Mr. Gold arrived back at his shop distressed and furious from his meeting with Henry. He slammed the front door to his shop angrily as he strode slowly to the back to his office. He looked over at the umbrella stand that he was using to hold canes, swords and other walking sticks and pulled out an old walking cane with a metal handle; similar to the design of the cane he lost in Hades' Underworld while retrieving Henry. He walked back out to the front of the pawn shop with the cane in hand and looked around menacingly. Before he knew it, he was smashing glass taking his frustrations out on the display cases around him.
Glass exploded everywhere. No place was safe to walk. The entire floor was covered in debris from his destruction. He didn't care. He could feel his heart pound heavily against his chest. It felt good to release his anger somewhere beyond prying eyes. He thought of Belle as he heaved a few exhaustive pants and stopped immediately. He knew that if his heart was pounding in his chest then so was hers. He slammed the cane down to the ground and went back to his spinning wheel. His nostrils flared as he tried to catch his breath, doing his best to regain his composure. He sat down and spun the wheel in front of him, allowing the soothing sounds of wood knocking against each other to calm him down.
In little time he was able to calm himself down to a reasonable and more docile state. The bell jingled at the front of his shop alerting him of a customer that had walked in.
"As you can see from the horrific mess, my shop is closed," called Mr. Gold from the back of his shop.
"The sign on your front door does say open," called out a woman's voice. The mysterious person snapped her fingers and at the sound Mr. Gold stepped forward from beyond the veil. He looked about the shop and was completely surprised by how pristine and perfect the front of his shop looked, as if there wasn't any evidence of his anger from before.
"Miss Poppins," Gold greeted with an amicable smile. "You haven't aged a day."
"And neither have you, Rumplestiltskin. Though, I must admit, it has been a long time," Mary said returning the smile.
"Too long," Gold remarked, looking around the shop and then up at her. He inquired while pointing around the shop, "Did you do all of this?"
"Do what?"
"Use magic… in my shop…," Gold said looking around clearly confused, "it was in total disarray before you arrived, but now…"
"I have no earthly idea what you are talking about. Your shop looks perfectly fine to me. Though I must say you do seem to be… what's the word? Distressed? Dear, is everything alright?"
"Well you have always enjoyed popping in at unfortunate times."
"Perhaps that's your perspective. I believe I always happen to arrive at opportunistic circumstances at just the right time."
"Why are you here?"
Mary looked at Gold with knowing smile, "Come now Rumplestiltskin, you know why I'm here."
Gold thought back to their last conversation long ago and remembered, "Ah, yes… your Impossible Possible spell. How's that coming along? Still not successful, I see."
"There's no need to be cruel. I'm very optimistic that I'll find what I'm looking for here."
"And what makes you so sure?" he asked skeptically.
"For one, you're here… alive. Proving to me that the impossible is indeed possible, unless it's normal now for a human being to live beyond a hundred years?"
"From what I recall, you're looking for a place that will give you enough power to enact this spell. And I'm afraid to say, there's no magic here in Storybrooke."
"But there once was, am I correct? Besides, I think it was you who said to me that people with no faith who suddenly believe were the ones who exhibited the most faith."
"Of course," Gold nodded, remembering who she was, "The deity thing. Faith is power. What did you hope to discover by meeting me today?"
"How strange… according to the local citizens here you go by Mr. Gold, but your name is Rumplestiltskin. And then I hear of this other name they call you… The Dark One. You really do enjoy names, don't you?"
"It came with the curse that brought us here; giving us false names that helped forget our real lives."
"I see... anyways, I had to investigate this Dark One because he was the one who created it using power to make the impossible possible. And I thought to myself, how fortunate that he and I strived to do the same thing? How could I refuse my curiosity and not meet this powerful person? The locals did warn me of the dangers, but I told them that meeting people from all walks of life is what I do."
"How admirable and foolish," Gold replied dryly. "Shouldn't you be asking, 'How did you become the Dark One?' When you first met me, you saw into my future. You must have known of the things I was going to do, what I've already done to get to where I am today. I mean, you do realize what I'm capable of now, right?"
"Be kind, sir. I am not as ignorant as you think. I know about the Dark One's capabilities. What you don't realize is that I know exactly what you are capable of. The Rumplestiltskin I know is a man who hasn't given up on love because love is still in his heart and I believe where there's love, there's hope. This Dark One that people talk about is indeed a beast and with that much power, is it so surprising that one would be crazed by it? It takes power to maintain that power, often times sacrificing love and happiness in order to keep it. It's quite counter-intuitive, really; thinking that by gaining power it will give you happiness or that it will lead to your happiness, it doesn't. Love… is what gives you power. Believe me, I know. I've been at this for a long time… Pity," Mary reflected out loud, "I feel sorry for all who believe they can live without love. Sooner or later, love will prevail over darkness. I just hope that the Dark One sees that in time."
"But you knew of my future back then. Why didn't you tell me other significant details, like… I dunno, about what would happen to me and Milah?"
"Did something happen between you and Milah?" Mary said, feigning ignorance as she looked around his Pawn Shop turning her back on him.
"Don't play coy with me!" Gold said raising his voice slightly, following after her. "You had the power to see into the future! You saw in my future, that by being with Milah I would eventually become the Dark One. And yet, you still pointed me in the direction of her."
Mary turned around and spoke sternly, "Rumplestiltskin, you made your own choices. I simply pointed out an opportunity. It was you who decided to walk down that path. Besides, knowing what you know now, if you had the power to go back and change the past would you change any of it?"
Gold immediately thought of Zelena and her similar intentions with time travel. It was certainly possible and Emma proved it through Henry's book. He thought of the repercussions. Would he have ever met Belle, his true love? It was certainly a major reason why he never dabbled with time travel. While he was caged and under Zelena's control, Zelena insisted and believed whole-heartedly that her spell would work; that he would inevitably choose her to enact the Dark Curse. During that time, he replayed the images in his mind of all the interactions in the past that he had with Zelena; thinking of a moment he would have ever chosen Zelena over Regina and each time he came to the same conclusion, "No."
"That's what I thought," Mary stated assuredly, knowing she was right. "Things work out the way they're supposed to when they're supposed to."
Gold took a moment and stood there to collect his thoughts and cool down. Mary continued gazing around the shop, marveling over his collection of knick-knacks. He walked back behind the glass display cases again, but kept within close proximity to Mary. From the corner of her eye, Mary could see that Gold was overwhelmed. The way he walked had a kind of artificial confidence, different from how she remembered him all those years ago. It made her suspicious and wondered what he was hiding. She continued glancing at him, pondering over the possible underlying issues causing his irritability and snarkiness. He watched Mary from behind the counter, moving to keep her within eyesight.
"How are you?" she asked calmly, breaking the silence as she looked on curiously at his unusual pacing.
"Fine," lied Gold. He placed his hands firmly down on the counter spreading his fingers to support his weight as he leaned forward.
"We both know that isn't true, dear. You seem to be in the same place as you were when we first met all those years ago. Anything you wish to talk about? Any good news? I do very much prefer those over the latter."
"As a matter of speaking… there have been changes in my life. Good changes. After Milah, I did remarry."
"Did you? Well that is good news! Who, may I ask, is this lovely person?"
"Her name is Belle."
"Belle," Mary replied in loving surprise, "I bet she's absolutely divine."
Gold nodded in concurrence. The mere thought of Belle in his mind was enough to bring about a smile on his face in front of Mary. An amazing turn-about in how he was acting earlier, "She made me a believer in love again. We're expecting our first child, actually."
"Oh my! Well, that's even more wonderful news!" Mary said, genuinely happy for Rumplestiltskin. "I suppose your impending parental responsibilities can be why you seem overwhelmed."
Gold nodded, silently agreeing with her. "What Belle doesn't know is that, I'm haunted everyday by my failures with my first child. I had a son with Milah named Baelfire who I had lost back in the Enchanted Forest. It took a curse to find him again, albeit, centuries later in another world; this world. But… I lost him again, to death."
"Oh, I'm so sorry."
"He died a hero," continued Gold, speaking in reverence to his son, "sacrificing himself to save this town. And Belle… she and our child are all I have left now. If something ever happened to them… I'm afraid I'd truly be lost."
"So you see… I wasn't wrong. Your story is about love and you haven't given up on it. Look at what you have now. You have a wife who loves you dearly and you're both expecting a child. I would say that you're much closer to your happiness than you think. But," Mary hesitated as she used her powers of intuition to assess him. She approached Mr. Gold and walked around him, scaling him up and down with her eyes, "there's something else you're not saying that you seem to be afraid of."
"I'm not afraid," Gold quickly answered, trying to look as confident and brave as possible. Another lie and Mary could tell.
Mary squinted her eyes, looking at his face in scrutiny. "Mmhmm…," she replied skeptically, "Well, I'm sure you have your reasons." She decided to not press the matter any further. Rumplestiltskin was indeed a friend of hers, and a unique one at that. She didn't have too many friends that lived as long as they had and it wasn't her intentions to prosecute. She wanted to treasure their reunion and so she quickly changed the topic of conversation, "Anyways, is there anything I can do to help you with your new addition?"
She showed her charming smile again, which brightened the mood and room. He chuckled at her ability to do that.
"Actually, Belle and I… well, we're still looking for a nanny for when the baby is born and… I can't think of a better person for the position, than a person I would trust my own life with."
"It would be an honor to be your nanny, Rumplestiltskin."
Mr. Gold continued chuckling. Sensing his mockery, she asked, "And what, pray tell, is so humorous about that?"
"What I find so funny is that, you would be the first person ever to walk into my shop offering services. And what's even more curious is that you agreed without even requesting a form of compensation. Now tell me, why is that?"
"You're my oldest living friend. I would never ask compensation from a friend who is asking me for help. It's just rude. Besides, taking care of children is my specialty."
… …
Belle came out of the diner sobbing uncontrollably, walking as quickly as she could to place as much distance between her and the diner as possible. It seemed like she was experiencing every single emotion at once and her heart raced. She needed answers and her father was the only person in this town who could possibly give them to her. She stormed down the street towards the flower shop, wiping the tears away from her eyes. When she entered the shop she was immediately hit with a potpourri of floral smells.
"Papa?!" cried out Belle.
"Belle! Is that you?" Maurice called out happily from the back of his shop. He didn't know of Belle's current distress from the back room, so he continued blithely, "How's my daughter and grandchild doing…" When he finally emerged to the front to greet his daughter, he immediately saw the anguish and tears that had remained on Belle's face. "My darling Belle… what's wrong?"
"Why have you lied to me?!" Belle shouted angrily at her father.
"What are you talking about? What is this all about?"
Belle pulled out the Mary Poppins books from within the depths of her purse and placed them forcefully down on her father's register counter. Maurice peered over at the counter and saw the titles of all the books.
"You have been lying to me my entire life! Always saying, always insisting, that mother was dead. Well, guess what Papa? She's very much alive."
"She's… alive?" Maurice reiterated calmly in disbelief. "She's here? You mean… you've seen her?"
"Papa, what's going on?! What really happened? Why did she leave? Why has she never come back? Why do these stories suggest that's she's been a nanny the entire time?" Belle demanded, gesturing angrily at the books on the counter.
"Belle… your mother… those times were different," Maurice stuttered as he struggled to explain to his upset daughter, "Back in our land, when you were little, our kingdom didn't welcome magic as they do here and now."
"What?! What is that supposed to mean? This doesn't explain anything!"
"Belle, please. I can't explain why these books portray your mother as a nanny, but if you could just calm down…"
"No! I am sick and tired of being lied to all the time. It's like everyone thinks I'm this fragile creature who can't handle the truth," remarked Belle who was inconsolable.
"Belle…" pleaded her father.
"I can't listen right now. I can't even think straight, I'm too upset. I need to go home. I need my husband."
Belle turned on her heel and headed out the door. She couldn't make out the words her father called out to her as the door slammed in his face. She needed to calm down. Undoubtedly, her husband was experiencing her heart pounding against the chest as well. So at the moment, her greatest concern was to see his condition and only after seeing that he was alright would she then explain what caused it. He at least deserved that much.
She took a few extra minutes walking slowly, taking the long path toward her husband's shop. She rounded corners maneuvering behind back buildings and side alleys, doing her best to avoid the diner altogether. As she walked she took a few deep breaths, doing her best to relax. For her husband's and child's sake, she needed to slow down her heart as well as her racing mind. So she decided to focus on her husband's loving supportive embrace. Throughout all this chaos, he was the only thing that made sense to her. Belle reasoned in her mind that if she explained everything, he would surely understand her recent state of anxiety, making it reasonable to justify the heart flutter.
Belle finally made it to the Pawn Shop and opened the door. She stepped in and suddenly the room felt smaller. Belle stood close to the exit as the door closed behind her. Gold and Mary appeared very chummy with each other at the other end of the shop, smiling and talking. Gold looked up and saw Belle enter his shop, "Ah! Mary, let me introduce you to my wife, Belle."
"Hello Belle," said Mary kindly.
Belle stood speechless, paralyzed by Mary's presence. She stared at her husband standing comfortably next to the woman she was upset with and the sight of it made her skin crawl.
"Belle, this is Mary. She just agreed to be our nanny when our child is born."
"What? No!" contradicted Belle.
"No?" replied Gold, taken back by Belle's hostile response.
"I will not let our child be raised by a woman who does nothing but abandon children, who has abandoned even her own child!" exclaimed Belle.
"Belle…" Mary said softly with a look of hurt on her face.
"What?" wondered Mr. Gold, clearly confused.
"My answer is no! I can't be here… I'm going home," stated Belle as she retreated back outside the shop.
"Belle!" Gold said shouting after Belle. He followed after Belle with Mary following not too far behind. His leg still ached, but was still able to catch up to his pregnant wife who was walking quickly to her car. He ran in front of her and gently placed two hands on her shoulders to stop her from moving, "Belle, BELLE! Stop, please!"
She stopped at his insistence and looked up into his eyes with grief. "Rumple, please let me go home," begged Belle.
Ignoring her request, he asked, "You two know each other?! How?"
"Because Mary Poppins is my mother…," whimpered Belle. The revelation stopped her husband dead in his tracks and she continued walking around him, escaping into her new vehicle. As she peeled away from town's main street, Rumple turned to confront Mary who had been standing from afar watching the entire spectacle.
In a huff, he approached Mary in threatening way and scathingly shouted, "So you're Belle's mother. That's a convenient detail you failed to mention to me, friend. Explain yourself!"
Mary looked at him affronted and replied assertively, "Let me just make one thing clear…"
Gold looked at her patiently, waiting for her explanation. Her stern look suddenly switched to a pleasant smile when she continued in a much calmer voice, "…I never have to explain anything."
He stood there dumbfounded as she confidently walked away from him in the opposite direction of the Pawn Shop.
Thanks to Grace5231973, carpelibrum, Imusicluver23, TheGreenFairy25 and Montreat11 for review! I gotta run to work, so I'm posting this in haste. I adore you all. So smart.
