She woke up with a violent jerk, her heart racing, her lungs out of breath, and her head pounding. The sunlight spilling in through the strange windows only seemed to make her head hurt more. She glanced around and managed to put together that she was alone in the little room and so she fell back against the bed and squeezed her eyes shut against the light that was too brilliant for her to take. Exhaustion, a headache, sensitivity to bright lights...she must have had a hangover. God, she couldn't remember the last time she'd had one of those! How much did she have to drink yesterday?! It didn't seem like more than her usual amount. But then again, she hadn't had a drop of alcohol in her system once she'd gone into the hospital. She'd only been there a few days but...no, if she thought about it too hard her head started hurting again. That must have been the answer. All she really needed to do was build up her tolerance again and in the meantime, she remembered the cure well enough. Hot shower, sleep, and some aspirin. It probably wouldn't take the pounding in her head away completely but it would be a good start.
She opened her eyes and risked a glance at the clock on the bedside. Well, technically it was still morning. Not by much, but it was close enough to count. What exactly had happened last night? Where was she? Her memories were foggy but she could remember getting out of the hospital, the Rabbit Hole, and...Keith.
Her eyes rolled instinctively at the memory of the man as she wondered if anyone had found him by the time the pair had left last night. They hadn't exactly turned to check as they walked down Main Street. The pair of them? They? Yes, that was right. She'd been with Gold. He'd beaten her would-be-lover senseless then they'd had a drink together. He'd told her about the apartment he had and they'd gone back there immediately. That was where she was! The apartment, over the library!
But here she lay, alone in the bed, clothes intact, bedding still in place, and tucked in with a light blanket as if she was eight! She had a vague memory of standing with him before the bed and kissing him, then being overwhelmingly tired…and then…words? No. It must have been her imagination. It really all got very hazy after that kiss.
But then…she'd dreamed. No. Not dreamed.
She'd remembered. Clearly.
Those damn hallucinations haunted her. She'd dreamed of the echo. Not the sound, just the echo of it, like thunder maybe. It had been raining that night, or so the hallucination in her mind said. It might be a lie for all she knew. After the echo, she could remember falling, being lowered to the ground by someone who turned out to be none other than Gold. It was all so clear that if it wasn't for the woman with the lack of memories and what came next she'd believe that it was truth instead of lies. But it was after her mind told her that he'd caught her and laid her down that it got unrealistic, crazy even, although she would never admit that to anyone. She could remember the argument and remember not having any idea what it really was about. Why her mind would make up something undecipherable was beyond her and why she would dream up Mr. Gold, or worse Mr. Gold holding a ball of fire, was a complete mystery.
She wished that was as strange as it got, but her mind had told her otherwise. She could also remember the pain and the blood seeping from a wound at her shoulder. A great gaping hole that had felt much worse than it actually looked. But then, she could remember, trying to crawl away from Gold, trying to figure out what was going on around her, why she was there, why he was there, why her shoulder hurt. She could remember huddling herself there in front of a strange car and wishing that she could just disappear as easily as she seemed to have appeared. Still, the Gold in her mind was insistent, he refused to give up as she fought against him. Her shoulder had flexed painfully, she'd cried out, and right before her eyes his hand had glowed purple and the wound, the blood, the pain, all of it, had faded away just like…like magic.
She felt her heart beat fast against her chest just at the very thought. It was ridiculous really. Magic?! There was no such thing as magic! In fairy tales maybe but the real world?! It wasn't true, any of it! But what pissed her off the most about it, about the hallucinations, about getting her memories back, was the fact that she still couldn't make sense of that night. She had everything up until the moment she'd been about to cross the town line and had seen the cars head lights, but there was nothing after that. They'd told her she'd been hit by a car, but no one had told her how she'd gotten from the line to the hospital. It irritated her because she had nothing else to believe but a false reality! She couldn't-no, she wouldn't believe that! There had to be a reasonable explanation for why she had that set of hallucinations. She'd hit her head hadn't she? Maybe there was nothing to remember. Maybe she'd just been knocked unconscious and what she was recalling, the hallucinations, maybe they were nothing more than a dream she'd had.
Why Mr. Gold though? Why had she dreamt of him when she hadn't even known him? Why had he shown up at the hospital right away? There had to be a logical reason for all of it, she just knew it! But when she tried to focus, the think about it and put two and two together, her head suddenly began to explode all over again. All of this thinking about dreams and hallucinations and time lines and town lines was making her head ache worse. She was going to figure out what happened out there, but first she was going to get rid of the pounding in her skull and maybe ask Gold how he'd come to the hospital so fast.
Speaking of Gold, if he wasn't by her side, then where was he? She managed to sit up and felt her head spin. She did her best to shield her eyes from the incoming sunlight and stood up. It wasn't the best feeling in the world but at least she was steady on her feet. She could remember swaying last night and thinking that it was the cause of readjusting to the alcohol. Now that she was clear-headed she knew that it wasn't just a guess, it was the truth. She needed to get something to drink. It was unusual for even her to drink this early without cause, but feeling this way when she got up couldn't continue. In her mind that constituted an early morning drink. She wandered out of the room and into the small living area and kitchen. Gold was there, sitting on a stool at the breakfast nook, he was reading a book and drinking…oh thank God he made coffee! She hurried forward into the area and began going through the cupboards looking for a mug.
"There is tea in the cabinet to your left," he pointed out. Again with the tea! It was last night all over again.
"I don't like tea," she corrected with maybe a little more snap than she meant to show. "Coffee, I need coffee. Where the hell are the mugs?!"
"Also in the cabinet to your left..." he mumbled. She didn't really care if she sounded rude. Her head was pounding, she needed caffeine, she needed alcohol, and good God did she need an aspirin! But one at a time. She pulled the mug out of the specified cupboard and poured herself some of the black liquid then took a greedy gulp, not caring that it burned her tongue.
She leaned against the counter and couldn't help the relaxed sigh that left her lungs. That small bit of normalcy already had her feeling half way back to her old self. "Can I get you anything to eat?" she opened her eyes to find him staring at her, the book pushed aside, and his hair damp. Apparently he'd already had a shower. God, what time did he get up?! And why?! He'd been up just as late her…later even, since, she assumed, he'd been the one to put her to bed. What the hell was the fun of staying up all night if you couldn't enjoy sleeping through the morning? "There are eggs, muffins…"
She shook her head, cutting him off but making her head pound more. Bad idea. "Aspirin," she begged. "Is there any around?"
He paused for a moment and looked around the room, like it would just be sitting out on the pristine surfaces waiting for him if only he looked hard enough. But then pushed himself up, like he'd just had a thought. "Maybe..." he muttered, stalking away from her back toward the bedroom.
She managed to resist shaking her head, but couldn't quite help the eye roll. Mysterious man. Frustrating man! Did he ever say anything that was on his mind or did he really just expect her to jump on every little thought train! She let out a sigh, frustrated that even she could hear the crankiness in her thoughts. Damn. Mornings had always been a bitch. Apparently that hadn't changed. But fortunately it would be easy to get rid of that. She set her coffee down and began opening and closing cabinets, the fridge, drawers even. There had to be something in this tiny apartment.
"Here," she turned abruptly to see him strolling out of the bedroom with a white bottle in his hand. "It was in the bathroom cabinet," he smirked with what looked like tender pride. Obviously something amused him.
"What's so funny?" she asked, snatching it from his hand without bothering to hide her morning temperament.
"Nothing," he answered with a shake of his head as he took his seat again.
It was one word but it pissed her off more than anything else had so far. This early in the morning she didn't have the tolerance to play games or the patience for anything like this, his thoughts, his smirks, his secrets! In an hour or so? Sure, she'd manage. Now? Hell no! "It doesn't seem like nothing," she snapped inhaling another gulp of coffee with her pills.
"It's where we always kept them in my…" he glanced up at her and stopped mid sentence. "Never mind, not important." She didn't need him to finish the sentence, it was written on his smug, attached, overly impressed face. His precious Belle had stashed the medicine in the same place he kept them at his house. She had just enough restraint not to roll her eyes at him but only if she turned away and began going through the kitchen again. She needed a drink. And he really needed to get over this girl and move onto something more interesting. Preferably her.
"Are you looking for something?" he asked after a moment.
"I need a drink," she stated "please tell me there's something in here."
He let out a sigh that sounded almost as frustrated as she felt, but nevertheless he rose from his chair and hobbled into the spit of a kitchen. He pulled out one of the drawers and revealed three bottles of wine laying side by side. Jackpot. And it wasn't just the kind that Granny served, it was the good stuff. Surprising. She wouldn't have taken this Belle for a drinker! But then she reached around him and pulled one of the bottles out-it wasn't full, but it wasn't empty either. So she wasn't a drinker then, just one of those woman. The kind that "indulged" in a glass every now and then before bed. There was nothing wrong with that, she just had a far different opinion of how to enjoy fine wine. Those women thought it was all about taking small sips, she believed that it actually had to be consumed. It wasn't about the taste, it was about the feeling. And that required large quantities, not delicate slurps.
She'd find a wine glass later, when she was more put together, in the meantime she'd forgo that. It wasn't as if it wasn't all going to end up in the same place eventually, her stomach, and with any luck, her veins. She opened the bottle and took a long pull from it. Better. There was a warmth spreading through her belly just like…last night.
It was hard to remember what had happened, but she remembered a warm sensation at the back of her skull, just before it all started to get foggy. She inadvertently reached back and felt the place the feeling had originated. Nothing. At least nothing out of the ordinary.
"Is there a problem?" she glanced up to find Gold staring at her from his seat again. Not that she could blame him, she'd just downed a swallow of alcohol and was now feeling the back of her head like she expected to find a hidden coin slot!
"No of course not," she muttered trying to make it look like she was only rubbing a stiff neck. "So, uh..." she set the bottle down and refilled her empty mug before glancing back at him. "What happened last night?"
"Don't you remember?" he smirked proudly and almost arrogantly.
"Would I be asking if I did?" It was the right attitude, but not the one that she wanted him to use on her, especially if they had done anything together last night. She did have certain standards.
He snorted and shook his head slightly, "No, I suppose not. Well, you've nothing to fear, dearie. When we arrived you complained about being dizzy and wanted to lie down. You fell asleep shortly thereafter."
She found herself breathing a sigh of relief and not being entirely sure why. It wouldn't have been the first time she'd blacked out and slept with a guy, but for whatever reason she couldn't fathom why it would have bothered her to have done it with Gold. "So nothing…happened?" she clarified.
His proud smirk suddenly faded into a dark angry glare and she couldn't quite figure out what she'd said to make him so angry. "There have been many people and situations that I've taken advantage of in my years, but that is not one of my many sins," he stated. Before she could make a comment about the odd statement, he rose from his chair and moved around her to set his mug in the sink. "I've an errand to run. I'll be back shortly. The apartment is yours until I return," he stated coldly, then without another word, he left. The door slamming slightly in his wake.
Ah...welcome to the Mysterious Second Day! Why is it mysterious you ask? Because we have no idea what went on between Gold and Lacey during this time. 2x19 was day one, 2x21 & 2x22 became day three, but 2x20 was a Regina centric episode. No Belle/Lacey, no Gold/Rumple (at least not in Storybrooke) and that leaves us to speculated what happened during this day. To sum it up for Moments? Chaos. You can expect Gold to be outrageous in order to keep Belle safely by his side until he can fix her (because I do believe that if Leroy had come in and handed him that potion any other time when the world wasn't ending he would have given it to Belle in a heartbeat). But you can also expect me to play with Lacey a bit. You saw that in this chapter, toward the beginning when she woke up. I have to somehow get her from "There's no such thing as Magic" to "Whoa, magic does exist!" on day three, but I've also got to get her from 2x19's "I'm not [Belle]!" to 2x22's accepting of "It's from our past". For that, I've got to completely shatter her delusions of the present. It's going to be a fun ride! Ready? Hold on tight because here we gooooo!
Whoa! So many many opinions of the last chapter and Grace5231973, Guest45, Emospritelet, Deweymay, LaurieAHancock, and Stelenarumbellespoboy I thank you for each and every one of them as well as for the awesome conversations that it sparked! Thanks for reading and reviewing ya'll! Peace and Happy Reading!