Chapter 29: The outsider
Everyone was at Archie's funeral. Mary-Margaret was giving the eulogy. David, Emma and Henry were together with Pongo. Ruby and Belle were grabbing each one of Rose's arms. The redhead was sad seeing the coffin, but she still believed that Archie was alive. Seeing everyone being so affected, she got even more determined to find him.
After the funeral, Ruby, Belle and Rose were heading to Granny's for a drink, when Rose's phone rung. It was Gold asking her to go to the shop, as he had something important to tell her. Belle had an idea of what it may be, but decided to give them some privacy. She would stop by the shop later.
At the shop, Rose asked what was so important. A smile came to her face seeing that he was really happy about whatever he had found.
"I did it. I can leave." He said in excitement.
"You figured a way to cross the town line without losing your memories?" He nodded and Rose grinned. "That's great. This means that you can finally go find your son. I'm so happy for you."
"Thank you, darling. When I pour this potion onto the object I hold most dear," He showed her a small bottle with a clear liquid. "That object becomes a talisman, and allows me to cross the town line and still remember who I am."
"This shawl is all I have left of my Baelfire." He showed her the shawl, treating it very carefully.
"Amazing." Said Rose examining the bottle carefully. "I'm not as good as Emma at tracking people, but I can go with you for moral support."
"I wish you could come with me." He said putting the shawl away and grabbing her hands. "You were also affected by the curse. It may have been in a different way, but crossing the town line may affect you too. I only have enough potion for one object. I don't want to risk anything happening to you."
Rose frowned, but nodded. Everyone kept telling her that she had this other live, and it was frustrating not remembering a thing. If she was truly part of this other world and the curse had affected her, Mr. Gold was right. She couldn't risk crossing the town line. She may end up losing all memories or turn into a flying pig for all she knew. She had heard Gold say enough times that magic in this world was unpredictable.
"Hey. This is my journey, darling. This is my journey." He said approaching her. "I'm afraid it's something I have to do alone."
She nodded and they hugged. Belle entered the shop and apologized for interrupting the couple. They told her it was okay, and explained what Gold had found. She was happy for him. After a while, Gold went to start packing and Belle took Rose to Granny's for that drink.
"You know. Seeing Gold preparing for this journey, reminded me of my first real adventure." Said Belle with a smile. "It was nothing too fancy, but it gave me the courage to start exploring the world. And it was all thanks to you."
Rose looked at her with a raised eyebrow in wonder. Belle laughed and started to explain the first mini adventure they went to, right after she was kicked out of the Dark Castle.
Belle and Rose Red were at a tavern having a drink and preparing for a small adventure, when a voice got their attention.
"Looking for an adventure?" The two women saw the dwarf from the night before and smiled. "I came to thank you. That advice you gave me last night? It worked. Nova and I are running away together."
Belle was overjoyed for him and Rose smiled softly. She still thought that the two of them were being a little naïve, but she wasn't going to burst their bubble. Somethings, you have to learn on your own.
"Here." He said handing Belle a small pouch. "It's fairy dust. Might come in handy."
Belle wanted to refuse, saying that magic was no good. But Dreamy insisted that this was fairy magic, and it was good. Rose also encouraged her to take it.
"It's always good to have a trick up your sleeve." She said with a smile and a shrug.
They thanked the dwarf and started their adventure.
"Well, for what I have heard, there is a bear around these parts. There are different rumors. One says that this bear is a magic beast that destroys everything in its path and the other says that it's truly a man cursed to be an animal for the rest of his life." Explained Rose, while Belle nodded eagerly. "Let's find out this bear, and see what's really going on."
After walking through the forest for a while, they heard a soft growl nearby. They followed it and saw a big bear. It saw them and growl at them ferociously. Belle gasped and went to run, but Rose stopped her.
"Look." She said pointing at the bear's paw.
Belle looked and saw that the bear was trapped in what seemed a hunter's trap. Rose grabbed her bow and notched an arrow.
"I found out, that when you help animals in need…" She shot the arrow and it freed the bear from the trap.
The bear looked at them. Belle was petrified with fear. The bear nodded its head and left. Rose turned to Belle and grinned.
"They don't attack you." She finished. "Now that you saw the bear for yourself, what is your take on the rumors?"
"Well." Belle swallowed, she was still trying to process what had happened. "It didn't give me the impression of being a magical destroyer beast."
"So, we are leaning towards the second rumor." Rose said and Belle nodded. "Then we do something you are good at. Research."
She handed Belle a book from her pack with the title Transfiguration: Spells, enchantments and curses to turn one thing to another. Belle grabbed the book with a smile and started reading.
Belle entered the library. She was almost ready to open and was very excited about it. She grabbed a couple books and went to put them on the correct shelf, when she saw a man with a hook reading one of the books. She told him the library was closed, but the man just smirked at her.
"Oh. I'm not here for the books, love." He approached her and Belle took several steps back. "I tried to get your help in the Enchanted Forest, but Spitfire got in the way. But seeing as she doesn't remember anything and the crocodile is too powerful, I will just take you."
"Spitfire?" Said Belle trying to put as much distance between them as possible and gasped. "You are the pirate that was with Regina's mother."
Hook narrowed his eyes and lunged for her. Belle dodged him and managed to get o the elevator in time. She took out her phone and called Rumpel, but the connection was bad and the call got cut.
After a while, the elevator door opened and Belle saw Gold and Rose on the other side with concerned faces. She hugged them and explained what happened. Gold took them to the shop, so they could find something to protect Belle from Hook. Belle was against it. She didn't like dark magic, and she didn't want Rumpel to jeopardize his chances to find his son.
"You're so close to finding your son. Please. Please, don't let your hatred for this man get in the way of that." He tried to defend himself saying that Hook had tried to harm her. "But why? What happened between you two?"
"This is really not your concern." He said in a serious tone.
"He attacked me, and threatened Rose. It most definitely is my concern." Said Belle in anger.
If it affected her, and most importantly one of her best friends, she wanted to know what was going on. Gold told her his past with the pirate. Rose looked at him pointedly about the half-truth of Mila's demise. She knew that was going to come back and bite him in the ass. He shook his head and sighed. They entered the shop and saw that it was trashed.
"They wanted you out of the store." Said Rose and looked to the painting that hid the safe. "They were looking for something."
Gold went to the safe and saw that Baelfire's shawl was gone. He lost his temper and started smashing his cane against the already broken display cases. Rose sighed and cleaned a part of the counter, hopped on it and waited. Belle, on the other hand, was arguing with Gold about what they were going to do. Looking at them, Rose was reminded of bickering siblings. How the older brother wanted to protect his sister, but she wouldn't let him keep her away. A smile came to her face and she chuckled. The other two turned to her with glares and asked what was so funny.
"You two." She said with a grin. "Belle, he is just trying to protect you. And Gold, she just wants to help. Now stop bickering and agree on something. I too young to play the mother in this silly sibling fights of yours."
Gold chuckled and Belle laughed a little. It was not the first time that Rose had to intervene in one of their arguments. In those instances, she truly was like a mother scolding her children. They finally agreed that Belle would go to the library with a gun, just in case Hook decided to go after her, and see if she could find anything about how Hook got to Storybrooke. Gold would go look for the pirate and retrieve the shawl. Rose went with Belle, after Gold refused to let her go with him. She was not too happy about that. Belle smiled, and they talked about it on their way to the library.
At the apartment, the rest were talking about how they wanted to go back to the Enchanted Forest. Now that the curse was broken, magic was back, and they knew their home still existed, they wanted to go back. Even more, after what happened to Archie.
"The curse is broken. There's a whole world full of people beyond the town line that don't know who or what we are. Ever think of what might happen if one of them were to come pay us a visit?" Said Leroy.
Ruby agreed and told them what a shock would be to find a woman that turned into a wolf. She reminded them that even in the Enchanted Forest, she wasn't treated too well. Mary-Margaret frowned.
"I understand your concerns. But Rose still doesn't remember her old life. For her, her whole life is in this world. We can't take her away from it, and I'm not leaving without my sister. I spent over 28 years without her. I'm not losing her again."
David put an arm around her shoulder and nodded. Rose was his sister too, and he wasn't going to leave her behind either. Ruby frowned and sighed.
"You are right. How about, we look for a way back home and once we figure out a way to restore Rose's memories, we go back. In the meantime, we stay here with her." She looked around the room at everyone. "Like she would do for any of us."
Leroy sighed but nodded. Ruby had a point. They didn't have a way to go back yet and it wasn't fair to Rose. She truly had helped everyone in any way she could. Now it was their turn. Blue smiled and looked around.
"I'll have the fairies look into making a portal back home. I'll try to find a way for Rose to regain her memories."
"Okay." Said Belle in excitement. "Here it says that there are a number of spells that can turn a person into an animal. There are also some magical creatures that can do the same."
She was going to say more, but they heard a sound from behind some bushes. They went to check it out and saw a Gnome with his beard caught in a bush. The creature saw them and scowled.
"Well, what are you waiting for? Help me, damn it." He said in anger.
Even though they weren't too keen of the way he spoke to them, they tried to help him. His beard was really stuck. They tried to untangle it, but couldn't. Rose took one of her daggers and tried to cut only the bush's twigs. The Gnome was free and looked at his beard with a frown.
"Look what you did! You destroyed my beautiful beard." He turned to them in anger. "You will pay for this."
He was going to cast a spell on them, but before they could react, the bear came out of nowhere and attacked the Gnome. The animal killed the creature and the women watched in shock. Then, a shimmering light covered the bear and the animal turned into a man before their eyes. He turned to them with a tired look on his face and smiled.
"Thank you. You are the only ones that had helped me since that hateful Gnome cursed me. I owe you my life." He looked at them gratefully, but his eyes would turn to Belle every so often. "I owe you my life. If there's anything I can do for you, let me know. I will never forget your kindness."
Belle blushed and nodded. Rose smiled and offered to accompany him to his home. He shook his head and said that he didn't live far. He thanked them again and left, not before giving Belle a last look and a smile. Rose grinned and nudged her. Belle glared playfully at her and told her to shut up.
They were back at the tavern having a drink, celebrating the end of Belle's first adventure. Rose asked her what were her takes of this adventure. Belle smiled and told her how much she had enjoyed it. It had been simple and quick, but she had had a taste of what could await her out in the world. Rose asked her what was going to be next. Belle frowned.
"I don't know."
At the library, Belle was still a little frustrated with the agreement. Rose sighed and looked around.
"Let's see if he left any clues behind."
They started to look around, and Belle found a strange knot. She showed it to Rose with a smile. She got a book about nautical knots and saw the one they had found.
"He got here with his ship. That means that it must be in the harbor." Said Belle excited.
"Maybe we will find clues about Archie there." Said Rose with a smile.
The two friends went to the harbor, but didn't see any pirate ships. They heard seagulls squeak and looked up. They saw one of the birds land on an invisible stand. Belle smiled and grabbed a handful of feed from the box nearby, and threw it to the side of the pier. The feed revealed concealed steps. They looked at each other and entered the cloaked ship.
While they were searching the ship for clues, they heard a voice yell for help. They followed it and found Archie in the brig. They untied him and Belle told him to go. They heard someone come to the ship and Belle ushered him away. She turned to Rose and frowned.
"He is after you too. Go with Archie, make sure he gets back safe. I'll look for the shawl." She told her with a soft smile.
Rose frowned, but saw the determined look on her face. She sighed, nodded and left to go with Archie. She told her to be careful and to not do anything rash. Belle nodded and smiled.
Belle was sitting by the well of the town reading one of her favorite books, when she heard a voice beside her.
"Well, dearie. For what I've heard you had a little adventure." Said Rumpelstiltskin not looking at her.
"What are you doing here?" She asked with a frown.
"Someone brought to my attention, that you may need a little guiding on what to do next." He said looking at the side of the square.
Belle looked in the same direction and saw Rose talking with the baker. She turned and saw them looking. She waved at them with a grin and turned to the baker.
"I have to say, when you weren't trying to change me, I quite enjoyed our conversations." He said still not looking at her.
"Well, when you weren't telling me about your deals and magic, I also enjoyed them." She said with a smile.
"I wouldn't be opposed to maintain these conversations." He said giving her a quick glance.
"I would like that, but with some ground rules." She said with a smile and he nodded. "I won't talk about changing you and you won't talk about your deals and magic."
"That seems fair. Deal?" He said extending his hand.
He paused and looked at his hand. Had he ruined it already? After all, she had said no talking about deals. Belle saw the conflicted look on his face and laughed a little.
"Deal." She said shaking his hand.
"Well, back to the topic of why I'm here." He said and summoned a book that he gave to her. "I think this could help you start your new adventure."
Belle grabbed the book and looked at it. It was a book from another kingdom. It was in a different language, and talked about the Yaoguai, the beast that some men in town were looking for. She looked at him with a big smile and thanked him with a hug. She turned to where Rose was and yelled her thanks. She stood up and went to find the party to hunt the Yaoguai.
Rose approached the well and sat down beside Rumpel.
"So, how does it feel to have a new friend?" She asked with a grin.
"It's… different." He said looking after Belle. "Are you sure she is ready for this?"
"She's a fast learner. But for what I've seen, when she gets a new book, she gets so absorbed into it, that she loses any sense of her surroundings." Rose said with a soft smile.
"Then I will watch over her until she regains her senses." He said turning to her stroking her cheek. "You did it last time. It's my turn."
Rose had made sure that Archie was fine and on his way to town. She then turned around and went back to the ship. There she saw Belle looking on, as Gold beat Hook with his cane. Belle was telling him that he had to stop, that he had good in him.
"Remember, dearie, our friendship stands as long as you don't try to change me." He told her with a small glare.
"She is not trying to change you." Said Rose with a frown. Belle looked at her about to ask, when Rose shook her head. "I made sure that Archie was alright. He is on his way to town."
She ignored Hook, who glared at her from the floor. Gold looked at her, waiting for her to continue.
"She is right to say that there is good in you. I've seen it. We all here know that you are perfectly capable to kill him." She said pointing to Hook. "But what's the point? You got the shawl back, Belle and I are safe and you beat him half to death. Isn't it better to let him go and for him to live with the knowledge that he not only failed to kill you, but that you beat him without magic?"
Gold looked from her to Hook and sighed. He told the pirate to leave.
"You take your little ship, and sail until you fall off the edge of the world. I never want to see you again. And be thankful to her." He said pointing to Rose. "She's the only reason you still breathe."
It was time for Gold to leave to find his son. Rose and Belle went with him to the town line.
"After everything you've learned about me, after everything I've done, why haven't you given up on me?" He asked them.
Belle and Rose looked at each other and smiled.
"I learned a long time ago, that when you find something that's worth fighting for, you never give up." Said Belle.
Belle waited in the car, while Rose and Gold got out. He poured the potion onto the shawl and Rose put it around his neck. He took a step outside the town line and took a deep breath. He turned to her and smiled.
"Rose, darling. My little firebird." He grabbed her hands, careful to not make her cross the line. "I so wish you were coming with me."
Rose smiled and shook her head.
"Don't worry. When you find your son, you will come back." She turned to look at Belle who was smiling too. "We will be waiting for you."
Then a shot was heard and Rose staggered forward against Gold, crossing the town line. Belle was going to hit Hook, but he pointed the gun at her. Gold hold Rose and asked her if she was okay.
"Yes, yes, I'm fine. It's not the first time I've been shot." She looked at him in confusion. "I'm sorry, but who are you?"
"Oh, fear not. She'll live. She'll just have no idea who you are." Hook said not taking his gun off of Belle. "Now you finally know how it feels! Well, go ahead, crocodile. Do your worst!"
Gold grabbed Rose and brought her over the town line again. He readied a fire ball and was about to throw it at the pirate, when a car honked. Gold rolled him and Rose out of the way, but Hook wasn't quick enough, and he got hit head on by the car. Belle approached Gold and Rose to check on her friends.
"What just happened?" She said in fear.
"The outside world has come to Storybrooke." He said looking at the car with a Pennsylvania plate, not letting go of Rose.