The madman curses as he is pulled rudely from sleep by his own unconscious nodding. Glancing over to where the pawnbroker lies stretched out on the sofa, he rubs at his dry lips pensively and stifles a yawn. The bed in the other room is a double and the Sheriff is hardly one to take up a lot of space, but the notion of sleeping beside her- drugged or not- had been completely out of the question according to Gold.
Jefferson shares no such gentlemanly concerns, but he is wise enough not to have suggested that he himself slumber alongside the blonde.
As such, he now groans at the cramps that course through his body with a sigh. After listening to Gold's take on things, he is unsure exactly what to make of the peculiar young woman, and before settling down to rest- a bottle of whisky, numerous questions, and only an empty house to go back to having kept him in the company of the pawnbroker- he had looked in on her several times.
She had refused the tea the Dark One had presented to her to begin with, but after an agitated threat that if she were to continue doing so he would simply physically force her to drink the steaming beverage, the Sheriff had silently complied. The effects of the tainted leaves had been quick; dusky lashes fluttering heavily before tense limbs had visibly relaxed.
Since then, only silence has greeted them from the other room.
Sitting awake now, the hatter finds he is having a hard time corralling his thoughts. Gold's words make sense to him, of course they do, but it is harder than he had thought to sit so close to where the young woman who holds the key to ending his long and undeserved suffering lies and not demand some action be taken.
A part of him wishes he had gotten rid of her when he'd had the chance.
I'll bet she'd have put up quite an enjoyable fight, too...
He had asked the pawnbroker as they journeyed slowly towards slumber what would happen if they were to simply kill both the Saviour and the Queen. To rid themselves of Regina, and thus avoid her wrath at the death of the Sheriff. Gold had pondered the thought for only a second before shaking his head and musing thoughtfully.
"No... No that won't do. The Saviour owes me a favor, and I refuse to let her out of that contract... Death is a brilliant excuse not to do what is required of you... She lives. She will fulfill her debt to me."
Exactly. To you. But what about me? What reason do I have not to take matters into my own hands...
Cocking his head to the side, he frowns as he becomes gradually aware of a soft thumping from behind the wall. Throwing a quick glance towards Gold, he pushes himself up from the floor and creeps stealthily towards the bedroom.
"Henry?"
Regina speaks softly as she slips into the darkness of her son's bedroom. Finding her way over to his bed with practiced ease, she perches gently at the edge of his covers and runs a hand through his sleep-mussed hair.
"Mom? What... What's happening?"
"Were you asleep?"
"No... I don't know... I... Did you speak to Emma?"
The boy's question is tinged with bitterness and the brunette sniffs as she shakes her head; moving lightly beneath the covers to lie alongside her son. She is surprised when he places his arms around her waist and she swiftly wraps her own around him, chin resting on his soft locks.
"No. I didn't."
"Did you look for her?"
"Yes... Henry... I don't think she's missing because of your birthday... I think... I think something's happened..."
"Like what?"
Henry's tone is alight with sudden curiosity and the Mayor laments the blind innocence of youth.
"Like... Something not very good."
"You think Emma's in trouble?"
Curiosity evolves swiftly into something else- something grittier- and she wishes there was a way she could keep this all from him.
And she could.
But the boy has a right to know that the woman he brought back here with him all those months ago and has placed so much faith in hasn't run out on him once again and left him to deal with his wounded feelings alone.
And there's the other thing.
The fairytale thing.
Henry's book.
"I think that it's highly peculiar that the town's Sheriff is nowhere to be found..."
"But... Where would she have gone to? Who would try and get my mom into trouble?"
She winces as she knows the part of that sentence he has neglected to say.
Apart from myself? That's what you're wondering, isn't it, Henry.
"I... I'm not sure yet. But I promise you something, Henry, and I need you to believe me... Whatever has gone on between Miss Swan and myself in the past... I wish no harm to come to her... And I will find out what's happened here today... I will find her."
"Do you.. Do you think she'll be mad at me that I got angry she wasn't around?"
"No. I don't think she'll be angry with you at all, sweetheart. I think Miss Swan understands better than most the feelings you can get when you think a parent has let you down..."
She places a kiss at the crown of his head gently as she muses silently that it's not just the blonde who knows of such hateful things. Playing soft patterns over the clean cotton of his pajamas, she clears her throat and continues warily.
"Henry... Can I ask you something?"
"Uhuh?"
"What does... What does your book say about Rumplestiltskin?"
"He's a bad man..."
"...As bad as the Queen?"
The boy moves in her arms slowly and peers up at her through the shadows, his eyes narrow and his lip caught between his teeth in a way she decides must be genetic, despite it being a learnt mannerism.
"...Mom...?"
"Can I... Can I see the book?"
She feels him tense immediately, and her heart beats painfully fast in her chest. Regarding blown green through the darkness, she lets out a low sigh as Henry reaches down to pull the heavy book up from beneath the bed.
"Why do you want to know about Rumplestiltskin?"
"I just... I was curious as to how the story was told."
"Is this to do with Emma?"
"Your book?"
"... Has Mr Gold tried to hurt my mom?"
"I... I don't know yet, Henry."
"... Are you... Are you really-"
"-Shh... Try and get some sleep, dear. I'll put this back by your pillow when I'm done, okay?"
"Wait! What's-"
"-Henry... Please. Trust me... Can you do that?"
"... You're really going to help Emma?"
"... I'm going to try."
She offers him a thin smile and slips from the room, not sure she can stand having him look at her with wide, distraught eyes a moment longer.
Gold wakes with a start, frowning as he tries to place what has caused him to return to the land of the living, before taking in a sharp breath when he notices the thin sliver of light shining from the bedroom door. Pushing himself up hurriedly, he grabs his cane and limps over to the other room as swiftly as possible.
"Jefferson!?"
He freezes as he reaches the doorway, eyes wide as he takes in the madman's crouched stance as he hovers over the blonde.
"Step away from her! Now! I warned you about the repercussions of endangering the Saviour! Are you-"
"-I'd say that doesn't really matter anymore..."
"What! What do you mean?!"
"Come see for yourself..."