Whipping Boy

Chapter Twenty-One

After having gone a few days without seeing Tilly since the night she learned the truth about magic and her parents being Rogers and Eloise, despite his efforts to seek her out and talk with her, Gold again walked into the apartment building where his partner lived, then knocked on the door of Rogers' apartment where he knew the young woman was still hiding out in order to avoid him, as well as Regina and everyone else. He understood she was angry with him and Regina, as well as confused, but he couldn't leave her alone any longer. So, he knocked twice and yet she didn't answer the door. Knowing she wouldn't unless he could convince her to let him in, Gold finally just began to talk loud enough through the door hoping she would at least listen to him.

He called out to her saying, "Tilly… I know you're in there. Please let me in so I won't have to keep shouting through the door. I will if I have to, but I'd really prefer to come in so I can make sure you're alright."

Not too surprising, Tilly suddenly shouted back, "Go away! Leave me alone! I don't want to talk to you right now. I told you I needed time alone. I'm fine."

"Look… I know that things between us… the way things were left open when we last talked were… a bit rocky," Weaver continued, despite her imploring him to leave her be. "What we told you was a lot for you to take in and incredibly difficult to grasp. Just as it would be for anyone. I know it and for that, I'm sorry."

"You're sorry?!" she retorted angrily, then unlatched the locks over the door and yanked it open so she could finally face the senior detective. "You're sorry? I've finally learned that the reasons I've felt so close to Rogers all this time… is because he's my father. And that the vile woman who's hurt him… who's kidnapped him and has done unspeakable things to him… is my mother. But all that I can grasp you say? I know it in my heart Rogers is my father and honestly I couldn't be happier. Afraid because of the whole magic thing, but happy too. What I don't understand is the magic thing and what it is that could possibly cause me to forget all this in the first place. If it's true…"

Weaver stepped inside and closed the door again behind him when Tilly turned away to let him do so while she added, "…then lots of people are right next to the truth and they don't even know it. It's cruel, really… To be so close to happiness and kept so far away from it."

The senior detective took a seat at the table across from her when she too sat down and answered, "You're more right than you know."

"But do you want to know why I'm really mad?" Tilly then questioned when she turned her head to look over at Weaver again, before he could attempt to say more about why her true memories were missing. "It's that you and Roni knew all of this for however long you have and you never told me. You never told anyone, not even your own partner! You knew I believed my father was dead all this time and yet he's been so close. I could've told him I loved him. I could have been there for him as his daughter to support him through all of the pain he's suffered through. I could have begged him to stay here in the Heights and been here to support him instead of him feeling like he was all alone… like he had to suffer through all of this alone! Why didn't you tell me?!"

"Tilly… if you will trust me one last time, like you've been willing to trust me both until now and before this curse tore all our lives as we knew them apart, then stop taking your medication and allow what you fear is your madness in," Gold responded pleadingly. "Please trust me. I assure you that everything will begin to make more sense to you, and you will understand why we've done as we have."

She stood up again while she shook her head in frustration, then replied, "I've already started weaning myself off my pills. Two days ago. That's another reason why I've been avoiding you, so you wouldn't see me like this until my head was clearer. Why else do you think I've been acting so erratic? My head feels funny. I hate it, but it's helped me to believe that magic is real. That this curse as you call it is actually real. But my memories… they're so hazy. I remember some things, but they mostly feel like they're nothing more than dreams. And nightmares. How long is it supposed to take?"

He looked up at her and in honesty he answered, "I don't know. But you don't have to go through it alone."

"You mean like my papa's suffering alone?!" the young woman shouted angrily at him again, then breathed in and out to try to calm down. "I'm sorry. I want to trust you have your reasons for not telling us the truth."

"Tell me about some of your memories you feel are returning," Weaver encouragingly responded. "Even if you feel like they're only dreams, or nightmares."

Tilly glanced down at him and finally sat down again as she whispered, "All right. There is this one that's more… prominent on my mind I guess. I see my Papa… Did I always call my father, Papa?"

The senior detective nodded and then she continued, "I like it. Well… I see my Papa talking with someone who… has green scaly skin like a crocodile and this person looked a lot like… like you."

"That's because it was me," the Dark One replied sternly. "It's how I used to look before at times when the darkness inside of me came at its worst. But we can talk about that later. Go on."

Tilly nodded again and then began to recall her memory the best she could. And while she spoke in jumbled sentences on account of all she was remembering being fractured, Gold himself knew exactly what memory was on her mind as he too recalled that night just before Gothel's dark curse swept over them.

"Rumplestiltskin, we need your help," Hook called out to him as he came up to the Dark One while at his spinning wheel and giggling, then the Captain continued to explain his reason for coming to talk with him. "Gothel has freed Drizella.The prophecy is coming true.Surely you've got some kind of magic that can stop this curse."

The Dark One quickly pulled out a small white elephant carved from ivory and held it out towards the pirate, who reached out to try to take it from him until Rumple pulled back while he answered giddily, "Well… I do have this.A white elephant.Are you familiar with the expression? A name we give to things who have outlived their useful lives, and yet persist.And I find that personally quite moving."

Suddenly Hook managed to snatch it away from him the second time he tried as he impatiently retorted, "Enough games.Will this help stop the curse from happening?"

"Stop it?" Rumplestiltskin questioned. "No, dearie.Nothing can stop it.But when the curse comes, that can keep your most precious relationship intact."

Hook stared down at the elephant in his hand as he whispered, "Alice.So we will remember who we are?"

The Dark One appeared to be about to say yes until he quickly stated, "No. Your memories will be replaced. But in the random tumult of the curse, it ensures you will still be father and daughter."

"You're doing this for me?" his former enemy turned friend asked as he looked down at Rumple once again.

Rumple giggled and then pointed towards the tree behind him as he responded, "I'm doing it for her."

When Hook turned around and saw his daughter standing there wearing a red cloak with a hood over her head to conceal most of her face from him, he started towards her as he called out, "Alice?"

"Are you sure this is still where you want to be?" he continued after Alice moved away from him to keep from hurting him again because of the poison over his heart, as he stood back in understanding.

"Knowing what he gave up for me, I owe it to him to stay by his side," she replied sadly while she kept her eyes between her father and her friend. "And who knows, maybe our cursed memories would be better."

Hook looked down again at the ivory carving still in his hand, then glanced towards her again and answered, "Fewer trees and walls in the way."

She nodded as she uttered, "Yes."

"But, Papa…" Gold continued to recall the young woman say until he was pulled from the memory again when Tilly suddenly shook his shoulder to regain his attention.

"Weaver… you okay?" she asked him in concern, until he looked again into her eyes to show he was back with her. "What happened to you?"

He nodded, then responded, "Nothing. I'm fine. I was just recalling the memory myself. I didn't mean to become lost in thought like that. I heard what you said though. You appear to be a bit confused… Or you're struggling with something you were remembering?"

Tilly sighed and replied, "It's just that I… I saw you give my Papa something… an ivory elephant, I think it was. The Crocodile… I mean, you… you told him how it was something that would ensure he and I would remain father and daughter. He took it. I'm assuming he must have kept it and yet… and yet neither of us remembered being father and daughter. Why?"

"Because… your father made a heavy sacrifice just before the curse fell over us all the next morning," Weaver answered her with assurance. "He gave the elephant to another of our friends, who worried for her own daughter. So that they would remain mother and daughter instead. Because Rogers… your father believed it was the right thing to do. As much as it pained him to give it up. To give you up. He loves you very much, Tilly. And he's very proud of you."

"Please… please tell me he's going to be alright, Weaver," Hook's daughter whispered fearfully. "We have to save him from Eloise. I won't lose him again now that I remember who he is. I can't."

The senior detective reached out to lay his hand over one of her own, then steadfastly he responded, "I swear to you, Tilly… we will all do everything in our power to save him from Eloise. As much as it surprised me, your father has become my friend. The closest friend I've ever had. And I'm not about to risk having to make an effort to make another one. That witch will pay for all she's done to him."

She smiled at her friend nervously, as she reached up to her face to wipe away the tears that had fallen, then she quietly replied, "Thank you. Not just for helping me save my father, but for… for helping me with my memories too. Let's go make Eloise Gardener pay."