Realm of Shadows
Summary: As Emma repays the favour owed to Mr. Gold it becomes the key to unlocking many things in Storybrooke.
Pairings:Emma/Regina
Disclaimers: I do not own OUaT or any of its characters. I do, however, like to take them out of their boxes and play with them.
A/N: It's been awhile since I've written fan fiction, so any comments that help me become a better writer are always welcomed.
Thanks, as always, to Pesterfield, my grammar guru who catches my errors.
Chapter Thirty-five
Mr. Gold had difficulty sleeping; if the Sheriff was successful, his son Baelfire would soon be coming to Storybrooke. If she wasn't…Perhaps it's for the best. His mind told him, but his heart disagreed. The ache he felt in his chest was different than the usual pain he endured since he broke his promise to his son and let the boy come alone into this world. This was a sharper, acute ache that threatened to break his heart should Bae reject him again.
He woke early in the morning, irritable from little sleep; anxious for the day to be over, regardless of the outcome. He waited until seven to call the Sheriff's cell phone. He had to know if she would be bringing his son home.
"Sheriff Swan." She answered, causing a raised eyebrow from Baelfire. She covered the mouthpiece and whispered. "Don't look so surprised."
"She's very good at it." Mary Margaret chimed in supportively.
"Ah, Miss Swan, good morning." Mr. Gold worked to keep his voice steady.
"Mr. Gold, it's early." Her mouth twitched in irritation.
"Indeed, and I do apologize. However I need to know if you were successful in locating my son."
"I was."
"And, may I ask, will he be coming back to Storybrooke with you?"
She covered the mouthpiece again and asked Baelfire. "You ready?" He gave a solemn nod in response.
"Actually he's already here; we came in last night."
Mr. Gold felt the lump in his throat grow at her confirmation. He cleared his throat, trying to temporarily push the emotions down. "Thank you, Miss Swan." His voice cracked, despite his effort to hide his joy. "What time would he like to meet?"
She repeated his question to Bae; he glanced at his watch and shrugged. "Give me an hour to wake up Paul and get him ready."
"He needs about an hour. We'll meet you at Granny's for breakfast." There was silence from the other end of the conversation. "Mr. Gold, are you there?" She waited a few seconds more before he responded.
"I am." He felt a tear run down his face. He wiped it off and stared at the moisture on his hand; it was the first time he had cried since he lost Bae. "I'll be there."
Emma hung up the phone. "I hope it was alright that I suggested the diner. I figured it was a public place, so it might be more comfortable at first. Besides, the food is quite good and you'll have a chance to see a lot of different people from town." She smiled as she finished the last of the coffee in her mug.
"No, I don't mind at all. A breakfast meeting is great; I have a lot of them in my line of work. It'll be a good way to break the ice with him. If you'll excuse me, I'll go wake up Paul."
He stood and placed his empty coffee mug in the kitchen sink. Emma watched him for a moment before turning her attention to her next matter of business. Now to fetch Belle. Regina had been hiding the woman in the basement of the hospital; an area known only to the Mayor and a few trusted hospital employees that were charged with Belle's care. Regina had assured Emma that Belle, although essentially imprisoned in a cell, had not been physically or emotionally harmed; heavily sedated, yes, but not harmed. 'I thought it would be more humane that way.' Regina had told the blonde. So, once Emma got Bae settled, she would take a trip to the hospital and rescue the supposed love of Mr. Gold's life.
"All set." Baelfire's voice caused her to look up; the man was dressed in tan khaki's and a navy polo shirt. Carrying his duffle bag, he led Paul to the table where Mary Margaret had placed a small glass of orange juice. "Emma, Mary Margaret, thank you for letting Paul and me stay here last night. But, I don't want to continue to intrude on your lives; so if you can tell me where a hotel is, Paul and I will just stay there until we leave Storybrooke."
"Storybrooke doesn't have a hotel, but we do have a bed and breakfast. Talk to Granny or Red at the diner; they own the B&B, too." Emma offered.
"Sounds homey, thank you." He answered sincerely. Turning to his son he smiled and asked. "Well, Paul, are you ready to go meet your grandpa?"
"Really?" The boy's eyes lit up with excitement.
Reminds me of Henry. Emma thought of her own son who was still sleeping in Mary Margaret's little bedroom. "Alright, then, why don't you guys follow me to the diner?"
Mary Margaret watched as Emma, Baelfire and Paul all drove away, heading south to the restaurant. Good luck, Baelfire. May the Gods watch over you and your son.
Emma wasn't at all surprised to see Mr. Gold waiting outside the restaurant when they pulled up to the diner. "He's just as I remembered him; it's like he hasn't aged since I left." Baelfire noted the man in the dark suit and tie. "Except he dresses better here." He gave a short laugh.
"Yeah, supposedly time is stopped here; or at least it was until I arrived." Emma informed him.
He pulled his car over to the curb in front of Granny's and turned off the engine.
Emma hesitated, wondering if he needed her to stay. "Want me to go with you? I could introduce you."
"Thank you, but I best take it from here; are you sure you can get a ride home?"
"Yeah." Emma assured him. "Mary Margaret is going to meet me at the bakery; we both have errands to run."
"Okay, well I just wanted to make sure you wouldn't be stranded." He smiled at Emma as he opened the rear car door so his son could get out. "Paul, let's go have breakfast with Grandpa Gold."
Mr. Gold stood, but did not approach the vehicle. "Hey." Emma called as Bae turned to go. "Good luck; I'll see you again soon, I hope."
"That would be nice, Emma." He watched her as she crossed the street and walked away. He turned his attention to the slight man who was waiting for him at the door of the diner. Taking Paul's hand he walked towards his father.
"Bae." Mr. Gold stared at his son and grandson in wonder. "Is it really you?"
"Hello Papa." He turned to the nine-year old. "Paul, this is your Grandpa Gold. Papa, this is Paul."
"He has your mother's eyes." Mr. Gold noted with pride. He took a step forward and held open his arms. "It's good to see you again, son." Baelfire gave him a firm, but quick embrace. Mr. Gold would have noticed, but for the boy that had wrapped himself around the shopkeeper. "And you, Paul; it's wonderful to finally meet you. Come, let's go inside and eat; we can catch up over breakfast."
They sat down in a booth, away from other patrons. Ruby quickly served them coffee and their menus. "Paul." Bae patted his son on the back. "Why don't you go wash your hands?"
"Yes daddy." Paul slid out of the booth and looked for the sign to the bathroom.
Ruby helped out by pointing to a hallway. "Down there sweetie."
Baelfire waited until Paul was walking away before he looked pointedly at Mr. Gold. "I'm sure you have your doubts if I am really your son; I know I would if I were in your shoes."
Mr. Gold gave a guilty smile. "I apologize that I do have to wonder if you are who you say you are; I don't trust very easily."
"Well…" Bae lowered his voice. "You look exactly as you did when I was a boy, Rumplestiltskin. That is before you became the Dark One." He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small, intricately carved box and handed it to Mr. Gold. "My mother made this for me, before she died. Inside you'll find her wedding band."
Mr. Gold felt the tears roll down his cheeks as his son handed him the little wooden box. He looked inside, though he didn't need to; he would know his wife's woodcarvings anywhere. The plain silver ring that lay inside was just confirmation that the man across from him was indeed his son. "Thank you." He handed the box back to Bae as he pulled a handkerchief out of his jacket pocket and dabbed his eyes dry.
Baelfire slipped the box back into his pocket and moved over so Paul, who returned with clean hands, could sit next to him.
"How long will you two be staying in Storybrooke?"
"Honestly, that depends on how things go. A week at least, I hope." Bae answered as he sipped on his coffee.
"And do you need a place to stay? You could stay with me, I have spare rooms." The pawnbroker offered.
"Thank you, but I think we'll stay at the bed and breakfast for now." Bae wrapped his arm around Paul.
"Ah, of course." Mr. Gold tried to keep the disappointment out of his voice. "But promise me we can spend as much time together as possible."
"Every moment we can." Bae promised.
Across town, Emma pulled into the hospital parking lot. The trees, she noted, were beginning to lose their fall luster; the leaves were turning brown and many had fallen onto the ground. At least it's sunny. Emma thought as she wrapped her red leather jacket tighter around her torso to ward off the chill.
"Good morning, Sheriff, how can I help you?" The hospital receptionist greeted the blonde.
Emma peeked at the woman's name badge before responding. "Hi, Debbie; I'm actually just patrolling today." Emma lied. "I thought it would be a change of pace to visit the hospital."
"Well, it's nice to have you here, Sheriff. If you need anything, feel free to ask; I'll be here until three." The older woman gave Emma a friendly smile.
"Thanks, I will." Emma was grateful she could use her power in town to hide her ruse. Okay, Regina said the door was on the first floor, down the hallway on the left. She could feel Debbie watching her as she turned and headed out of the foyer. Emma intentionally walked slowly, though her brain told her to run. She would have missed the obscure door if she hadn't known to look for it. It blended smoothly into the wall and most people walked right by it, never giving it a thought. She looked around to make sure the coast was clear before she punched in the code and opened the door.
The ambiance and tenor of the hidden basement was a stark contrast to the rest of the hospital. Whereas the main area of the hospital was airy and welcoming, the hallway that Emma cautiously traversed was grimy and almost ominous. Creepy place. The Sheriff thought as she continued towards her destination. The beige paint on the walls was peeling in places, exposing a depressing shade of grey beneath. The once green and white checkerboard tiles were now cracked and scuffed. Long fluorescent lights flickered overhead, casting a humming noise that grated on Emma's ears.
She spotted the nurse at the dingy nurse's station. Do nurses really still wear that? Emma wondered at the woman's outfit of a white dress uniform, complete with the nurses' hat, white nylons and white tie-up shoes. She approached the reception desk and cleared her throat to get the nurse's attention. The woman looked up, clearly irritated at the interruption of her crossword puzzle. "Are you lost?" The woman finally asked.
"No." Emma quickly answered. "Regina Mills sent me." Emma produced the red rose that she had been carrying in her hand and passed it to the nurse. "She said this is for you."
The woman studied the single flower for a moment before looking back at Emma. "Third door on the left." She said as she passed Emma an old fashioned key.
Emma reached out and accepted the key. "Thank you." She replied, but the nurse had already turned her attention back to the crossword puzzle.
The first door she passed was opened, the small cell inside held only a meager bed and a steel toilet. Through a tiny window near the ceiling, the sunshine struggled to cast rays into the cold, soulless space. Emma shivered as she imagined being cooped up in such a place. The second door was closed so Emma quickly walked past. Finally she reached the third door, which was also closed. She took the brass key and slid it into the keyhole; turning the key clockwise she heard the click as the door unlocked. She took a deep breath before pushing the door open.
The girl sat on a ledge near the small window; unkempt straight brown hair hung limply, hiding her face from the Sheriff. Slowly, as if in a trance, she turned her head towards the door. She squinted at the bright light as Emma flipped on the switch. "Hey." The Sheriff slowly approached the girl. "My name's Emma. I'm the town Sheriff and I'm here to rescue you."
The girl's expression changed to one of pure confusion. "Why?"
It broke Emma's heart as she looked beyond the brunette's scraggly appearance to see a broken, beautiful girl. Heavily sedated. Regina's words echoed in her mind. "Because good should always win." Was all that Emma could honestly say.
The girl considered that for a moment before she slowly crawled down from the ledge. "Should I know you?"
Emma shook her head. "No, but I know you; your name is Belle."
The girl nodded in recognition of her name. "Where will you take me?"
"Somewhere you'll be safe. There is a man who has been looking for you for many years; a man who loves you. I promised him I would find you and bring you back to him."
"I don't remember any man; I don't remember anything." Belle answered truthfully.
"That's okay." Emma assured her as she wrapped her arm around the girl's torso, helping to support her weight. "In time, you will remember." As they walked past the nurse's station, Emma placed the key on the desk. The nurse glanced up, but made no attempt to stop them.
"I'm going to take you to my home first so you can get cleaned up and eat a good meal. There's a nice soft bed there, too, for you. Once you feel better, I'll take you to Mr. Gold." Emma helped Belle limp outside.
As soon as they exited the door, the brunette stopped walking. "Where are we? Nothing looks familiar at all." Her voice took on an edge of panic.
Emma spoke calmly, trying to keep the girl from becoming more alarmed. "It's a town called Storybrooke. You're safe here; we just need to keep going."