After some planning and many family arguments later, Emma rolled her shoulders back as she took a deep breath. She was walking to Gold's Pawn shop. Her family didn't necessarily like her plan, but after a lot of explaining, they agreed that it would be the best option to get the information they needed out of Gold. Emma knew that he was involved in whatever Regina had cooked up with the curse and possibly by her little stunt in the diner earlier. It was time to get some answers and that's what Emma was going to get. She opened the door. '1, 2, 3.' She heard the sound of a cane.
"Ah, Ms. Hamato." Emma turned to Gold, "Can I help you with anything?"
"Just looking around, but thank you." She said politely. She glanced at a baby cradle where she saw a mobile of crystalized unicorns dancing overhead.
"Beautiful isn't it?" She heard his voice.
"It is. Very well crafted." She stated.
"Indeed." Emma felt breath on her neck and knew Gold was behind her. She slowly turned and saw him looking down on her with an impish grin.
"What?" She said with a calculating gaze.
"Nothing." He said with a slight smirk in his voice. Emma narrowed her eyes.
She moved away from him and took in the shop. She spied a sword down in the case below. She walked to the display case and gazed at the sword.
"You like swords, Emma?"
"Yes."
"Do you know how to use one?"
"Somewhat. This appears to be in good condition still."
"Indeed it is. Belonged to someone who fought valiantly for someone they loved." Emma knew he was laying it on her thick. Emma looked up at the man and bored her eyes into his,
"Whose sword was it?"
Mr. Gold grinned as he placed his hands on the counter and steepled his fingers, "That is an interesting story, dearie."
Emma narrowed her eyes decided to play the trump card. What Gold didn't know was that she had just signaled Donnie by pressing a small button on a communicator inside her pocket.
Donnie saw the blinking red light on his IPAD.
"Guys, Emma activated the communicator."
Everyone gathered around him and saw the red light.
"Let's go and make our presence known." Splinter said.
~~~~~~
Emma and Gold were having a stare down. She said, "You know what's going on with this town. And you know what Regina has done."
Gold smirked, and she scowled. She hit the home run.
"I must say I'm surprised at how fast you figured it out. You weren't supposed to be here till you reached twenty eight, dearie. And yet, here you are, and at fourteen." Gold decided to rise himself up, but Emma was not intimidated.
"What did that witch of a step grandmother do to my mother and the people of this town?" She growled.
Gold just continued to smirk, "What makes you think I'll tell you?"
"Because if ya don't bub, than yur shit outta luck."
Gold turned and was met with the tip of Raph's Sais at his chest. Raph, Mikey, Leo, and Donnie had their weapons out as they stood behind the counter with him. Splinter was off to the side with April and Casey who gave the man looks to kill. Gold turned to Emma, and saw she had her own weapon, pointing the tip at his throat.
"Not what you expected from the daughter of Snow White huh." Emma said.
Gold just looked at her, letting out a giggle which normally made people scared, but Emma was too angry.
"No. No, I must admit dearie, I hadn't expected this. I must say, though, you have caught my curiosity of where you have been this whole time since the curse was launched."
Emma glared and shoved the tip further. Gold was starting to get a bit nervous as he saw she was not afraid of him at all, "Tell us everything." She said in a cold voice.
"Why all of you? It only concerns you…Emma." He said. Raph though grabbed the man's suit and spun him around.
"You tell our sister what she needs to know or otherwise we'll-"
"Raphael, enough." Splinter said, and turned to Gold. "You will give Emma what she asks for before this turns any uglier than it needs to be."
Gold looked at everyone around him. Seeing that he was outnumbered, he sighed and with a restrained growl, "Fine. Come with me to the back."
Everyone lowered their weapons and allowed Gold to get up as he hobbled from the counter. He led them into the storage unit and closed the door.
"No one will hear us from in here." He sat down on an old rocking chair. "Now, since you have decided to point weapons and demanded answers from me. I suppose an explanation is in order."
Emma, Raph, Mikey, Don, Leo, April, Casey, and Splinter's gazes never left the man.
"Everyone here knows me as Mr. Gold, but I go by another name." He took a breath and said, "Rumpelstiltskin. I was the dark one that created the curse and was kept in the dungeons under the palace while it was cast. It brought everybody here to this land. But also kept us from entering the other world. Nobody can cross the line that takes you out of Storybrooke. It's how Regina wanted it." He looked at Emma. "Have you figured out who your mother is?"
"Mary-Margaret. But not sure about my dad yet."
"Ah yes. That'd be her. A school teacher fits her very well. As for your father, he is a coma patient at the hospital. He was injured shortly before the curse came over them."
"How is it that Regina still knows who she is?" Leo asked.
"A small fail-safe she wanted for the curse. Everybody would forget, but Regina remembers who she is. The whole idea was for this place to be her perfect happily ever after. Where she wouldn't have to fear the savior ending her reign."
"Me." Emma stated skeptically.
"Yes." He grinned at her, "You, dearie. Only you can bring everyone's memories back. Once that happens we will return back to where we're from or what we are."
"And that is where?" Casey asked.
"The enchanted forest."
Emma walked away and stood in front of the man, "So all of this real. The stories we all thought were just stories are real."
"Oh yes, they are very real. Now that you have your information. I have a question for you."
"Oh no ya don't-" Raph started to talk, but Emma beat to him.
"Depends on what you're asking." Emma said, clutching her katana.
"Fair enough. What kind of warrior are you?" He said smirking, causing everyone to look at him surprised.
Leo pushed Emma aside and got in front of Gold with his katana held high, "How did you find that out?"
Gold, no, Rumpelstiltskin let out a giggle, "It is obvious. She's always on her guard, alert of everything, the way how she fluidly pulled out her sword. Should I go on?"
Emma stepped away from Leo and got in front of him. Narrowing her eyes, "Understand this, Rumpelstiltskin: I am not afraid of you and if you try anything to my family it will be the last thing you ever do."
Rumpelstiltskin took a deeper look at Emma and saw her threat was real, "I see you have your father's tactic. How much do you know already?"
"Everyone has been frozen in time here since the curse and they don't remember who they are. Now that I'm here, time is moving again."
"Yes." Gold added
"However, until the curse if broken no one will remember who they are."
"Yes. Very smart we are Emma." Gold said.
Raph growled. Splinter came up in front of the man and with a threatening glare placed his cane on Gold's shoulder, "Tell us how we break the curse."
"The curse can only be broken by Emma. Nobody else." Gold explained as if he were talking to a demented child.
Emma was close to wanting to run her sword through the man, but restrained herself, "And what must I do to break it?" Mocking Gold's tone.
Gold just giggled. He had to admit, he liked this girl's wit, "That is something you'll have to figure out yourself Emma. I just made the curse, I don't know how to break it."
"You made the stinkin' thing! How can you not know how to break it?!" Raph practically shouted.
"Raphael." Splinter said sternly, he turned to Gold who just looked at the group in amusement, "Rumpelstiltskin, you created the curse, surely you also know how to break it."
"As I said before, only Emma can break the curse. It's how I made it, as much as Regina knows, she did not know I added in the little touch of how only Emma can break the curse." He said with a dramatic wave of his hands.
"So, what I'm supposed to fall in love like my parents and hopefully the curse will shatter?" Emma said skeptically.
"Maybe, it is how your father broke your mother's sleeping curse."
"She's fourteen." April said, "Are you saying she has to fall in love and have someone save her for this curse to break?"
"Not necessarily." Gold said, he did start to think though. He wasn't entirely sure what would have to happen for it to break. He knew Emma was born of true love though. "True love can be in many ways. A love for a friend, family, list goes on and on." Gold said, looking serious for once in the conversation.
"What if I kissed my dad at the hospital?" Emma blurted out.
"Possibly, or your mother does it." Gold said.
"But she doesn't remember whos' she is." Casey pointed out.
"But the magic is weakening since Emma is here, which means she could start remembering." Donnie said.
"Very well said, Donatello." Gold said, causing everyone to look back at him,
"How do you know the name of our brother ratbag?" Raph said, ready to grab him, but he was held back by Emma and Leo.
"I've heard your names as I've walked around town. And I know that there is more to you than there is." Gold said with a smirk.
Emma lost it and went forward with the katana. Gold used his cane to block the blade as he stood up. He smirked at Emma, "Not bad dearie."
"You ain't seen nothing yet." Emma growled and pulled her sword away and went into full ninja-mode.
"Emma, wait-" Leo tried to stop her along with Raph, Mikey and Donnie, but Splinter stopped his sons and said, "Leave her. It's a battle she needs to work out herself."
The disguised turtles stood their ground and watched her strike at Rumpelstiltskin.
Rumpelstiltskin was blocking Emma's katana with his cane, but not by a lot. He was barely keeping up with her. He was impressed at how fast she was and how she used the sword. Her skills outweighed her father's. He was blinded by the sword going near his chest and a leg swopped underneath his own legs and he was pinned to the ground, with the sword at his chest. He stared into Emma's angry eyes and saw she was barely restraining herself from moving.
"I must say dearie," he gasped, "You really are quite good."
"I've had good teachers." She said coldly.
"Clearly, but what is that? I've never seen that fighting style before." He asked, interested.
Emma got up and took her sword away, giving him a hand. Rumpelstiltskin took it and she helped him up.
"I can tell you were not always like this. You been through a lot, more than what some people deserve to go through and it's because of what happened in the past that made you this way, you became just like them: a man obsessed with what he could do while someone else couldn't. And because of that you used it to make them suffer. Not realizing you made yourself suffer for whatever it was that was thrown at you."
Rumpelstiltskin was shocked. A fourteen year old girl just described exactly who he was and what happened to him. His mouth went dry, feeling scared now for the first time in a while.
"However," He turned his attention back to her, "I do feel sorry for you. Rumpelstiltskin, what you did, just turned you into a person that you did not realize you have become. The only way you're ever going to realize that, is if you learn to accept what happened to yourself, think about it, and figure out what you can do now. Because it's what you do now, that will make your future. That doesn't I mean I forgive you for your part with this curse. Because of you, I never got to be raised by my mom and dad." She finished off with a choked sob. Emma felt her heart grow heavy. She placed her sword in the scabbard and walked away, "I need to be alone," And ran out the door.
Emma sprinted to the woods. She skidded down the downhill trail. She tripped over a tree root and went tumbling to the ground. Her back slammed into the body of a large tree trunk, making her yelp as she painfully connected with the tree bark. Emma got up to her feet and looked at her surroundings. Trees everywhere, a clap of thunder rang throughout the sky. Emma started to think she made a mistake running out now and ran back where she came from, till she heard a,
"Hey, you ok?"
Emma turned and saw a man. Wearing a dark turtleneck shirt and pants.
"I'm ok. Lost my way and tripped." She said.
"You sure?" The man walked over to her and gave her a calculating look which got Emma on edge.
"I'm ok. Now, I need to get to my dad, he and my brothers are probably freaking out where I am."
"Father? Brothers?"
"Yeah, you know the man who takes care of you and then, brothers, your older siblings who are boys." Emma said snidely.
"I know what you mean." The man snapped. Emma didn't like this guy. She moved her hand onto a small throwing knife she had hidden near the back pocket of her pants. She started moving away from him, but he stepped in sync, coming closer to her.
"What's your name? I can walk you back to town to your family."
"It's Emma and I know the way well enough."
"Emma?" The man parroted.
"Yes?"
The man ventured near her, Emma getting herself into a battle stance, "It's not too far back to town, come with me and I can show you." He held out his hand.
"Who are you?" She asked warily.
"Jefferson."
"Ok, Jefferson, I appreciate your offer, but I don't know you, therefore I decline your help right now."
"You can trust me." Jefferson made a move, grabbing her wrist. Emma didn't have time to react as she felt something pressed to her nose and then…lights out.
