Emma stared dully out the window of Walsh's car as he droned on and on about various buildings and locations dotted around Storybrooke. When she had been led out of Sunset Storybrook she had been all but certain that Walsh was going to take her straight to Zelena. What she hadn't realized was that Walsh had seemingly only been told to find the strangers in town, not what to do with them once he did. At first she had tried to figure out how to use his naivete to her advantage but after slowly moving down seemingly every roadway within the borders of the town she was merely trying to continue the charade of being interested in what he had to say.
"And this is the Sheriff's Station where I and my deputy slog away the hours," Walsh said jovially as he brought the car to a stop in front of a two story brick building. He undid the straps that ran over his torso and lap, "Come on inside, I'm sure there's still a donut or two left and our coffee's much better than the sludge at Granny's. I bought us a Keurig last quarter."
"Sure," she said with a shrug, knowing she had no choice in the matter.
She carefully undid her straps the way she'd seen Walsh do his. When it furled successfully back into place she silently sighed in relief. Vaguely remembering how Killian had let her out of his car she grasped the only metal handle she could see and was rewarded with the dull click of the door unlatching. They were small victories but she would take anything she could get when she felt like she was walking towards a hangman's noose.
"The original jailhouse was built on this site only a year after Storybrooke was founded in 1838 and was used up until it was destroyed in a fire in 1933," Walsh began as soon as closed the car door behind her. He motioned for her to walk beside him, "The second jail lasted less than forty years, it was a hurricane that time, and the city council decided the next building should be able to withstand pretty much anything. This is that building."
"It's very, um…"
"Dated, I know," Walsh chuckled, opening a glass door and ushering her inside. "We've had issues with the plumbing and a seriously leaky roof. Don't get me started on all the electrical problems we've had. It's a nightmare trying to run the copier when both I and my deputy are here."
She gave him what she hoped was an interested hum, glancing around herself in real curiosity. It was stark, almost imposing in it's lack of character and with an eerie quiet within its walls that she wondered if the people jailed there simply went mad within a few hours of their confinement. Even the sound of their footsteps and Walsh's voice sounded muted as they walked deeper into the building.
They ended up in a large open room with two barred cells on one end, a smaller room with glass walls on the other, and two desks pushed up against each other in between. Sitting at one of the desks, his feet perched atop as he leaned back precariously, was Robin. Emma sucked in a breath in surprise and Walsh looked at her sharply.
"Is there a problem?" He asked, narrowing his eyes at her.
"No," she said with a stuttered laugh, playing into being caught off-guard. She waved her hand at the room around her as she furiously tried to remember Robin's cursed name, "I wasn't expecting it to look quite like this or that I'd be seeing Deputy, um-"
"Archer, ma'am," Robin said with a wide smile, dropping his feet to the ground with a thump and standing, offering her his hand to shake. "I haven't seen much of you around since that day at the docks. I hope Mr. Jones hasn't been taking up too much of your time."
She tried not to grimace at his accusatory tone as she gave his hand a perfunctory shake, letting go quickly, "Kieran has been nice enough to show me a few places but I've also had the chance to look around for myself. Although, nothing quite compares to the in-depth roundabout tour I just received from Sheriff Baum."
Robin burst out into surprised laughter while Walsh frowned slightly. Emma was slightly worried that she'd pay for her comment later but with Robin still laughing she didn't want to think about it until she had to. It was clear that while Walsh held the power in the room Robin didn't hold much stock in it.
"Did he take you all the way out to the Wishing Well?" Robin asked in a conspiratorial tone. He leaned closer to her, keeping his humor filled blue eyes on Walsh, "Rumor is if you make your wish politely it will come true within five to ten business days."
"Ha, ha. Don't you have paperwork to finish up?" Walsh asked dryly. He stalked over to a table with various cups, a black and silver contraption that he began fiddling with and a bright pink box on it, "Do you prefer dark or medium roast?"
"Uh-" Emma looked confusedly at Robin who merely shrugged back at her, "I don't really know the difference?"
"Neither do I so you're in good company here. At least he didn't offer you the french roast, bloody awful it is," Robin said with an exaggerated shudder, sitting back down at the desk.
"Paperwork, Archer," Walsh said shortly, placing a cup in the contraption and turning back to them. "We have some time to kill before Mayor Viridans joins us so why don't you go ahead and have a seat in my office and I'll be in shortly with your coffee and one of these donuts."
Her stomach dropped. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Robin looking at her with shocked puzzlement. It was clear that neither of the men knew why Zelena wanted to speak to her. She had no doubt that if Zelena had been informed that the stranger in town they were keeping under close watch was her that the witch would have already been waiting impatiently for their arrival. She took little comfort in the further delay of their confrontation.
"Why would the mayor want to see me?" Emma asked, keeping her tone curious.
"You must either be really important or a real trouble maker. I don't think I've ever seen Viridans in here, even when we broke up that smuggli-"
"That's enough, Archer!" Walsh snapped at Robin, his eyes flashing in anger. He took a deep breath and looked back at her, "Eva, excuse us, I need to have a word with my deputy. And if you'd close the door please?"
She looked at Robin who gave her a commiserating shrug and an unworried smile. Reluctantly she walked into the small glass walled room and shut the door behind her. Walsh watched her for a moment before turning to Robin and began speaking in a low tone ensuring she couldn't hear them.
Watching closely through the glass she could see that Walsh was nervous. He kept shifting from foot to foot and running his hands through his hair. Every so often he would dart a glance towards where they'd entered before checking on her once more. She did her best to look uninterested when he did. The most telling, however, was the change that overtook Robin. He went from smiling to frowning to carefully sneaking glances at her almost as often as Walsh. Knowing she was pushing her luck she turned her back on them and sat down to wait for Walsh to join her.
She tried not to think about how much Robin's opinion of her might have changed due to whatever it was Walsh had said. Instead her mind wandered to Killian, wondering if he'd found Turner and if they were currently forming a plan or if he'd ignored her pleas completely and was about to walk into the room in some attempt at rescuing her. As much as she hoped for the former she couldn't help the small smile at the thought of the latter.
"Sorry 'bout that."
Emma jumped, so lost in her thoughts she hadn't heard Walsh enter the office through a second door she hadn't noticed. She silently scolded herself for letting her mind wander when she needed to pay attention the most. Walsh closed the door behind him, placing a cup of coffee and a round pastry with a hole in it on the desk in front of her.
"Thank you," she said as she picked up the cup. She nodded her head back towards Robin, "I hope he's not in trouble because of me."
"Don't worry, he's not," Walsh said with a false smile. "I wasn't sure how you took your coffee but there's sugar and creamer back on the table there."
"This is fine-" she took a sip, not wanting to risk being cornered and questioned by Robin when she already had to contend with Walsh. She slipped back into her curious, unknowing guise, "You never said why the mayor wants to see me. I haven't done anything wrong have I?"
"No, no, nothing like that-" Walsh's eyes slid to the second door that he'd entered through, the one that opened to the hallway leading to the entrance of the building, "She's just interested in meeting you. We don't get very many visitors here and I think she might want to know what brought you to our town. To see if we can use it to boost our tourist draw."
"Really?" Emma asked, trying not to scoff in disbelief.
"Of course," he said with a nod, focusing back on her. "So what did bring you to Storybrooke?"
"Kieran asked me to help him with something," she said, shrugging and taking another sip of her coffee. Walsh's eye twitched and she kept a victorious smile off her face, "I just couldn't say no."
"And where exactly are you visiting from?"
"An off the map town far from here," she answered vaguely, her feeling of victory souring in her stomach.
He hummed and leaned back in his chair, "But you didn't come by car. At least I haven't seen an out of state license plate driving down our streets lately. There's also no bus route or train that makes a stop anywhere near here and the harbormaster hasn't mentioned any unfamiliar boats floating around his harbor. So how exactly did you get here?"
"Kieran picked us up in Portland," Emma said calmly, somehow remembering the place Pinocchio had mentioned earlier even as her thoughts were racing almost too fast for her to keep up with.
"Us?" Walsh leaned forward again, picking up the same kind of strange quill she'd used at the library and holding it tightly, his eyes eager.
She cursed herself but schooled her features into one of deep confusion and slight betrayal, "Why are you asking me all these questions? I've done nothing but come here to help a friend."
"Yes, help him undermine an open investigation. So I've heard," Walsh said gruffly, tapping the quill on the edge of the desk. "Did he tell you what happened?"
"His brother was killed," she said slowly, realizing that was all that Killian had told her.
"He was," Walsh said, a small vicious smile unfurling on his lips, "You see, we've had a bit of trouble with smugglers using our small town as a way station for their assorted goods. Thomas Jones just so happened to be their main contact, his job down at the docks giving him cover for being there at all hours along with knowledge of the harbor patrols and the habits of the others that worked there. A pretty sweet gig for a man who barely finished high school.
"Of course it's only good as long as you don't start putting your hand in the cookie jar. Word is a few things went missing here and there, payouts were short a couple hundred bucks, and it all seemed to point back to one man. We only have circumstantial evidence, nothing concrete enough to satisfy the younger Jones brother, but all signs point to Thomas Jones being killed by one of his more nefarious contacts.
"The kicker, which makes this so much more amusing, is that Kieran Jones is now believed to be working with that same smuggling ring. He's seemed to convince himself that they have answers for him when we already have them here. So far all he's gotten out of it is a missing hand and an arrest record that keeps growing."
Emma was glad she hadn't eaten the pastry that Walsh had brought her or really anything since she'd left Regina's cottage earlier that day. She felt nauseous, not because of the accusations Walsh was making against Killian but by the lengths gone by both him and Zelena to make his life miserable. Swallowing thickly she hardened her resolve to break the curse as soon as possible, if only to end Killian's suffering.
"Why are you telling me this?" Emma asked, setting her cup down so she wouldn't be tempted to throw the still hot coffee in Walsh's face.
"I just want you to be aware of the type of people you're associating with and the illicit activities they're involved in. Especially if you really are here to look into Thomas Jones' death. Although now that I've warned you I'd have no choice but to arrest you as an accomplice if something were to happen while you were in Jones' company," Walsh said smugly. He sat back in his chair and gave her a contemplative look, "Then again we might be able to work something out. We've hit a bit of a snag in our investigation but if you were to let us know times where Jones disappears or heads down to the docks I might be willing to look the other way where you're concerned."
Her jaw dropped in disbelief. He was watching her, the smug smile still on his lips, seemingly confident that she would take his offer. She regretted setting down her coffee and it was only the thinly veiled threat against her and Killian that stayed her hand.
"Kieran asked me to come here because he knows that something isn't right about what he was told about his brother's death. Now I know what he means," she grit out, gripping the armrests of her chair until her knuckles were white. "I'm not going to spy on him for you and I'm going to help him uncover the truth. Whatever it may be."
Walsh looked almost disappointed in her answer but she could see the gleam of triumph in his eyes. They both jumped in surprise when the door Walsh had previously closed crashed open and Zelena was standing at the threshold. Emma noticed the color high on her cheeks, her green eyes glittering with malevolence but she did nothing more than stand there, staring at her.
"Ma- Madame Mayor, we, uh, didn't expect you for another hour or so," Walsh stuttered, tripping over his feet as he stood. "I was just telling Miss, er, that is to say Eva here about some of the things we do-"
"Get out," Zelena said, cutting him off without looking at him.
"Madame Mayor?"
Zelena finally tore her gaze from her and fixed Walsh with one of displeasure and impatience, "I said get out, go somewhere that's not here and stay there. And take your lackey with you. There are some things I'd like to discuss with Eva in private."
"We can't just leave the station unmanned!" Walsh gasped clearly taken off guard.
"I highly doubt the supposedly seedy underbelly of this town will know the difference," Zelena scoffed. She stepped into the office, opening up the doorway, "Go."
Walsh's face was a ruddy with anger and humiliation. He shot her a look of disdain before storming out of the office, shouting at Robin to follow him. Emma watched his fit of pique with only a little amusement, knowing that once he was gone there would be nothing between her and Zelena's wrath.
They stayed silent, waiting for the sounds of the men leaving to end. Emma was surprised to see that there were dark circles under Zelena's eyes. Upon closer inspection she noticed that her clothing was slightly rumpled while her striking red hair was hanging in limp curls over her shoulders. She felt a zing of vindictive triumph that she was at least holding herself together marginally better than the woman in front of her.
"I think I liked him better as a winged monkey," Zelena sighed. She turned, fixing her with a malignant stare, "I also liked you better when you were merely looting my ships."
"I can't say the feeling's mutual because I didn't even know who the hell you were until that night at Regina's palace," Emma snarled, "I just have a pure hatred for you and what you've done."
Zelena's nostrils flared as she drew in a deep breath, "Oh, of that I have no doubt. Seen your precious prince yet? I have so enjoyed watching him bumble about this town trying to figure out who killed his so-called brother all while avoiding the woman who's made him more miserable than even I could have predicted she would."
Emma jumped up from her chair, "You bitch."
"I prefer Wicked Witch but that's neither here nor there," Zelena said with a flippant wave of her hand. "Have a seat, we have some things to discuss."
"I don't want to discuss anything with you. I just want you to know that I'm going to break this curse and get everyone back where they belong."
To her annoyance Zelena smiled, sitting down in the chair Walsh had occupied only moments before, "Sit down Princess, you're going to want to hear what I have to say and once you have you'll be just as keen as I am to keep this curse from being broken."
"I doubt that," she grumbled, reluctantly sitting back down and hating herself a bit for giving in so easily.
"Ah, but I have your attention and that's really all I need," Zelena trilled with a triumphant grin. She tilted her head to consider her, "How did you get here? I thought all the magic beans had been used or destroyed."
"Not all of them," she said grudgingly.
"Of course not-" Zelena sneered, "You hero types always find a way don't you."
"I had sufficient motivation."
"That has been one of the few highlights in this wretched land, knowing that I had your prince under my heel, effectively throwing a wrench in your treacly romance. Not quite as satisfying as watching my sister flounder about this land in rags with everyone thinking she's some mad hag but there was still some joy in it."
Emma stood so quickly she knocked her chair over. Her hand flew to her side, fingers grabbing for the sword that wasn't there. She was about to dive for the dagger in her boot when the sound of Zelena's voice broke through her rage.
"Did you never wonder whose heart I used for the curse?"
"I assumed it was plucked out of the chest of one of your black knights or some innocent servant who wronged you in some tiny way," Emma spit out.
"For the Dark Curse?" Zelena scoffed. "I knew you weren't practiced in magic but I didn't think you'd be so daft."
"Say whatever it is you need to say or I'm leaving and the next time we cross paths I won't be leaving my sword on the ship."
"Ship? Are you joking? No, clearly you're not," Zelena said with a roll of her eyes. "We'll discuss the impracticality of that later. There's something I need to show you."
Emma bit back a scream, "I thought you had to tell me something."
"I do and I can say it just as well while we're walking-" Zelena stood and immediately walked out the door. Without looking back she called over her shoulder, "Come along, Princess, this is the only way you'll get the answers you so desperately want."
She stayed stubbornly standing in the office until she heard the door of the station closing with a distant slam. It took a few deep breaths remembering why exactly she was there in the first place before she resigned herself to chasing after her. With a frustrated kick to the chair on the ground she stalked out of the office.
Zelena already had a considerable lead on her when she stepped out of the building. She refused to give her the satisfaction of forcing her to quicken her pace, ambling half a length behind her. Finally Zelena stopped, swinging around to face her with a snarl.
"Would you hurry it up? I have a meeting with the parks department at four."
"Why should I? You're the one wasting my time!" Emma snapped, not caring who heard her.
"And if you hadn't dawdled you'd have some answers already," Zelena huffed, quickly crossing the roadway as soon as she caught up. "It was always supposed to be me who cast the curse but the imp lied to me and chose my undeserving sister instead. She couldn't even go through with it! The weak willed bitch.
"When she failed to act I saw my opportunity. It was almost too easy to strike her down in her own palace and accomplish everything she'd ever failed at. What I failed to take into account was the unceasing determination you heroes have when you take up a cause."
"You stole my kingdom, imprisoned my parents, killed hundreds of innocent people, including Killian's father and his best friend-" Emma seethed, barely keeping herself from reaching out to strangle the witch. "If you're looking for sympathy, then fuck you"
"Sympathy? Please-" Zelena scoffed without breaking her stride, "I'm trying to get you up to speed. I cast the curse to finally have my time without belittling myself by wearing that bitch's face. But there was a cost."
"A heart. I know," Emma growled.
Zelena stopped suddenly in front of a door causing Emma to nearly walk into her. When she turned to look back at her she had something close to regret in her eyes, "The price to cast the curse was one I should have thought twice about paying."
She had brought them to a shop that seemed to sell all manner of things. Emma looked up at the sign hanging over the door. She was unsure what a pawnbroker was but she had heard the name Mr. Gold from both Killian and Regina and knew he was a man of importance.
Just as she was about to ask who exactly Mr. Gold was in their land she noticed someone over Zelena's shoulder, watching her from the side of the shop. She sighed quietly in relief when she realized it was Turner and had to bite the inside of her cheek against a laugh when Killian's head popped around the corner too. Both were watching her with matching looks of concern but she could do nothing to signal that she was alright without tipping off Zelena to their presence.
"Word's already gotten around that you're here as some sort of private eye so if he asks keep up that ridiculous lie," Zelena said with barely concealed disdain. She put her hand on the doorknob and fixed her with a narrowed glare, "Whatever you do don't answer any question that requires more than three words to answer. We can at least keep the damage to a minimum that way."
Zelena turned to push open the door causing Turner and Killian to quickly disappear around the corner again. She held the door open expectantly and Emma had no choice but to follow her in without pause. Her only solace was that Killian had done as she asked and it gave her a glimmer of hope that breaking the curse might not be as difficult as she had been dreading.
The interior of the shop was dark from the dim shaft of light that streamed through dusty windows and the dark stained wood that lined the floors and walls. It took a moment for Emma's eyes to adjust and when they did she couldn't hide her astonishment.
Nearly every nook and cranny was filled with all manner of objects. There were several long encasements made of glass displaying more odds and ends along with a few more that stood upright spread throughout the shop. The walls were made of shelves to house more things and there were even items hanging from the ceiling. She was so enthralled by the sheer number of oddities that she didn't notice there was a man behind one of the glass encasements until he moved out from behind it.
He walked with a pronounced limp, using a cane to keep his balance as he approached them. Emma observed him curiously. He was older than her parents, thin in build with light brown hair that hung loose about his face. There was nothing remarkable about him except for his eyes, they somehow seemed to gleam in the gloom of the shop. Even before anyone uttered his name she knew the man was Mr. Gold but she couldn't recall ever meeting him back in their land.
"Afternoon Madame Mayor," he said in an accent that somehow sounded like it was from everywhere and nowhere at once. His glittering eyes flitted to her before settling back on Zelena, "I'm afraid the object you're interested in is still not for sale. Bringing in someone else to try and negotiate that point won't change my mind."
"I'm not here for that ostentatious bauble," Zelena huffed, waving her hand as though she didn't care but Emma had seen a vein in her temple throb. She sniffed and nodded at her, "This is Eva. Eva this is Mr. Gold."
"Ah, one of the newcomers that has the authorities in this town in an uproar," Gold said with a smile, revealing a single golden tooth. "Pleasure to make your acquaintance, dearie."
Emma felt a cold chill run down her back at the endearment. It pulled at something in her memories, something dark and foreboding. Before she had a chance to grasp at what it could be it danced away from her. She felt unsettled and gave Gold a tremulous smile that she hoped would suffice as a greeting.
"If you're not here about the necklace may I ask why you are here? It's the beginning of the month and there are still rents I need to collect," Gold said a bit impatiently, an expectant look on his face.
"Eva is working on a pet project, you might say," Zelena said as she walked slowly around the shop. She stopped in front of an encasement that appeared to have a sword inside, "Eva?"
"Oh, uh-" Emma rocked back on her heels, unsure what to say when Zelena had instructed her not to utter more than a sentence. A sudden wave of nervousness overcame her as Gold regarded her closely, "Is there, er, anything you might know about Tommy Jones' death?"
Gold's eyes widened slightly, as though he had expected a different question from her. He smiled again but there was a sinister edge to it, "Thomas Jones was a blight on this town and while his death was unfortunate there are not many who were sorry to see him pass. Unfortunately his foolish younger brother seems intent on not only pursuing innocent parties to blame for it but also straying down the same path that got Thomas killed in the first place. Take it from me, dearie, you should bury your questions with the dead before you end up six feet under as well."
While Gold's tone was one of caution Emma felt a sense of glee underlying his words. Her sense of unease only heightened as she tried to formulate any kind of adequate response as Gold watched her expectantly.
"I'll take the risk if it means I can help Kieran finally learn the truth about what happened-" she turned and glared at Zelena, "No one deserves to be lied to like that."
"I see you believe you have a measure of the situation, Miss-"
Emma looked back at Gold finding him looking at her with far more interest than he had before. She wasn't certain but she thought she saw his eyes gleam yellow for a moment, disconcerting her even further.
"White," she blurted out. Taking a deep breath to get ahold of herself she decided to attempt to gain back some iota of control that she had lost the moment Walsh had appeared at Sunset Storybrooke, "Are you suggesting that you know something?"
"I never implied anything of the sort," Gold said pressing a hand to his chest, seemingly taken aback. He dropped the same hand on top of the one already holding his cane and leaned towards her to speak in a low tone, "It's common knowledge that Thomas Jones was killed by men who have broken moral compasses. If they would do that to a man they knew and made deals with who knows what they would do to a stranger that pokes their nose where it doesn't belong. I'm only thinking about your well-being, Miss White."
"I can take care of myself well enough," she said, lifting her chin and holding his gaze. "Do you or do you not know anything about Tommy Jones' death?"
Gold's lip twitched as he settled back on his heels, "I don't know anything more than what was printed in the papers. The misters Jones were tenants of mine but other than collecting their rent I had no further interactions with them. Is that answer satisfactory enough?"
"It'll do," she sniffed.
Emma felt accomplished, even though she had done nothing more than stand up for herself. Zelena cleared her throat, causing both her and Gold to snap their attention to her. She had completely forgotten Zelena was there in her attempt to try and stay afloat under Gold's scrutiny.
"I believe we're done here," Zelena said shortly. She looked at Gold with a sneer, "We don't want to keep you from collecting your dues."
"That attitude doesn't do you any favors, dearie," Gold tsked, limping back to the encasement he had been behind before. "Feel free to stop in if you have any other questions Miss White. You'll find I'm quite agreeable when the mood suits me."
She gave him a close lipped smile, pushing down the impulse to scoff at the idea that she'd ever return on her own. Zelena pushed past her and wrenched open the door, causing the bell attached to it to ring wildly. Rolling her eyes she turned to follow but stopped short when a glint of silver caught her eye.
Without a thought she drew closer to a small glass enclosed display of various pieces of jewelry. Sitting amongst the necklaces and bracelets of gold and pearls was a lone ring. It was finely crafted out of thin woven bands of both gold and silver. Emma didn't need a closer look to know it was the ring she had made for Killian back in Arendelle. The one she had conjured out of thin air because she hadn't known how to fully express what she felt for him, that he had worn on his left thumb from possibly the moment he had received it until Zelena had cut off the entire hand in a vicious act of petty revenge.
"Is this ring- how much for this ring?" She asked with a warble she didn't have a hope to hide.
"Well, let's see now," Gold trilled as he made his way over. He opened the back of the display and pulled out the cushion the ring was sitting on, "Lovely piece, clearly unique and possibly handmade, I couldn't possibly let it go for less than three hundred dollars."
She didn't know if it was a fair price or not and she didn't care. Ignoring the tapping of Zelena's foot by the door she reached into her coat and pulled out the small sack of gold coins she had with her.
"All I have are these-" she dumped the entire contents of the sack onto the glass counter, "You can have it all."
There were at least thirty coins spread across the glass counter. It was a fortune back in their land, enough to feed a family for nearly a year. Zelena made choked noise behind her but she ignored it, focusing on Gold and the way his eyes raked over the bounty. He picked up a single coin and weighed it in his hand, bringing it up under his nose to inspect it closer.
"I'll tell you what, Miss White-" Gold walked the coin over his knuckles and into his palm, gripping it in a tight fist. He smiled, his gold tooth flashing in the light, "I'm not going to take any of these for the ring. Just one of them is enough to pay for it three times over."
"What do you want? Anything, it's yours."
"Em- Eva!" Zelena hissed. "Don't offer him an open ended deal like that. He'll only use it against you."
"Now, now, Madame Mayor I believe the deal is between myself and Miss White. If you'd be so kind as to keep out of it," Gold snapped, glaring at Zelena. He looked back at her with a predatory smile, "The ring is yours. All I want for it is a favor."
"What kind of favor?" she asked warily, belatedly realizing that she had waded in too deep.
"Oh, that I don't know quite yet-" Gold opened his fist and the coin was gone. He snapped the fingers of his other hand and the coin was there, her family crest gleaming up at her, "but when the time comes I expect you to comply, fully."
Emma hesitated, trying in vain to remember who Gold could have been in Misthaven. Looking back down at the ring she decided she didn't care. She knew that Killian deserved to have a piece of himself back, even if he had no recollection of what it meant to him or her.
"Okay," she agreed, making sure to look him straight in the eye as she did.
"Excellent," he grinned, dropping the coing in his hand onto the counter with the others. He deftly plucked the ring off its cushion and held it out to her, "I believe this is yours now."
Her hand was steady as she held it out to him. Gold dropped it easily into her palm, watching her beadily as she slipped it onto the thumb of her right hand. It sat there loosely, twisting round and nearly slipping off her thumb as she began to scoop the pile of coins back into her sack. Clicking his tongue in impatience Gold pulled a simple golden chain from the display the ring had come from.
"Here, a little added gift-" he unclasped it and let it snake onto the counter amidst the few coins that remained. "No need to give it back once you've given the ring to whomever it's intended for, of course. Consider it a signing bonus if you will."
"Thank you," she said quietly.
Ignoring Zelena's scoff Emma delicately picked it up and slid the ring onto it. It took her a moment's fumbling with numb fingers to work the clasp for herself to fasten it around her neck. The ring felt heavier than it should, as though the weight of her deal with Gold had somehow leaked into the gold and silver bands. She quickly dumped the rest of the coins in the sack and gave Gold a brief nod of farewell.
Before she could rush out the door he called after her, "I do hope to see you again, dearie. Perhaps with less of a hovering eye next time."
Zelena growled low in her throat as she practically pushed Emma out the door. She blinked in the sunlight, bright after the dimness of the shop, as she slid the sack of coins back into the pocket they had been in before. Her fingers immediately went to worry at the ring hanging around her neck when she turned back to face Zelena, belatedly remembering that Turner and Killian were close by.
"Why did you bring me here? Who was that man back-"
"Not here," Zelena hissed. She looked back and forth along the roadway before her gaze settled on something, "Follow me."
She set off across the roadway, heedless to the cars passing by. Emma followed, wincing at the loud blare of noise coming from the cars in their wake. Looking quickly back behind her she saw Turner and Killian emerging from around the corner of Gold's shop. She gave them a quick nod before focusing back on where Zelena was leading her.
They didn't go far. Zelena hardly stopped as she wrenched open the door to the library, impatiently waving Emma inside. She caught a glimpse of Turner and Killian crossing the roadway before she stepped into the vestibule. Pinocchio was sitting behind the desk but stood up quickly when Zelena slammed the door shut behind her.
"Mayor Viridans! How can I hel-"
"Sit down and mind your own business Booth," Zelena snapped. She stalked over to the large metal door Emma had noticed on her first visit, "This is between Miss White and I."
"Miss White?" Pinocchio raised his brow at her and Emma could only shrug in response.
Zelena opened the door revealing a metal gate and a tiny room beyond it. Lifting the gate she ushered Emma in with a click of her tongue and another wave of her hand. She had never had a problem with confined spaces before but she still stepped into the room with hesitation, unwilling to be in such a small space with Zelena for company.
A shiver of warning slid down her spine as Zelena fiddled with a lever before slamming the gate down. Immediately the room moved and Emma backed into the corner, bracing herself against the walls.
"Oh, for Christ's sake it's just an elevator," Zelena huffed, tapping her toe in irritation. "It's taking us from one floor to another instead of bothering with stairs. God, I forgot how primitive the Enchanted Forest is."
Before she could ask why Zelena had called their land the Enchanted Forest the room came to a stop. A set of doors slid open revealing a cavernous room with a twisting metal staircase leading to a landing under the backside of a clock face. As Zelena lifted the gate Emma noticed the cogs and gears of the clockworks suspended in the middle of the room. It was loud, almost deafening and she understood the reason Zelena had brought her there to talk.
"Are you finally going to give me some answers? Who was that man back in our land? What does he have to do with the Dark Curse?" Emma asked as she stepped into the room, once more fiddling with the ring.
"That thing you talked to back there isn't a man. Not anymore," Zelena muttered, barely loud enough to hear over the cacophony of sounds in the room as she stepped into it herself.
"What do you mean?"
"The Dark Curse is called that for a reason. You don't cast it using rainbows and happy thoughts," Zelena scoffed.
"I know that," Emma bit out, fighting the urge to scream at the circles they were talking in. "You needed a heart."
"Not just any heart," Zelena's annoyance dropped away immediately and she looked at Emma with sorrowful eyes. "You need the heart of the thing you love the most."
"The thing… so you killed the thing you loved the most to get some kind of petty revenge? Guess Regina really does have a conscience if she couldn't go through with it."
"Would you stop being so goddamn glib for a second and listen!" Zelena screeched. She took a deep breath as she focused intently on her, "If Regina had cast the curse she would have had to kill her father to do it. I on the other hand loathed the man who raised me and resented the woman who birthed me. There was seemingly no one who came even close to fulfilling what was needed to cast the curse. That was until it was pointed out to me by my mentor that there was someone that I did love, him, and in nearly the same breath he told me he didn't want anything to do with me, not if I would have to kill him to cast the curse.
"That was the whole point of him teaching me, molding me into the most powerful sorceress in the realms. He just needed someone to cast that damn curse to get him here, to the Land Without Magic. He chose Regina, spineless bitch that she is, when I was clearly the only one capable. I hated him with every fibre of my being for that. So when the time came I knew that the line between love and hate might be thin enough to work."
The phrase pulled at Emma's memories and she said slowly, "You said that, before. Before you crushed the heart, you said that."
"I didn't find out until we'd been here for a week what a grievous mistake I had made," Zelena continued, ignoring her. "I saw him, limping down the street as though nothing had happened. He's just as cursed as everyone else but I could see it. Deep in his eyes it's there or should I say it isn't there."
"Zelena, who was he?" She asked impatiently, even as she was beginning to dread the answer.
"You haven't figured it out by now?" Zelena asked with a hysterical giggle. "Who but the Dark One would know how to cast the Dark Curse and then manipulate others to do it for him? Who do you think is powerful enough to somehow still live despite his heart being crushed?"
"But… that's-"
"Impossible? Not as much as you or I would think-" Zelena began to pace, "The only way I can figure it is Dark One has always been someone who was cursed with the Darkness, a mortal, but the Darkness itself is immortal. For centuries it's slid from one host to another through the use of the Dagger to end the previous Dark One but it's never been defeated, never killed. I didn't use the Dagger, I merely crushed the heart of the man whose been playing its host. The Darkness is now the only thing in that body and the curse is the only thing keeping it from realizing it."
A chill settled over Emma as the words sunk in. She had heard tales of the atrocities committed by the Dark One, not only from her own parents and the whispers of others but from numerous history books and old tales told over too many pints in taverns far from Misthaven. He had been imprisoned for the entirety of her life, captured through the machinations of Princess Ella and her parents. While she had never even seen a glimpse of him she had always been afraid of the possibility of him escaping his prison and exacting his revenge.
"So do you see why you can't break the curse?"
"What?" Emma croaked out, shaking her head in confusion. "I'm going to break the curse."
"If you break this curse you'll be defeating me, yes, but you'll be damning everyone and everything in the same moment," Zelena said slowly, as though she were talking to a child. "The Dark One has always had a weakness and it was never the dagger that controls him, not entirely at least. The Darkness has been held in check by its vessel, the morality and conscience the person had before succumbing to it. Even the worst of them had some piece of it left or the passing of the Darkness from one person to another would have stopped at some point. If the curse is broken it will have nothing to hold it back, nothing to keep some kind of tenuous hold on it. It will destroy everything in this town before moving on to the world beyond and then finding a way to travel to other realms to do the same. It will never stop until it holds control over it all."
Emma could barely hear Zelena over the buzzing in her ears. She felt lightheaded and gasped for air. Black spots danced in front of her as she bent forward, balancing herself with her hands on her knees. Slowly her head cleared and she straightened.
"You're lying," she panted.
"I assure you I'm not," Zelena sighed. "You can ask Regina if you truly don't believe me."
She merely stared at her, willing her to take back everything she had said.
"Or don't I really don't care. Come along, Princess, I have a meeting to get to."
The ride back down to the ground floor wasn't as harrowing if only because her thoughts were decidedly focused on whether or not to believe what Zelena had told her. She stepped back into the vestibule feeling as though she had lived an entire lifetime in the room above. Pinocchio was fidgeting in front of his desk, his eyes shooting to the library beyond when he caught her gaze.
"Do you need anything Ma'am?" He asked, shifting from foot to foot.
"Of course not," Zelena shot back. She looked back at her, "The decision is up to you, I won't try to stop you. Oh and feel free to bring your… ship into the harbor. No need for such cloak and dagger now is there?"
Zelena swept out of the library, leaving Emma gaping behind her. She heard Pinocchio breathe a sigh of relief as he moved across the vestibule, closing up the small room once again. A hand landed on her shoulder causing her to jump in surprise.
"Easy, lass, it's just us."
She spun on her heel and saw that it was Killian, looking at her with concern. Turner was standing a few paces behind him, staring angrily at the door that Zelena had disappeared through.
"I- we have to go. Turner, we need to go. Now," she rambled, avoiding Killian's gaze.
"Of course-" Turner stepped around Killian and looked at her carefully. "Are you alright?"
"Fine, I'm fine. We need to go," she repeated.
Turner nodded and she took in a shaky breath before turning to leave. She heard Pinocchio murmuring something to Killian behind her but paid them no attention. Her mind was still trying to comprehend everything that Zelena had told her and her only coherent thought was to get to Regina as quickly as possible.
She weaved through the town as quickly as she could without breaking into a panicked run. Turner was keeping pace behind her, quiet aside from the sound of his boots hitting the ground. They reached the woods quickly and Emma pushed on faster, single minded in her pursuit.
When she reached the cliff overlooking their cove she skidded to a stop, nearly tumbling over the edge. She was saved by a hand grabbing her elbow and when she turned to thank Turner she was caught off guard to see Killian there instead.
"Careful lass," he said as he gently urged her to take a step back, "You mind telling me why you just tore through the town like the devil was at your heels?"
"What are you doing here?" She snapped, her tenuous control on her emotions at a breaking point.
"I-" he dropped her elbow, raising his eyebrows in surprise, "You just left, first with Baum and then you spend nearly an hour with the woman we're trying to take down before taking off again. What happened? Why did she take you to the pawn shop?"
"She… I-" she looked helplessly at Turner who was at Killian's side. The absurdity that she wanted to talk to him about what had happened and not Killian wasn't lost on her. She took a deep breath and said as resolutely as she could, "You need to go."
"What? Why?"
"It's between me and my crew."
"Then let me come aboard the ship. We're supposed to be helping each other, right?" His eyebrows drew down as he looked at her more carefully. "Right?"
"I'm sorry but you have to go," she said resolutely even as her voice started to tremble.
He narrowed his eyes and looked her over as though he would find something amiss. "What did she say to you?"
"Nothing," she said quickly.
"You're lying," he said matter of factly. He stepped closer to her and said in a low voice, "You can trust me, lass."
"Kil- Jones, I do but this… this is something I have to handle myself."
"Just you and your 'crew', yeah?" Killian spat as the look in his eyes hardened to a glare and he took two steps back. "Whatever it was Viridans told you was a lie. I hope you realize that sooner rather than later and when you do I'll be waiting."
He gave her a hard grin that was more akin to a sneer before pivoting on his heel and stalking back the way they had come. Her hand found its way to his ring, gripping it tight enough in her fist that she was only marginally worried about drawing blood. She jumped slightly when Turner gently touched her elbow.
"What's going on Emma?"
"Not here," she whispered, fighting back tears.
She barely paid attention as they made their way back to the Jewel. It was well into dusk, the sky to the east already donning the dark blues of impending night. There was movement on deck and she hoped whomever it was would alert the others that they were back. What she had learned was horrible enough without having to repeat it more than once.
What little luck she had was on her side. Everyone was waiting expectantly with varying degrees of disapproval on their faces as she hoisted herself over the rail. As soon as both her feet were on the deck she crossed over to Regina.
"Who is Mr. Gold?"
"You sneak away at the crack of dawn like an impetuous teenager and that's the first thing out of your mouth instead of an apology for stranding us here?" Regina snapped, setting her hands firmly on her hips. "Why the hell were you talking to him anyway? What happened this time that we'll have to scramble to clean up after?"
"Dammit Regina!" Her frustrated shout echoed across the water. "Who is he? In our land, who is he?"
"Of course you wouldn't know who he is. Your goody two shoes parents wouldn't dream of taking you to see him," Regina said derisively, rolling her eyes. "He's the Dark One, Rumplestiltskin. Just traded one prison for another with the curse."
"No-"
Emma felt her knees buckle and someone grabbed her elbow to steady her.
"It's not like he knows who he is," Regina scoffed. "I tested him one or two times and he's just as cursed as everyone else. Which isn't a shock, I would have done the same thing if I had cast the curse."
"Maybe you should have," Emma spat out.
Her temper was getting the better of her but she welcomed it. Anything was better than the despair that was cresting, ready to wash away everything else and leave her drowning in despair.
"Excuse me?" Regina said in shock, her hands falling off her hips in surprise.
"Maybe you should have cast the curse, crushed your father's heart and been done with it! Then we wouldn't be in this fucking mess!"
"Emma what are you talking about?" Grace asked, her face twisting into a look of concern.
"You need a heart-" Emma snarled, "but not just any heart, it has to be from the thing you love the most. Right Regina? Any guesses on who Zelena loved the most?"
"That's- that's impossible," Regina stuttered, color draining from her face leaving her ashen. "She's lying. It would have killed him. She has to be lying."
"Can you think of anyone else who would have worked? Can you?" Emma challenged her. She felt wholly unlike herself but couldn't seem to stop, "Maybe it should have been you. After all Zelena said the line between love and hate was pretty much nonexistent."
"Emma!" Grace gasped.
"It can't- she-" Regina stuttered into silence, her eyes wide with terror.
"I don't understand-" Marty said slowly, looking around the deck in confusion. "What does it mean?"
Emma slumped, the fight and anger draining from her in an instant with the innocence of Marty's question. All around her the others were slowly reaching the same terrifying conclusion. She could see it in the way they stood bowed by defeat, the look of horror in their eyes. When she spoke her voice was choked with the tears that had already begun coursing down her cheeks.
"It means we can never break the curse."
For the first time she truly wished that the curse had taken her too. She knew it was the only way she wouldn't have had to feel the utter devastation of her hopes and her heart shattering beyond repair.
A.N.: So I've had this idea brewing for a long time but I will admit that not being able to break the curse because of bad consequences was slightly influenced by the most recent season. Of course as my sister likes to say I take the convoluted and holey canon and make into something that makes a kind of sense. Such as the Dark One existing without the man is my spin on the whole Rumple's darkened heart thing of season 4b. Also sorry not sorry about the minimal amount of Killian this chapter but he'll be back in fine form in the next one.
Next: Coming out of hiding, options to consider, and a tense conversation or two (possibly three).