(Enchanted Forest, thirty-two years ago)
"What child?"
"Oh, so now you show some interest" Regina cooed; grinning slowly as she looked her adversary over as a predator might its prey "I was wondering how long it might take."
"What—child" Rumplestiltskin repeated; the slight flick of a wrist serving to move the Queen forcibly until her back slammed against a nearby wall. The gesture would have been satisfying, he believed, had she not responded to the act with nothing more than a semi-strangled chuckle—and in spite of the ire that such a thing raised within him, the Dark One released her from his hold; the satisfaction of watching her stumble as she was once again dropped to her feet holding little amusement for him, and forcing him to remain patient, at least for the moment, as she coughed hoarsely before she spoke.
"You mean to tell me you really didn't know?"
The look of flat displeasure upon her counterpart's features was all the confirmation that Regina required, of course; a grim smile overtaking her own countenance as she straightened her posture, and flicked a lock of dark hair behind her shoulder before elaborating further.
"The woman you kept here—when you sent her away, you neglected to detect one very important detail" She began; watching the Dark One's reaction carefully, and finding herself pleased to see that he was watching her avidly, even in spite of his obvious unwillingness to do so "To be honest, Rumple, I never took you for a man to abandon the prospect of a family—"
"That girl was not my family. She was a pawn that you sent to try and undermine my power" the Dark One hissed; advancing on the Evil Queen, and forcing his features to remain stoic in spite of the spasm of pain that tore at him in response to the mention of the woman he had sent away. It was apparent that her desire was to get beneath his skin; distracting him with raw emotion so that she might stand a chance against him in a game of words. Even with that knowledge, however, it was not enough to completely force all emotion from his mind; the faint inward curling of the fingers of his right hand belying his attempts at neutral indifference while Regina moved in to taunt him once again.
"Oh? And what of the child you gave her?" She inquired; her eyes flicking down to the slight source of movement, and a hint of a smile tugging at the corners of her mouth as she realized that her words had, in fact, touched a nerve no matter what her adversary might have wished "Would you turn your own daughter away from you as well?"
"I do not have a daughter. I had a son; and I have already lost him."
"You deny what I tell you, and yet you know it is true. Why?"
"Because it is you that is telling me."
"Would I dare lie to you about this?" Regina pressed; her tone still heavy with something not too different from pleasure over her companion's unease, even though she had attempted to hide that very fact by crossing to the table and taking a seat before going on "You're the one that can see the future, Rumple. Use that, and try and tell me I'm wrong."
Though he would never admit it aloud, the Dark One had already begun to do just that; the image of a tiny, squalling bundle causing the breath to catch in his throat. The infant was pink-faced, and quite obviously enraged; the man that held it looking almost as uncomfortable as the tiny bundle he held. All too soon, that image faded away, replaced instead by one of a toddler; dark brown curls in disarray around a pale face, with round brown eyes that hit him with a jolt of sheer recognition.
The child had his eyes…
Thrown back to the present by the impact of the shock he felt upon such a realization, the Dark One whirled on Regina in seconds; this time not bothering to use magic out of a desire to see the life leave her from underneath the pressure of his own hands on her throat. He could hear the whistle of her breath as it struggled to move past the obstruction created from his own action. He could see the slight tinge of panic that mingled with vindictive amusement in her eyes as she looked up at him without blinking. But even that was not enough; not now. His mistake had cost him the woman he loved—
And it was all too apparent that the woman before him now just might have cost him a child, as well.
"What have you done with her?" He demanded; only relinquishing the pressure of his hands enough for Regina to be able to reply in a hoarse whisper, and gritting his teeth as the answer confirmed his earlier suspicion without fail.
"What have I done with whom? Your maid?"
"My daughter."
"She is no longer your concern" Regina replied; swallowing convulsively against the pressure of the Dark One's hands about her throat, and keeping her eyes fixed upon his own so that he would not see the faintest flickers of a flame that had begun to emanate from her palm "Neither is her mother, for that matter."
"What did you do to them?"
"As if you deserve to know" The Evil Queen spat; permitting the flame in her hand to grow so that she could force her opponent to relinquish his hold upon her throat as its heat pressed closer towards his frame "As if I owe you anything at all."
"You owe me the truth!" Rumplestiltskin retorted; hardly granting the ball of flame in Regina's hand any attention at all, in favor of persisting in the attempt at obtaining more information—information that she seemed all too ready to divulge, even in spite of her feigned reluctance.
She was toying with him, and he knew it…
"Actually, Rumple, I don't. But being the kind soul that I am, I suppose I could give you what you want, just this once" Regina began; the flame encased in the palm of her hand only growing as she caught how her opponent's eyes had narrowed, like a snake preparing to strike "Perhaps you ought to sit down—"
Aware of the expression on the Dark One's features, and how it rather clearly indicated that he had no intention of following her instructions, Regina opted for pressing her advantage in knowledge against her companion; a rather grim smile dawning upon her features as she waved her hand before her in what might have been an innocent gesture, but for the iron links that sprang from the wall behind Rumplestiltskin, and twined themselves about his wrists in response.
"Your daughter will be mine, now; raised as my own flesh and blood from the beginning. I daresay she'll have a better life that way. And as for the girl you gave her to—" The Evil Queen began; pausing just long enough to emit a laugh that caused the Dark One's expression to tighten, even as he struggled in vain against the bonds that would not abate their hold upon him until she willed it so, before stepping just a bit closer to look him in the eye.
"Well, I'm sorry to say your precious Belle is dead."
As soon as she had confessed such a revelation, the Evil Queen was gone in a whirl of dark purple smoke; the vestigial laughter that echoed about the room only surmounted by a strange fizzing sound as the chains that once held Rumplestiltskin captive faded into nothing, and he fell to his knees in grief and despair…
…
(Storybrooke, present-day)
"Well you look like you've seen a ghost—" Katarina stated; placing the cup of steaming black coffee on the table before the pawnbroker that had taken a seat in her section, and stepping back with both arms crossed against her chest. In spite of her plans to be at the diner for breakfast, when Emma, Henry, and Mary Margaret met to discuss the outcome of the latter's evening spent reading to the coma patient, she was not entirely disappointed in the reality of Granny asking her to help out until Ruby showed up, after oversleeping—the prospect of making a bit of extra money at the same time as she was able to satisfy her curiosity over her friend's evening causing her to smile to herself before she returned her attention to the present and her current companion.
"What gives you that impression, my dear?"
"The way you just jumped as though I had scared you out of your skin just by giving you a coffee—"
"Well aren't you perceptive?"
"I try" Kat replied; shrugging a singular shoulder, and watching in silence for a moment as Gold took a sip of the proffered coffee, before pressing further "So what is it? What's on your mind?"
"As I recall, Doctor Hopper was the town psychiatrist."
"Ha-ha. Very funny."
"I thought you might find it amusing" Gold quipped; a smile tugging the corner of his mouth upward at the expression of exasperation that crossed features that were so remarkably similar to his own. The sharp lines of bone and tendon were softened, somewhat, by femininity, of course; and by the good fortune of her mother's own genetic input. But in spite of that reality, the pawnbroker was unable to deny the slight curiosity over how no one else seemed to note the similarities between them—
But of course, everyone else, aside from his own person was still under the influence of the Dark Curse…
"That amusement aside, do you intend to tell me what on earth was so riveting that having coffee placed on your table nearly gave you a heart attack? Or should I just make a few guesses myself?"
Chuckling a bit at the familiar stubbornness that Katarina exhibited in spades, Gold shook his head in resignation; gesturing for the young woman to take the seat opposite him, only to find that she was prevented from doing so at the advent of Henry running over towards her and rather eagerly taking her hand.
"Come on! Emma's getting us a booth; and Mary Margaret is almost here!"
"Hang on kiddo, I've got to talk to Granny about taking a break— "
"Already done. Emma's talking to her now."
Watching as Katarina sighed, and emitted a slight laugh at the obvious eagerness in Henry's words, Gold managed a nod and faint smile of his own; waving one hand in an attempt at waylaying the obvious concern that had spread across her features at the idea of abandoning both her job, and their conversation so lightly. Though he was not privy to the entirety of what had transpired, leading up to Henry's impatient plea, he was poignantly aware that it had something to do with Emma's arrival, and the Curse—
He knew his daughter had a part to play in its unraveling; and it would be prudent to let her figure out exactly what that part was on her own…
With such a thought in mind, it became all too simple for him to resettle himself to the task of simply finishing his coffee in solitude; the small, if not reluctant smile that Katarina gave him before she permitted Henry to tug her off towards the aforementioned booth provoking a small one of his own in return. What he had told Regina was, in fact, true—she was a lovely girl.
And, no matter what, he was going to get her back so that they might be a family once more.
…
"He grabbed my hand."
"What?"
"He grabbed—my hand" Mary Margaret repeated; aware of the open skepticism in both Emma, and Katarina's expressions, and the contradictory look of undeniable excitement in Henry's, and taking a steadying breath before going on "Doctor Whale tried to tell me I imagined it; but I know I didn't."
"Did he say anything?" Katarina inquired; sharing a glance with Emma, and noting that the blonde appeared every bit as cautiously skeptical as she felt, while Mary Margaret replied once more.
"No. No, he didn't even open his eyes, but—"
"But you felt something."
It was apparent from Mary Margaret's expression upon hearing Henry's sure statement that she almost believed it herself; her eyes holding a certain cast that seemed almost indicative of some distant recollection. With brows furrowed, Katarina watched the school-teacher for a moment in silence; a part of her almost wishing that she could believe Henry's confident assertions as well—but, before such a thought could become too distracting, she shook herself back to the present, her attention shifting for a moment towards Henry himself before she spoke.
"Kiddo, don't you think you're reading into this a bit?"
"Nope."
"Well I, for one, think I'm going to side with your sister" Emma cut in; sending Kat a faint smile, before looking at Henry, and releasing a sigh as she realized that her interjection was not met by anything other than a stubborn expression that indicated that he was no more inclined to give up his fantasies now than he had been before "We don't know anything more than that he moved on his own for the first time in years."
"Because he knew his true love was right there!" Henry persisted; turning back towards Mary Margaret, and fixing her with a gaze that would have challenged even someone of remarkable restraint before going on "You have to go back and read to him again!"
"You're right—"
"Wait, what—now?" Emma began; shock apparent upon her features as she glanced between her companions for a moment, and noted that Mary Margaret had already slid out of the booth, and turned to face the door "You can't be serious."
"I am" Mary Margaret confirmed; whirling back to glance at the blonde, before squaring her shoulders, and looking down towards Henry with a smile "I'm going to go back and read to him again."
"Kat, you should come too!"
"Kiddo, I've got to finish my shift" Kat protested; reaching out to ruffle Henry's hair affectionately, and sliding out of the booth as well with a glance towards Emma and Mary Margaret as she did so "You'll keep me updated, though?"
"Of course."
"You're sure you don't want to come along?" Emma asked; lifting a brow as she regarded Katarina with an expression that seemed to indicate that she would have enjoyed the back up against Henry and Mary Margaret, who were so evidently dead-set on their current course "I'm sure Granny would let you go—"
"I know she would; but I don't want to take advantage of that just yet" Kat replied; a brief smile of thanks crossing her features for the gesture, before she grabbed the notepad she had been using to take orders, and stowed it back in the red apron tied about her waist.
"How about we do dinner later, though? To discuss whatever happens on this journey you're all taking to the hospital?"
No matter how she wished to avoid acknowledging it, some small part of her was eager to see if Mary Margaret would succeed in actually waking the coma patient with her stories…
…...
(Enchanted Forest, twenty-nine years ago)
"Mama mama mama" The little girl chirped; toddling over to the door, as Regina passed through, and a smile dawned upon her formerly drawn features "MAMA!"
"Hello there, little Kat" The Evil Queen cooed; peppering the little girl's cheeks with kisses, while simultaneously stooping to scoop her up into her arms "What have you been up to, today?"
"Playing!"
"Playing? Playing with what?"
In response to the Queen's gentle inquiry, the little girl wriggled against her hold until she consented to place her upon the stone floor of her bedchamber once again; and watched as she padded back towards her bed to retrieve the object that appeared to have fascinated her so thoroughly before Regina's arrival. It was a small wooden horse; the detail intricate, to say the least—and as she took the object from her daughter's hand, Regina felt a small jolt of recognition; the end result forcing her to do all within her power to maintain an expression of neutral curiosity while she spoke.
"Who made this for you, dear?"
"Geppetto did."
"Geppetto" Regina repeated; closing her eyes for the briefest of moments so as to permit herself time to recollect her thoughts, before opening them once more, and smiling down at the toddler with round brown eyes that were fervently fixed upon her own features "Well that was awfully—nice of him."
"Isn't it pretty, Mama?" Katarina inquired; bouncing about on the balls of her feet, and reaching eagerly for the horse as she did so. She had acquired the trinket during one of her mother's visits to the village in which the aforementioned Geppetto lived; after she had the occasion to wander into his shop while the Queen was otherwise occupied.
He had given it to her out of kindness; and had seemed to happily entertain her until Regina had found her, and hurried her away…
"I suppose it is" The Queen finally admitted; eyeing the horse for one final moment, before she opted for handing it down to her daughter, and moved away to glance out the window beside Katarina's bed "Though like I told you before, you need to stay close to me at all times; and not go wandering off unannounced. Now, more than ever—"
"But why, Mama?"
"Because, my dear" Regina began; glancing down at two of the guards that were standing sentry outside the palace gates below the room they occupied, and assuring herself that they were, at least for the moment, doing their jobs, before going on "Anyone that wants to get at me will be only too likely to come for you to do so."
She knew very well that, in spite of her own power, Katarina, as yet, had none; and was therefore very vulnerable to the machinations of her enemies…
…
Hello again, dearies! And welcome to yet another (admittedly unexpected) new chapter! I can't honestly say where this little guy came from; particularly as I had originally intended to spend the final evening of my vacation just reading and watching TV. But as I seemed unable to stop writing it, I figured what was the harm in posting—so I hope that everyone enjoys what they found! I know I didn't get very far in the whole finding David thing; but I just couldn't help but delve more into the past, pre-Curse. Hopefully that is at least somewhat enjoyable! :D
As always, my heartfelt thanks go out to anyone and everyone that has taken the time to review this story from the beginning! I honestly cannot say where I would be without all of the wonderful support; and I truly do hope that everyone continues to enjoy the story as it goes along! Of course, special thanks go out to SeraphineWhist, Christmas95, blackcat711, and Demona Evernight for your reviews! I truly do appreciate your comments; and cannot wait to hear what everyone thinks of this chapter!
Until next time?
MJR
