better than she imagined, but she knew she would be getting no sleep tonight and she sighed as she kicked off her shoes and lay on top of it. She stared at the ceiling and rested her arms behind her head and thought of Regina.
0-0-0-0-0
Much to Emma's relief, Charming had listened to her and had not gone after Henry in the night. She knew this because, as predicted, she did not get any sleep, and she groaned as she descended the stairs in her typical tank top and boy shorts. Snow remained in bed, and appeared to be asleep, but that meant nothing lately, and Charming was leaning over the counter. He straightened when he saw her enter and gave her a nod.
She returned it and began messing with the coffee maker, struggling significantly due to her crankiness and fatigue. Charming watched her for a few moments before he cleared his throat. She turned slowly, hoping that he could tell she wasn't in the mood for another argument, but his eyes seemed softer.
"I'm sorry about last night," he said quietly, for his wife's sake. "It's just…this is has been a stressful few weeks." He glanced over at Snow and smiled softly. "I finally get her out of bed for dinner, and you don't show and I just…I let my frustrations get the better of me."
Emma nodded, glancing over at her mother. She had forgotten entirely about the dinner, and it was huge that her mother had gotten out of bed. Guilt slowly started to replace the frustration in her gut, and she looked up at her father. "I'm sorry I missed dinner," she said, pausing to let it sink in between them. "Are you sorry about what else you said?" she asked, raising an eyebrow at him.
Charming sighed and Emma shook her head, turning back to her coffee maker. She felt a hand on her shoulder and allowed it to gently turn her back around. "Emma, I'm just worried. You haven't known her as long as we have," he offered kindly.
"You're right. I haven't known her as long, and yet I know more about her than any of you. What does that say?"
Charming opened his mouth to give a quick retort but thought better of it. Instead he scratched the back of his neck and let out a deep sigh. "Look, if you go and pick up Henry, then I'll be even less on edge and we can discuss this more."
"There's nothing to discuss," Emma said a little louder than intended and they both looked over at Snow, who didn't move. Emma hated this. She felt like a teenager defending a rebel boyfriend. It was immature, and it was stupid and certainly didn't help her mood. Taking her frustration out on the coffee maker, she pulled the plug out of the back of it, rendering it useless. Feeling on the verge of tears, she turned back to her father. "I think I'll go out for my coffee."
With that she left the kitchen and headed up the stairs to put on her day old jeans. Charming tried to catch her again as she left, but she let the door close on his words.
Granny's was closer. She could see it from her parents' apartment, and the smells coming from it were wonderful. But Granny's was also cheerful, and loud, and Emma wanted neither of those things in her current state. That left only one other option. Besides, she did have to pick her son up anyway.
As Emma bounded down the street towards Regina's house, she wondered why she even debated her choice of coffee anymore. She'd walk fifty miles through the desert for one espresso sized cup of Regina's brew and she wasn't ashamed to admit it. But addiction was a funny thing, and it often made people do crazy things. Emma's caffeine addiction may have been legal, but that didn't mean it was any less intense. Plus, another part of her missed Regina's company. That part of her was growing increasingly more constant. But, as long as Regina didn't mind, Emma wouldn't dwell on it.
Reaching the house, she knocked on the door. It wasn't quite as loud as normal, just in case her son was still sleeping. Regina opened the door a few moments later and gave Emma a surprisingly knowing smile, as if she predicted the savior would show up earlier than expected. Emma returned the smile easily, noting the comfortable clothes the brunette was wearing. Dark slacks and a loose button up blouse. She still looked immaculate, but not nearly as straight laced as her usual business attire suggested. While her hair had been brushed, it still held a few stray morning curls that had been swept adorably to the side. All of that combined with the sly little smile almost made Emma forget why she was here. Thankfully, the steaming cup in Regina's palms helped keep her mission priority.
"Back so soon?" Regina asked, allowing the door to attempt to close and rest against her shoulder, denying Emma access to the house.
"It really bothers me that you look this good in the morning," Emma blurted, glaring at the coffee cup, painfully aware that she hadn't brushed her hair, much less looked in a mirror this morning.
"You're not really a morning person, are you?" Regina asked, tapping a well-manicured nail against the cup, the rhythmic tapping sounding like a ticking time bomb to the savior.
"Not without my coffee," she whined without even attempting to hide it.
Regina seemed to ponder this for a moment, acutely aware that Emma's attention was focused on her untouched and freshly made coffee. The tapping continued and she watched with amusement how Emma seemed to lean just a little bit closer. Finally, her tapping slowed and then ceased. Regina looked down at her coffee and gave a resigned sigh. Emma's eyes widened in excitement, and they met Regina's. Slowly, she lifted the tapping finger and pointed it to the left.
"Granny's is that way," she said slowly, watching with delight as Emma's face sank.
"Really?" she asked, too tired to understand if Regina was joking or not.
Rolling her eyes, Regina pushed the mug into Emma's hands and turned around, the movement pushing the door back open. Emma followed obediently, sipping the mug and instantly feeling her crankiness fading. As she shut the door again, Emma heard a light smacking sound and followed it all the way to Regina, noticing that she was barefoot. The notable click of her heels was gone and replaced with the laid back slap of skin on tile. It was…very cute, to see Regina like this. She looked happy. Smiling to herself, Emma followed Regina back into the kitchen, where the brunette was brewing another pot.
"I…appreciate you letting Henry stay over," Regina said as she heard Emma near. She turned with a new cup and raised it almost as a toast to Emma before putting it to her lips. "It was nice having him here."
"You look like you got a good night's sleep," the blonde offered, noticing that the rings around Regina's eyes seemed to have died down a bit.
"Yes, that was nice too," Regina answered a bit too quickly.
Emma narrowed her eyes but the queen turned back around to fiddle with the coffee maker. "Everything okay, Regina?" she asked, noticing how Regina's shoulders hitched at the question.
"Of course."
"Are you sure?"
Regina turned around again, looking rather exasperated at the questions and placed her hands on her hips. It reminded Emma of how they spoke to each other before this newfound truce. Everything was a battle or a challenge. Regina raised her eyebrow, as if daring Emma to continuing her questioning. However, before the savior could ask another question to spite Regina, there was the sound of padded feet on the floorboard.
"Morning," Henry said groggily, sitting on the barstool next to Emma and laying his head in his arms.
"Good morning," they said simultaneously, and he chuckled into his arms.
"You owe each other cokes."
"I'll settle for coffee," Emma answered, ruffling his erratic hair.
Regina smiled at him and asked what he wanted for breakfast. The smile on her face and the shine in her eyes was enough to let Emma drop the questions for now.
After breakfast Henry said goodbye to his mother and headed out into the front yard to wait for his other mother to take him home. Emma was putting on her jacket as she headed out the door and she turned to face Regina once more. Though the breakfast had been pleasant, now that they were leaving Regina looked increasingly more ill at ease. Emma had hoped that she was past these fears of Henry never coming back, but she couldn't blame her for being concerned.
"I feel like I should be paying you for the coffee," she half-joked, watching as Regina's eyebrows rose and hoping it would relax her.
"You should. It's not cheap."
"Oh? Really? Um, I left my wallet at home but I can bring it back and—
"Miss Swan," Regina interrupted, her face unchanging, "that was a joke."
Emma's widened eyes turned to slits but she couldn't hide her smile. "So, we're back to 'Miss Swan,' huh?"
"First names must be earned."
"Oh, how do I 'earn' my name back?" Emma wiggled her eyebrows in such a way that Regina couldn't help but roll her eyes.
"Keep that up and you'll revert all the way back to 'Sheriff.'"
"Ouch. Hey…seriously though, am I bothering you, stopping by so much?" Emma asked, suddenly feeling very self-conscious. She didn't know why she asked the question in the first place. Regina had always been pleasant when she'd shown up unannounced since their cease-fire. Perhaps it was Emma's innate fear that something was always going to go wrong. She and Regina seemed to have that in common; though that was a thought she kept very much to herself.
Regina's face remained passive as she regarded the blonde in front of her. She wanted to tell Emma no, that she was welcome any time. Because that was the truth. But she couldn't do that. Emma would see right through her if she dared go that far. She'd start asking those questions that Henry had saved her from at breakfast. Regina wasn't prepared to answer those yet, and she wasn't sure she would ever be ready. She also wasn't prepared to turn Emma away.
"There are other things I could be doing than catering to your addiction, yes," she answered finally, looking down at Emma as she would any other peasant. "But when has that ever stopped you?" she finished with a raised eyebrow before turning and heading back inside.
Before the door shut all the way, she heard Emma's voice call out an eager, "I'm taking that as a no!" and smiled to herself. However it faded quickly, and she leaned against the door, listening as the chatter faded down the block. She was alone again. Regina looked around the large house warily before peering outside. She saw nothing out of the ordinary and took small relief in the click of the deadbolt.
0-0-0-0-0
"Homework?"
"Check."
"Notebooks?"
"Check."
"Pencils?"
"Check."
"Lunch money?"
"Check."
"Pants?"
Henry opened his mouth to say 'check' once again before he broke out into laughter. Emma followed suit before zipping up the backpack and offering it to her son, who looped it over his arms. Once he was ready to go, Henry trotted over to Snow, still bed-ridden, and placed a gentle kiss on her cheek.
"Bye, Grandma," he said sweetly, and Emma was relieved to see Snow's hand come up and touch his cheek. It was a lethargic action, but a genuine one nonetheless and Henry smiled before heading back over to his mother. Opening the door for her, they made their way out of the apartment and down the street towards school.
"You excited for your birthday, kid?" Emma asked as they crossed a street.
Henry nodded eagerly. "I get to bring candy on Friday and I was going to bring my new action figure that mom gave me," he looked up at Emma, slightly concerned, "but I can't find it."
"It wasn't with the stack we brought home?"
He shook his head again and Emma shrugged. "Maybe I didn't pick it up. I can grab it for you today. I've got some time before work. You'll have it in time for tomorrow."
"I wanted to come with you," he whined, and Emma looked down at him before it dawned on her.
Stopping on the sidewalk, she knelt down to his level, trying to conceal the overwhelming pride that was coursing through her. Henry looked wary, as if he was in trouble, and Emma smiled to ease him.
"Henry, you can see your mom whenever you want. You don't need an excuse."
"Really?"
"Of course. I'll pick up your action figure, but we can still go see her after school if you want."
Henry beamed at her, and Emma noticed that he seemed to have gotten her not so straight teeth. Perhaps she'd have to discuss orthodontics with Regina when she went to pick up Henry's action figure. After dropping Henry off, Emma immediately turned and made her way back to Regina's house. Braces had taken up her thoughts, and she was trying to calculate her sheriff's salary against them. Regina had money, but was this curse elaborate enough to include insurance? Not to mention the fact that they were definitely going out of town for the procedure. She wasn't going to let some lawn gnome work on….
Emma paused on the sidewalk leading up to Regina's door. It was a cloudy day, but the sun was attempting to get through, and as it shown briefly upon the queen's house, something caught her eye. The window on the far right side of the house. All of Regina's windows were squeaky clean, but that one still shone brighter than the rest. Emma continued up the walkway and diverted from the stone pathway to get a closer look. Emma thought about how Regina would kill anyone, especially her, who had the audacity to walk on her immaculate lawn let alone add the insult of traipsing through the bushes and flowers planted beneath the mayor's front windows. But that wasn't enough to stop Emma.
As expected, the close up inspection proved that it was brand new. Frowning, the blonde knelt down in front of the window, scanning the mulch, the lawn, and the cracks of the walkway. She found what she was looking for in a potted plant. It had been partially hidden by the dirt, but she found it nonetheless. A small shard of glass. Regina's window had been broken.
Emma's thoughts immediately went to foul play and she shot up then and headed straight for the door. She wasn't sure what she was thinking because anger and concern had taken over. All she wanted to do was get to Regina and make sure she was safe. Not bothering to knock, Emma tried the knob, surprised and even angrier to find it unlocked. This only increased her worry and she ran into the foyer, looking up the stairs.
She didn't want to call out. If someone was in here with her, she didn't want to set them off. No way was she giving the bastard time to escape. Guilt swam through her as she crept down the hallway towards the study. It had been days since she'd come over to visit. The window could have been broken any time within the week. But if someone was getting that close to her house, it was too damn close.
The door to the study was slightly ajar, and Emma peered around it, exhaling with relief as she saw Regina sitting at the desk. A tumbler was in her right hand pressed to her cheek, her eyes closed. She was dressed as pristinely as always and appeared to be unharmed, and Emma couldn't hide the relief in her voice as she exhaled her name.
"Regina."
The brunette jumped at the sound, and Emma saw fear flash across her eyes before they grew angry. Slamming the tumbler—which was only filled with ice, Emma noticed—on the desk, Regina stood and flipped her hair out from behind her ear.
"What are you doing here?" she growled. "Don't come near me," she added as she saw Emma take a step into the room.
Emma's relief had quickly dissipated, and she frowned as she ignored the queen's command and came closer. Regina turned to face the fireplace and crossed her arms. She was hiding something. There was fear there. Instinctively, Emma reached for Regina, who pulled quickly away, her anger returning full force.
"You can't just come into my home unannounced," she said, backing up.
Emma paused then, tilting her head to the side. "I saw your new window."
"How observant of you."
"And I came to make sure you were okay," Emma said, frustrated at the ungrateful tone she was getting.
"Because I got a new window?" Regina scoffed and rolled her eyes, crossing her arms. She refused to meet Emma's eyes.
"Because your old one was shattered. Regina, why didn't you call me?"
Regina frowned, slightly confused. "I'm sorry. I didn't realize you specialized in window replacements. One of your many talents, it seems."
Emma groaned in annoyance. She didn't like being made the fool, especially when it wasn't actually her doing. She took a few steps closer and Regina's face shot up, glaring.
"Don't come near me," she repeated.
But Emma had already seen it. Regina could tell by the way the blonde's eyes had widened. She was going to tell her to go away again, but the determination in Emma's eyes intimidated her into submission. Emma was in front of her in an instant, their faces just inches apart. Regina couldn't tell if the blonde was enraged or not. She could smell coffee on her, and a faint hint of deodorant and waited for whatever was to come.
Emma stared at her for a long time, searching behind those eyes. But Regina had brought up the walls again, and her eyes stared straight ahead. Emma raised a hand to Regina's face, and the brunette pushed it away. She brought it up again, more quickly, and grabbed the queen's chin, turning it sharply to the right. Regina winced instinctively, waiting for the pain, which always came.
Instead of pain, she felt the slightest touch of Emma's fingertips as she ever so gently tucked her brown hair back behind her ear, revealing the bruise. There was a slight intake of breath as Emma studied the bruise, which covered Regina's entire cheek. It was swollen and a sickly color of purple and black and red. Seeing something so hideous on Regina caused Emma's stomach to lurch. Tentatively, Emma grazed her fingertips over it, and Regina pulled away slightly. Emma pulled her free hand back, the one on Regina's chin sliding downward and across her neck before pulling away.
"Who did this to you?" she asked quietly, in their closeness.
"It doesn't matter how it happened."
"Yes, it damn well does."
"Why?" Regina growled, putting up her defenses.
"Because I'm going to kill them," Emma said simply.
Regina looked at her cautiously. Emma looked completely serious, which frightened the queen a bit. Emma was known to be violent, but this was dark, even for her.
"It might not have been a person," Regina answered quietly, hoping to calm the blonde down.
"I will still kill it."
"How do you propose to kill a door?"
"Fire and a wood chipper, but it wasn't a door."
Emma stepped back to meet Regina's eyes. "You don't get bruises like that from a door," she said knowingly, a darkness in her voice that Regina hadn't heard before. Emma brought her free hand up again to ghost over Regina's jawline while her other hand clenched tightly to stem her anger.
Regina opened her mouth to respond, only to realize that she couldn't find the words. Taking a deep breath, Emma turned around and grabbed the tumbler, handing it back to Regina, who took it silently. She watched as Regina placed it to her cheek again and took the queen by the arm, guiding her over to the chair to sit.
"I'm calm now," Emma said after a few moments of silence, and Regina raised her eyebrows at her. "Ok, I'm calm now. Just…" The blonde broke off as she dropped her eyes to regain some more of her composure. When Emma finally looked up, she focused on those dark eyes, ignoring the sickly discoloration of Regina's skin as it snuck around the tumbler pressed against it. After a deep breath in, Emma tried to convince Regina, "Please, tell me what happened."
Regina sighed and crossed her legs, shaking her head. Emma waited patiently as she tried to remember without showing any emotion.
"The window was on Tuesday. Someone threw a brick through it in the night. I didn't see who it was and I didn't care who it was. The…this," she said rather ineloquently, shaking her tumbler a bit, "happened this morning. I was walking around outside, tending to the yard and…I don't know what it was that hit me. If it was a person, I didn't see them, and if it was something else whatever they threw they took with them. I just…felt the pain and hit the ground."
Regina sighed again and Emma thought for a moment she saw her lip tremble. "I blacked out for a few moments, but they were gone when I came to."
"Did the brick have a note or anything attached to it?" Emma asked, hoping her professionalism would get them both through this.
Regina scoffed at that and threw her eyes to the ceiling. "A note isn't necessary, Miss Swan. We both know why this is happening."
Emma clenched her jaw and shook her head. "No one deserves this," she said sharply.
Regina merely shrugged and adjusted the tumbler. "The evil queen might."
"No one deserves this," Emma repeated.
"I heard you."
"Besides, even if you think you deserve it, which you don't, at least lock the damn door and make them work for it," Emma continued, exasperated, jutting her thumb out in the direction of the front door.
"I may have been a bit disoriented when I came inside," Regina said through gritted teeth, gesturing with the tumbler towards her cheek.
They glared at each other for a few moments before Emma let it drop, rubbing her hands on her thighs. "Have you taken something for the pain?" she asked finally.
"There's no pain," Regina answered simply.
Emma found that hard to believe but decided to let that drop too. "Are you going to…" she paused lifting her hands and waving them around a bit, "get rid of it?"
Regina smiled softly, though it wasn't directed at Emma, and shook her head. "I can't."
"Why not?"
"No magic. I promised Henry."
"Regina, he wouldn't want—
"It doesn't matter," Regina interrupted, sighing again. "I promised him I wouldn't use it."
Emma licked her lips and gave a short nod. "What about the party tomorrow?"
"The swelling will go down by tomorrow. Make up will cover it up."
"Regina, I'm sorry."
The words surprised them both and they regarded each other carefully. Regina looked as if she was about to say something but let it drop, giving a simple nod instead.
"How long has this been going on?"
Regina shrugged, as if this question was simple as remembering what she had for breakfast. "It started after the curse broke. After the stint with my mother…well, it's grown since then."
"Is that why you always seemed so nervous when Henry and I left?"
Regina frowned, upset with herself that she had been so transparent, but gave a nod. "It's not you or Henry they're after. They seem to keep their distance when either of you are around." She laughed cruelly then and put the tumbler down. "Using my son…."
"Don't," Emma cautioned, pointing a finger at the brunette. "Don't do that to yourself. You'd do anything to protect Henry, if it came to that."
Regina made no response to that so Emma closed her eyes. Emma was still pissed, she still wanted blood. And if she found out who did this, she would make damn sure they never did it again. But she didn't want to talk about this anymore. And it was clear that Regina didn't either. However, there was no way in hell she was going to leave her alone. If they were attacking Regina in her own backyard it was clear they'd have no qualms about coming into her home.
"So, I think Henry might need braces," she announced, watching as Regina's head tilted to the side, confused by the sudden subject change. Emma nodded and leaned forward. "Sorry to say he got my teeth. But we should start looking into it for him."
Regina paused for a moment, and Emma could see the tightness around her eyes soften as she nodded. "I have done a little research on the matter."
0-0-0-0-0
"Come on, Cora," Rumpel grumbled aloud to himself as he flipped through the pages of Regina's book. It had been all too easy to pilfer it from Emma's apartment. All he had to do was mention his absence and she was out the door. In fact, when her son was concerned, Emma was almost embarrassingly easy to manipulate. He made sure to file that information away for later, just in case.
But so far, his find had been unsatisfying. Most of the spells written in this book were ones that Rumpel had taught Cora himself. Didn't she have any imagination? Did she have no desire to attempt to create something new? If she didn't, she wasn't the woman he thought she was. Towards the end of the book, the handwriting had changed, and Rumpel recognized it as Regina's. His eyebrows rose as he scanned the pages of incantations and curses and spells, some even he had never heard of before. Had Regina merely stumbled upon these, or had she created them herself?
Perhaps Regina was more of a threat than Rumpel had originally thought. He had always considered her powerful, yes, but much in the way a human considers an ant lifting a leaf powerful. If she was showing this type of prowess he might have to watch her a little more closely. However, he had already planted the seed to get her out of the way. He just needed to be patient for it grow.
Reaching the final page with nothing to help him in his cause, Rumpel swore under his breath and gently closed the book. Well, if he couldn't find an easy solution, he'd just have to go the hard way. Rumpel glanced at his watch and noted that it was almost time for Lacey to head to work. Turning Lacey back into Belle was his only chance. With her help, he had true love. And with true love he could do anything. Maybe getting her to fall back in love with him would bring her memory as well as get his magic back. He only hoped he was strong enough to fall in love once again.
He made his way out of the shop and crossed the street, choosing to lean nonchalantly against a building as he waited for her to make her way down the road. Soon enough, he heard the clicking of her heels and smiled as she neared. Lacey seemed to hesitate when she saw him, but she formed a polite smile and gave him a nod, fully intending to walk right past him.
"Wait, Lacey, please," Rumpel said, leaving his cane against the building so as not to frighten her, and hobbling a few steps after her.
She stopped and turned, looking at him piteously as he caught up to her. When he was close enough he studied her face again. Her hair was pulled up into a new style. It looked good. He liked it. But she was wearing too much makeup for his tastes. Either way, she was still beautiful. And while the look in her eyes wasn't love, it wasn't unkind either.
"Look, Mr. Gold," she said quietly, her hands shaking, "I'm sorry, I still don't remember—
"No, no, I know you don't," he said breathlessly, feeling his heart thundering in his chest. "I know, and I'm sorry for scaring you earlier. I…I want to make it up to you."
Lacey raised her eyebrows and he smiled. She smiled as well, but it didn't reach her eyes.
"Let me treat you to dinner," he said. "You and I can chat and maybe you'll see some part of me that the old you used to see. Or maybe you won't. Either way, I'd like the chance to try and be with you again."
He seemed to be having trouble catching his breath around her, and he could hardly hear a thing outside of his own heartbeat. He felt hot and paused for a moment to wipe his hands on his shirt. His dark counterpart would be embarrassed of this sort of behavior in front of a simple woman. But Rumpel knew that Lacey was no simple woman. She was his everything, and the key to his happiness. He smiled at the memory of it all and watched as Lacey seemed to mull it over for a few moments.
"Alright," she said after a few moments. "Dinner sounds good. I'm off Sunday. We can meet at Granny's."
"Granny's," Rumpel repeated with an eager nod.
After a short discussion of details, Lacey turned and headed down the street. Rumpel watched her go, smiling. Just to hear her voice again, kind and sincere and directed at him was worth a lifetime of fighting for her. He had forgotten that. But now his love for her was back in full force, as was his hope in getting his magic back. He would have Belle, and his magic, and damn anyone who tried to get in his way.