Safe Haven: Part Ten
A/AN: There will be some very dark themes in the upcoming chapters of this story. I'm not writing rape scenes but there will be mentions of death and violence. Please read at your own discretion!
Six Weeks Later...
Richard spooned himself against his wife, sighing pleasantly at the feeling of warmth her body radiated. He buried his face in her thick chestnut curls, inhaling the faint traces of her vanilla shampoo. He groaned inwardly when she abruptly pulled away from his embrace, dashing towards the hallway bathroom. He grabbed his cane, placing both feet on the floor, following after her. He heard unpleasant moans and gagging when he opened the door. Belle was bent over the commode, coughing up last night's dinner. He pulled her hair back, rubbing her back soothingly.
"Sweetheart, are you all right?" he queried.
She looked up at him with traces of vomit on her mouth. "That's really not an appropriate question to ask at the moment Richard," she snapped, standing up from the commode, wiping her mouth on her shirt sleeve. He was taken aback by her biting remark, never expecting such a retort from his sweet Belle.
"Well is there anything I can do to make it better?" he asked, standing a few feet away. He watched her wash her mouth out with water. She turned to face him, sighing exhaustively. She closed her eyes, rubbing her temples agitatedly.
"What about some hot tea and a massage?" he suggested.
she nodded compliantly.
"I'll get right to it." He walked out of the bathroom, hoping her mood improved. He made his way downstairs to prepare some ginger tea, hoping it alleviated her nausea.
When he returned to their bedroom, he found her stretched out on the bed in her pink satin gown. He groaned inwardly at the sight before him. He trained his eyes on her face instead of her creamy white legs.
"I thought ginger tea would help with the nausea," he supplied, sitting the steaming cup on her nightstand. She opened her eyes smiling. She sat up and picked up the cup, placing it to her lips. She drank the hot tea, sighing euphorically.
"Now, how about that massage?" she inquired, eying him suggestively. She rolled over on her stomach as he stood beside the bed. He dug his fingers into her back, eliciting a sultry moan from her throat. He continued to rub, surprised by her vocal expression. He wasn't complaining by any means, but he couldn't help but think that his sweet little wife was acting a bit peculiar.
"Belle, are you feeling alright?" Richard asked, digging into her shoulder blades. She turned over, giving him a half lidded gaze.
"I feel hot and everything inside me feels tingly. My senses have heightened, making me feel extremely sensitive, especially to touch," she remarked, pulling him towards her.
Her lips crashed against his, and he could feel how eager she was by the way she fumbled with his night shirt. He pulled away from her, the lusty haze in his mind clearing. "As much as I would enjoy making love to you, Belle, I think you should rest. You're clearly not yourself," he stated, smoothing out his ruffled nightclothes.
"What do you mean I'm not myself!?" she asserted, fierceness burning in her gaze.
"Your demeanor has changed. You got sick this morning and now you want us to make love. How can you go from one extreme to the next?" he questioned, feeling a nervous lump rise in his throat.
"Are you trying to say I'm hormonal!?" she bellowed, standing up from the bed, sauntering towards him. She backed him into a corner, giving him an assessing glance.
"I never said that, sweetheart...I just think you need your rest," he returned, his heart hammering against his ribcage. He'd never been exposed to this side of Belle before, and it was simply terrifying.
"I just don't know, Richard," she mumbled, falling into his embrace, sobbing uncontrollably. He held her close, rubbing her back gently.
"Oh, Belle...Sweetheart, it's all right," he crooned, holding her close. He led her back towards the bed, placing the blanket back over her lithe frame.
"I'm going to give the doctor a call..." he told her.
She nodded amicably, turning over, falling asleep instantaneously. Gold scratched his head in disbelief. What could be going on with his Belle?
~X~
Neal stretched his legs, giving out a loud yawn. He glanced over at his wife who was still snoozing, their three year old son tucked between them. A five day stay had quickly turned into six weeks, and he still wasn't any closer to finding their murderer. He felt like he was running in circles, but he just couldn't bring himself to leave, until the case was solved.
He picked up a pen and hotel notepad, sprawling a choppy note across it. He sat it on his pillow so Tink would see it when she awoke. He pulled on a pair of jogging pants and sweatshirt. He grabbed his sunglasses, closing the door behind him soundlessly.
He'd ran through the woods plenty of times, but today he felt drawn to a different path. He ran towards a hiking trail which was rarely used anymore. It was slightly overgrown from limited usage, but he couldn't bring himself to go his usual route. It was still fairly early, the sun just beginning to rise over the horizon.
He breathed in the crisp fall air, fueling his lungs. He headed into a more wooded area, one not meant for hiking. He slowed his run to a steady jog. The foliage became thicker, and he paused, walking languidly. He ducked under the overgrown trees, coming to a decaying bridge. The structure was rickety and appeared to be unstable. The brook which ran through it had dried up ages ago.
Neal wasn't certain what had attracted him to this place, but it felt vital. He walked down into the gulley to get a better view of the bridge, stammering backwards once he glimpsed the rotting corpse. He felt his insides lurch and vision blur as he looked upon the body of one of the missing women he kept in his case file.
The young woman's face was bruised and her lips were cracked. He noticed her dress was torn. He ripped his gaze away, unable to look anymore. He ran along the path, tears blurring his vision. He swiped them away quickly, knowing what he must do.
He felt his adrenaline dissipating when he barged into the sheriff's office. A man with russet brown hair gazed at him with cautious eyes. "May I help you, sir?" the man spoke in his thick English accent.
"I was running through the woods, and I found a young woman's body. It's under an old bridge in the forest," Neal blurted out.
The sheriff's face paled, and he walked around the desk. "Are you sure?" he spoke, his voice turning suspicious.
"Look, I know what I saw. Why would I make it up?" Neal defended, feeling scrutinized by the sheriff's gaze.
"I'll check it out in a bit, but I think you should go," the sheriff commanded, pointing towards the door.
Neal realized something was off, but he chose not to say anything."Of course," he complied, heading back towards the inn. He pulled out his cellphone, ducking into a vacant alley. He found his father's number, pushing send. He waited anxiously as the phone rang, but he received no answer. He decided that tonight he would go back to the location where he found the body and investigate further. Something nefarious was going on in this town, and he was going to get to the bottom of it.
~X~
Richard demanded the hospital send a nurse to his residence. With a bit of threatening to raise the rent, it had worked. They'd sent a nurse named Goldie with bouncing blonde curls. She did a full body examination and tested a urine sample. Ten minutes later, the nurse returned to their room, smiling brightly.
"Mr and Mrs Gold, I have some wonderful news!" she beamed, walking back into the room. Mr Gold who was now sitting beside their bed with Belle's hand in his, met Goldie's gaze.
"What is it, dearie?" he inquired calmly, attempting to mask the anxiety in his voice.
"You're going to be parents!" she affirmed, showing them a plastic stick with two pink intricate lines.
"Wait, I'm pregnant!?" Belle demanded, reaching for the stick. She grabbed it before Richard had time to look at it. She felt her heart pound, staring at the two pink lines. She felt herself going back to the day she found out she was going to be a mother for the first time. Tears welled up in her eyes once she realized this was her second chance, their second chance.
"How far along am I?" Belle demanded, pushing back her anxiety.
"I'm not for sure, Mrs. Gold. You need to come in for a full examination so that we can get a better idea of what's going on. When I get back to the hospital, I can make you an appointment," Goldie offered.
"Thank you very much. Just call us later to confirm it," Belle supplied.
Richard and Belle sat in companionable silence, joy radiating across their faces. "We're going to have a baby," Belle smiled with tear dimmed eyes, grabbing her husband's hand.
"That we are..." he smiled softly, placing his hand over her flat abdomen.
The tender moment was disturbed when he heard his phone rang. He picked it up, noting Neal was calling him. "I'll be right back, sweetheart," he kissed her forehead affectionately, leaving the room to take the call.
He preferred to take Neal's calls in private, just in case they held bad news for them. The fact there was a crazed sadist running around abducting women which looked like her put Belle on edge, and he didn't want to distress her, especially since he knew there was a baby on the way.
"Hello?" Richard spoke into the phone several doors down. He settled down on the bed in one of the many guest rooms.
"Papa! You're never going to believe this!" Neal exclaimed in a strangled voice.
"Slow down...What is it, son?" Richard spoke calmly into the receiver.
"I went for a run this morning, and I found a body. It was one of the girls that was abducted. I believe her name was Valerie. She was twenty-one. I went to the sheriff's station, and they pretty much told me to leave and mind my own business. I believe something shady is going on," Neal explained.
Richard inhaled sharply, nearly dropping the phone. "I can't tell Belle this...I called the doctor this morning when she wasn't feeling well. They told us she was pregnant. Her condition is already questionable, and I don't want to risk anything. She's finally happy for once, and I plan to keep it that way." Richard expressed, attempting to keep his hands from shaking.
"I understand, I plan to go back there tonight to investigate further. At least I know I'm in the right place. There's definitely an underground operation going on here. I've just got to find out who's running it," he remarked frustratingly.
"Be careful, son...I believe I'm going to take Belle to the cabin tonight. Call me if you're in the area, and we'll talk," he returned, his voice slightly frazzled.
"I'll do that...Take care of Belle," Neal remarked.
"I will son...I'll talk to you soon," he responded, ending the call. His heart felt heavy when he walked back into their room. He imagined the poor young woman left desolate under the bridge. He felt his insides somersault, realizing that woman could have been Belle. He schooled his features, putting on a smile to conceal his reaction.
"What's wrong, Richard?" Belle inquired, picking up on his despondent mood.
"I thought it might be nice if I took you up to the cabin tonight. It's on some of the property I own on the backside of Storybrooke. I don't go up there very often, and I thought we could celebrate our joyous news," Richard suggested, diverting her attention away from his distress.
"I would love too!" she beamed, grasping his hand tightly. He smiled back, thankful for the distraction.
~X~
They drove up to the cabin three hours later. It was the size of a normal house in Storybrooke, but this didn't surprise Belle, because she knew her husband was a wealthy. The first thing he did was prepare dinner for them.
"It smells divine," Belle praised as he placed a dish in front of her.
"It isn't much, but I hope you enjoy it," he said, putting a small amount of noodles and sauce on her plate. She took her fork and twisted some noodles around it. She opened her mouth placing a small bite to her lips. He shuddered when she let out a savory moan.
He almost dropped the fork when she pulled him forward, "Richard, this spaghetti is amazing! You should make it more often." she complimented, and he knew it had to be the pregnancy hormones.
"I'll make it anytime you like, darling" he answered. Belle smiled, reluctantly letting go of his arm. He seated himself in front of her and placed a generous amount of spaghetti on his plate.
They ate in companionable silence until a question popped in his head. "So, Belle, how do you feel about staying here tonight? Do you like it?" he asked, hoping it pleased her.
He was startled when he felt her arms around his neck, binding him. "Thank you for everything. There's nothing more I would like better than to spend time with you," she revealed, fixating her gaze on him.
"It's so amazing how one person can make you feel so loved," he spoke, cupping her face in his hands reverently. She pressed a fervent kiss to his lips, and all he could think of in that moment was how grateful he was to have made that deal with her all those months ago.
Slow kisses led to gentle caresses as they helped each other out of their clothing. They barely made it to the couch as she panted heavily underneath him. Every nerve ending in her body was blazing, and she called out his name more than once during their lovemaking. Every part of him focused on pleasing her as they moved together simultaneously, both lost in throes of passion.
Several yards away, a stranger watched them through binoculars, snarling vehemently. He flung the binoculars some distance away, biting his tongue until a metallic taste filled his mouth.
"I should have never let you get away, but I promise you that I will get you back," he swore, stalking deep into the woods to plot his revenge. She would be his and no one would stand in his way, he vowed.
A/AN: Phew! Man that was intense! Please tell me what you think in the reviews! Any theories? Any suspicions? In the next chapter, Neal makes another fatal discovery...