Safe Haven: Part Eleven

A/AN: I hope you guys enjoyed the last chapter! I'm not going to elaborate much on this one except that it's going to have some crucial moments in it...

Richard watched his wife sleeping peacefully on the pullout couch. He stroked her hair aimlessly, kissing her forehead lovingly. He heard his phone buzzing in his pocket, so he walked into the kitchen so he didn't disturb her. He held the phone to his ear, whispering a muffled 'hello'.

"Hey dad, It's Neal. I'm outside. Do you care to come out for a minute?" his son inquired.

Richard nodded to himself, ending the call with a "sure thing." He walked outside onto the porch, closing the door soundlessly behind him.

"What is it, son?" Richard inquired, noticing his boy sitting on the porch swing. He watched Neal burn through a half smoked cigarette, smoke rings fading under the porch light.

"It's about the body I found earlier. I went back to the bridge and it's gone. Someone is trying to mess with me," he muttered, lighting another.

Richard sat beside him, placing a firm hand on his shoulder. "We'll find them...I have power over the people of Storybrooke. Seventy-five percent of the land is mine," he affirmed.

Neal looked into his eyes emptily. "Her name was Valerie Crimms... She was just twenty years old. She's been missing for three months but by the looks of her body, she hadn't been dead long. That means that the rest of those girls are probably here. We have to find them, Papa..." Neal pleaded, breaking into a quiet sob.

Richard felt his heart lurch at his son's confession. He longed to pull his boy into his arms like old times, shielding him from the ugliness which plagued the world, but he wasn't a child anymore. He knew his son worked in a dangerous field. He found himself pulling his boy into a firm embrace anyway.

"We will find them son," he said in his soothing brogue. Neal sniffled, leaning into his father's lithe frame. He allowed himself to be vulnerable for a moment, because he knew he had to be strong from now on. Neal had no room for weakness in his life because those innocent girls and family depended on him.

"There...There son," Richard crooned before releasing him.

Neal wiped away the rest of his tears, smiling brokenly. "Thanks, Papa." he muttered, finishing the rest of his cigarette.

"Why don't we take a walk?" Neal suggested, putting his lighter into his back pocket.

"I can't go far...My leg won't allow it, and I don't want to leave Belle by herself for too long," Richard replied.

"That's fine. I just want to take a look over that hill over there," he explained. Both men walked towards the hill, Richard holding onto his son for support. Neal held the flashlight with his free hand as they approached the top. He spotted the area with the light, blinking when he saw something suspicious down below.

"What is that down there?" Richard observed as the light scanned the perimeter.

"I'm not sure...How about we have a look?" Neal suggested. Richard compliantly followed his son down the hill into a thick clearing.

Neal pushed back the overgrowth of trees. He jumped back when he caught two pairs of dead eyes looking at him. "Papa look!" he stammered as he focused the flashlight on two deceased girls. Both of them withheld a look of terror on their faces as they stared back at him emptily. He then noticed the chest wound. They had both been shot through the heart, meaning they would have died on impact.

"This can't be!" Richard said fearfully, his voice trembling with every word.

"We have to get back to Belle! They're just a distraction! Someone has been tracking our every move, and they knew I would be on the hunt for more bodies! They murdered these poor girls in case we decided to venture out here!" Neal surmised. He watched his father stare back at him in horror, not wasting any time as he practically crawled back up the incline. Neal raced after him. Richard stumbled back down the decline, clenching his jaw in pain as he stumbled over a rock, but he didn't falter, his adrenaline was pumping, his mind focused solely on returning to Belle.

~X~

He watched the cabin from a distance, waiting for the two men to take their leave. He didn't have much time if he was going to succeed with his plan. He took the cloth from his pocket, drenched in chloroform. If he was going to take her, then he would have to make sure she went willingly. He smirked to himself as he approached the cabin, its other occupants out of range for the time being. He opened the door. The living room was dimly lit and that's when he saw her. She was lying on a sofa bed, her hair splayed behind her in a tousled disarray. A thin sheet covered her decadent frame, sending a wave of desire through him. He licked his lips lewdly as he imagined all of the activities they would engage in later. The truth was he had many girls which resembled her, but they weren't doing it for him. He was growing weary of them and had already disposed of several. He shuddered, dusting a finger down her jawline, mesmerized by her beauty. What did that old cripple have that he didn't? She surely couldn't love that wash up! He took the thin sheet, pulling it down slowly, groaning as his eyes roamed over her body. He stepped back when she forcefully pulled the sheet back up, moaning in her sleep.

"Just five more minutes, Richard..." she mumbled, turning over. He grimaced when he heard her say her lover's name. Hearing that name broke the spell she held over him. Suddenly all he wanted to do was tear her limb from limb. He was about to lunge at her when he heard yelling coming from outside the cabin. He raced for the backdoor, thrusting it open before he was caught. He raced out into the night, not stopping until he was miles away from her.

Richard burst through the door, his suit streaked with mud. His ligament protested as he took each step, the pain so excruciating he thought he might faint. Neal followed close behind, sighing in relief when he noted she was still fast asleep on the pullout bed.

"Papa...She's okay..." Neal reassured him. Richard sighed, allowing his fear to dissipate, a calm settling over him.

Neal watched as his father sat beside his wife. He took her hand, kissing it gently. "I'm never letting you out of my sight again," he mumbled between each kiss. Neal decided to leave them alone as he walked towards the back of the house. He swallowed hard when he noticed the back door was open. He closed it silently, keeping it to himself. Someone had been here, but he didn't want to unsettle his father anymore. It had been a rough night, and he still needed to report those bodies to the authorities, but what good would it do him? He knew someone would just move them and play him as the fool. He groaned, running his fingers through his hair agitatedly, locking the backdoor. He would tell his father what happened, but not today. He walked back into the living room to see him still clutching her hand, quietly.

"Papa, let's get a look at your leg. You fell several times," Neal said gently. Richard compliantly held out his leg. Neal rolled up his pant leg, noting some slight bruising.

"It doesn't look like anything too serious, but I think you should put some ice on it. I can stay the night if you'd like," Neal responded.

Richard sighed, sweeping graying locks from his eyes."Don't trouble yourself, my boy. You've got a family waiting for you," he retorted.

Neal shrugged. "I'm not leaving you here when we both know a murderer is on the loose. We'll both leave at first light. We'll coax Belle into going out with Tink while you and I drop by the sheriff's station. Since you have so much power over this town, I figure you might make more of an impression than me," he remarked.

Richard smirked."Oh they will listen to me," he said darkly.

Neal swallowed unsteadily, his father's countenance permeated with vexation. Neal knew if his father ever came face to face with Belle's rapist that he would kill him in cold blood.

"Let me get you some ice," Neal returned, breaking the uncomfortable silence which had formed between them. He returned with a Ziploc bag full of ice. He pressed the bag onto his father's swollen ankle, causing him to wince in pain.

"You keep that there, and I'll get you some clothes," Neal remarked.

"Aren't you going to sleep?" Richard inquired, holding the bag of ice against his swollen ankle.

"No...I'm going to keep watch," Neal supplied, handing him a change of clothes. He watched his father limp away, returning several minutes later, wearing the blue silk pajamas.

"I think I'm going to opt for watching her sleep instead. Watching her brings tranquility to my weary soul," he replied, sweeping a cluster of chestnut curls from her eyes.

"Are you excited about being a father again?" Neal inquired, hoping to take his father's mind off of previous events. A soft smile tugged at the older man's lips, stretching across his weathered features.

"I am...Belle is my second chance, though I don't deserve her. She doesn't deserve someone as dark as me. If she only knew who I truly was, then she would surely walk away," he confided, respiring exhaustively, placing his head in his hands, wearily.

"I think she would still love you despite all those things, Papa...You're not the same man I once knew. She's changed you, and I don't t believe you realize it." Neal said, resting his hand on his shoulder.

"I hope you're right," Richard replied, gazing fondly at the snoozing beauty. The night stretched on, resulting in Neal falling asleep in the chair. Richard settled down beside his wife during the early morning, thankful she was safe by his side.

~X~

Neal excused himself when Belle awoke, granting them some privacy. She smiled brilliantly at her husband."What's Neal doing here?" she questioned, yawning drowsily.

"He stopped by last night to go over a few things about the case. We had a long talk, and I encouraged him to stay since it's been over a decade since we've spent any time together," he remarked, concealing the part about finding the bodies.

"That sounds lovely! So, what are we doing today?" the beauty inquired, etching closer to him.

"I have a bit of business to attend to this morning, but I was thinking it might be good if you spent some quality time with Tink. You could even tell her your special news." he encouraged.

She smiled brightly at his suggestion. "That's a wonderful idea!" she agreed, stretching her legs.

"Excellent! How about you get dressed, and we meet her at the diner?" he surmised. She kissed the tip of his nose lightly, bounding in the direction of the shower.

The ride back into town consisted of Belle animatedly talking about the baby and her nursery plans. It was a nice distraction from the matter at hand. Tink was waiting for her at the diner when they arrived. He kissed her goodbye, reluctantly letting her go. He was afraid to leave her alone for a second, his gut clenching painfully as he recounted the haunted looks on the dead girls' faces.

"She'll be safe with, Tink," Neal assured him, clapping his shoulder consolingly.

"I know, now let's do this," he retorted, sheer determination in his voice. He parked the Cadillac beside the sheriff's station. Neal narrowed his eyes, noting the sheriff he'd talked to the day before was off duty. He didn't know this man, but he was pretty certain his father did.

"Mr. Nolan, where's your partner?" Richard spoke in a clipped tone, startling the young sheriff.

"Graham is off today, Mr. Gold. He'll be absent the rest of the week, actually. He's visiting some out of town relatives. Is there anything I can do for you?" the blond man asked.

"We need you to take a little ride with us, Mr. Nolan. There's something wicked and revolting going on in this town, but we're not going to tell you what it is. We want you to see it with your very own eyes," he remarked cryptically.

"Of course...Let me just get my keys," he complied, a tinge of hesitancy in his tone as he retrieved them from the drawer.

David drove the police car back to Gold's cabin. David turned off the ignition, giving them both pointed looks."What did you bring me out here to show me?" he asked, scratching his head curiously.

"Something I hope you'll never have to see the rest of your life," Neal remarked, leading him to the incline. Richard stayed in the patrol car, unable to look upon those corpses again.

"I'm not sure what's going on-" David halted as Neal pulled back the trees. The young sheriff stumbled backwards, the color draining from his face.

"We found them last night. I actually found another body the day before, but when I told your partner, he merely brushed me off. I have a feeling he isn't on vacation," Neal disclosed.

"I don't know what to do! I've only had this job a few months, and why would someone do this!?" David queried in disbelief, unable to clarify his true emotions.

"I believe there's a sex trafficking ring going on in Storybrooke. My name is Neal Cassidy, David, and I'm an undercover detective. If you'll help me out, then I can keep you safe, but I need some inside assistance. You see, my father's wife was raped several months ago by someone. There have been abductions of various women between sixteen and twenty-five in the last few months, with similar features as Belle. We believe whoever is doing this has become unhealthily obsessed with her, and we need you to help us find him before more girls wind up dead," Neal dispelled.

"I don't want anything like this to happen ever again. I'll do whatever it takes to bring these criminals to justice," David swore solemnly.

"Good, then let's begin," Neal affirmed, a plan forming in the back of his mind. He would have to make as many alliances as he could if he wanted to catch these criminals. He just hoped he could save the rest of them before it was too late.