Goldilocks sat on the dusty floor of her hiding place. A chill ran through her body as she looked at the large story book resting open on the floor and she wished to make a fire from it. Everyone's story was here, every detail that made up Story Brooke and she'd consumed all she could in her hiding. Two sections remained unread. A girl and a looking glass graced the leaf next to one tale and a dark ship on a raging sea that threatened to flood the room bobbed up and down on another page with it's sails billowing. All the stories were accurate and she wondered if the tales of her and Will were written beyond that first page. She determined that section would be the second to burn.
Leaning against the wooden frame she glanced down at the street between the slats of the shutter. There wasn't much activity on the street below. The tower above the library was the perfect spot to hide. The spot was unused, the perfect vantage point and although a little chilly, it was dry. Her head rested back as her eyes closed, listening as cars passed occasionally below. She longed for the night, for darkness to shroud the tower so she could finally leave its confines.
"You could leave." she told herself. But revenge spoke louder and she was determined to listen to it. Her eyes drifted back to the open book at her feet. Flipping through the leaves she came across an image that unveiled a tortured memory.
A young girl bound to a mast. Blonde hair a sweaty tangled mess and sun scorched face. The salt spray stinging her dry lips. As she stared at the image Goldilocks felt the wooden floor roll beneath her like that of the ship.
The bounds seemed to grow tighter as the day wore on and her voice no longer worked. The crew went on their business on board the ship with only a sneer thrown her way now and again. Her tongue felt as though it took up her whole mouth and her face was blistered by the sun. She prayed for rain. A shadow fell over her face and she raised her eyes to the face of Captain Hook, "Has my lady had enough fresh air?" he taunted.
A groan was the only response she could muster.
"Mr. Smee" he called, "Take the lady back to her quarters."
When the men cut her bounds she slumped forward and crumpled to the deck. A large man roughly grabbed her arms and pulled her to her feet. As she passed Hook her gray eyes met his, they reminded him of storm clouds rolling in over a sunrise. The pirate flung her back into her cell and she landed in a heap on the dirty floor. In that moment she learned any 'favors' from Captain Hook would mean more torture for her.
…
"Mom, do you have my book?" Henry asked coming into her home office.
"No I don't. Why?" she asked looking up from her paper work.
"It's missing" the boy replied.
Regina sighed, "Where did you leave it last?" she hoped to jog his memory.
"On my desk."
"Are you sure you didn't leave it somewhere else?" his mother pressed.
"No I was reading it there two nights ago."
Regina thought back and remembered he was reading it before she took him to spend the night with Emma. "Did you take it with you to Emma's?"
"Take what?" Emma walked in.
"I see you let yourself in." Regina remarked cooly.
"Hey kid." Emma smiled.
"My book is gone."
"It's not gone. Just misplaced." Regina told him, "And I see you brought the pirate." Regina looked at Emma exasperated as she was beginning to grow annoyed at the number of people in her office.
"I know I left it on my desk." Henry insisted. "I thought you took it. My room smelled like perfume when I got back." Henry wrinkled his nose.
Regina frowned, "My perfume never bothered you before."
"I don't like the new one." Henry told her.
Regina glanced at Emma, "I don't have a new perfume."
"Goldilocks." Emma went straight to Henry's room and Regina followed. Checking the room carefully Emma found evidence of some tapering with his window. As Emma conducted her investigation Regina discovered a wilted golden flower that dropped to the floor by Henry's desk.
"She was in my house." she bent to pick up the flower. "in Henry's room!" she held out the flower to Hook who stood back a ways.
"Regina calm down." Emma told her.
"Calm down?" Regina hissed, "She's tried to kill Hook and managed to kidnap him. Then she is in my son's room and you tell me to calm down?" her voice was dangerously cold.
"He's my son too!" Emma retorted, "And as much as I hate to admit it I don't think she'll hurt anyone else. I think she just wanted the book."
"Why? Why would she care about the book?"
"It has the history of the whole town." Emma shrugged. "Maybe her own…"
"How'd she even know about it?"
Emma shook her head, "I don't know…Henry did the book have any new stories recently?"
Henry nodded, "There were some about Wonderland. They were there before but there were new ones with Goldilocks and Will Scarlett."
"Were there any others about her?" Emma pressed. "Did you read any?"
"I started to" Henry cast a nervous glance at Hook, "But I couldn't read about her on the ship…it was worse than anything I've ever seen."
Shame filled Hook's countenance, "A boy shouldn't read that, Swan. Even if it'd been Blackbeard instead."
Emma rubbed Henry's shoulder, "This whole time we've had it right there. I never even thought to read it. We could have learned more about her."
"I remember some of it." Henry told her.
"Henry you don't have- -"
"I want to help." Henry told Regina. "I didn't read much…I just kinda skipped through the pages but there were images of her with Scarlett, a poor lady I didn't recognize, and one with Jefferson."
"Jefferson?" Regina titled her head. "He said he never knew her."
"Looks like he lied."
….
Jefferson sighed, "I knew her briefly." he admitted, "nothing long enough to really know her."
"Did you do more than one job together?"
"Yes." he confessed.
"Jefferson, that information may have been helpful the first time we asked for it."
Jefferson shrugged , "What does it matter? I don't have much confidence in the Evil Queen after the last few times I've helped her." he glared at Regina. "Besides we just worked together, we were never friends."
"Tell us about the jobs" Emma pressed.
"Not much to tell. Stole a little treasure from some kingdoms. A dragon's egg once. Whatever was in demand. She'd enlist my help whenever she needed a portal. Cut me in on the deal and paid me fairly. I never really asked questions." Jefferson told them.
"What was she doing with a dragon's egg?" Emma wondered.
"Like I said. Never asked questions. She paid me well and always kept her word."
"Has she come to you? Offered you anything in return for help?" Regina asked.
"What could she possibly offer me?"
"Magic beans for one thing."
Jefferson shrugged "She wouldn't come to me for help. Not with the tales of my madness." He leaned back in his chair, "All the people in this room. And you're asking me questions." he sat looking at Hook. "You know her better than I do. You or Scarlett. Liz too if the curse brought her over."
"Who is Liz?"
"Another thief she worked with back in Wonderland. Rumor was they were inseparable for a time. Think she had something to do with Goldilocks leaving Wonderland."
"Know where we could find her?"
"Not a clue," said Jefferson without a care.
…..
Scarlett groaned as he saw the Sheriffs approaching him once again. "Bloody hell. I told you I haven't seen her" he shouted.
"Not asking for her this time." Emma informed him, "Wanted to see if you knew any of her friends. Know anyone named Liz?"
Scarlett's face turned ashen. "Never heard of her."
"Really?" Emma's eyes narrowed, "Cause it seems like you have."
"Must be your mistake." Will told her.
"I don't think so. I think you know her and she could be the key- - "
"She's dead." Will confessed bluntly. "And you ain't going to drag her name through the muck."
"I didn't…."
"No you didn't know. You're like a hound with his nose to the trail ready to tear the fox apart. You're after her and you don't care who ya hurt. And that includes Goldi. I know you hate her…and God help her when you find her-"
"Will help us find her. Stop her or anyone else from getting hurt."
Will shook his head. "I ain't helping any of you. She's just a thief…and you're up in arms going after her.."
"I saw what she did to Hook." Emma told him.
"And I saw what he did to her!" Emma flinched as Will shouted at her, "I found her in a back alley… Bleeding, and bruised…..terrified of what he might do if he or any of his crew found her. I heard her scream in the night at the nightmares that came." his voice cracked. "I've seen the scars…" his eyes met Emma's "I saw what he did to her."
Emma felt her confidence waiver, "You care about her. Help us bring her in safely."
Will shook his head, "She already lives in a prison."
….
Goldilocks breathed a deep sigh of relief as the night air surrounded her. The air in the tower grew stale and the walls closed in around her. She strolled down the deserted street soaking in the moonlight and relishing her freedom.
"Bold of you to be out."
She snatched a knife from her belt and threw it into the direction of the voice. Rumplestiltskin deflected the blade with ease. "Bold of you to creep up on someone."
Mr. Gold gave her a tight smile, "That blade won't harm me."
"What do you want?" Goldilocks didn't have the patience for him.
"I've come to ask my favor." he informed her.
She smirked, "I don't owe you any favors."
"We made a deal."
"We did. I agreed that as long as Hook was my prisoner you could come to me for a favor. Hook is no longer my prisoner; I don't owe you." Mr. Gold clenched his cane, "You should have read the fine print, Dark One."
"You do this favor…I won't drag you to the Sheriff." He told her quietly
Fire danced in her eyes, "Hook was right." she felt like she was going to choke on the words, "I shouldn't have made deals with the devil."
"I never break a deal, Dearie."
"No…but you're crooked." he smiled at her, "I want it in writing." she told him, "After this we're done. You stay away from me and I'll stay away from you."
"Done." he drew a contract out of thin air. "I want the book."
Her eyes narrowed, "That's it?"
"That's it."
"Why?"
"That's my business."
She wondered if this was somehow a trap, "Tomorrow night. Meet me here same time and it's yours"
"I think you can get it to me sooner." She felt like he could read her soul.
"Fine," her nerves were waning, "I'll bring it to your shop in two hours." she told him as the clock chimed one in the morning.
"We have a deal." he gave her a sinister smile.
…..
Goldilocks pulled a stool up to the bar of the Rabbit Hole. Feet dangled high above the floor and she signaled to the bar tender for another shot.
"What are you doing here, Will?" she asked the figure who stood silently beside her.
"Same as you." he told her sliding into the seat to her left, "Drowning my sorrows."
"I wish I'd never stepped foot on that ship" she had a distant look in her eye. "Should have never left Wonderland." she threw back her third shot and clutched the glass tightly. "I'm tired of running, Will."
"No one blames you for leaving." he comforted. "I never blamed you."
"I left you…" she looked at him sorrowfully. "She'd be disappointed."
Will shook his head, "You never could disappoint Liz."
"Yes I could." she signaled the bar tender for another drink, "She'd be disappointed in me now."
"I'd buried that night…Emma managed to dig it up in a single moment"
"What does she know about Liz?" Goldilocks questioned hotly.
Will shook his head, "I don't think she knows anything. Was just looking for her. I think Emma is looking for any connection you have to try and find you."
Goldilocks finished another shot, "That's why I don't do friends anymore."
…..
The book landed with a thud on the counter.
"We're done." she told him, suddenly wishing she'd taken the time to read whatever was in there about her in Wonderland.
His fingers curled around the edge of the large book and pulled it across the glass counter towards himself, "Thank you, Dearie." She stood watching his eyes rake over the book hungrily.
"What could you possibly want with it?" she wondered.
"That wasn't part of our deal." he reminded her.
Goldilocks decided it was best not to push, "Then we're done?"
"I've only broken one deal in my life, Dearie and I don't plan on adding to it. At least," he paused "Not with something as trivial as this." his eyes met hers and she felt very insignificant to him.
"Fine" she growled and turned to make her exit.
"What's your plan?" Mr. Gold asked after her. "Because right now…you look like a rat in a maze."
"Sorry, Dearie. You knowing my plans…not part of the deal" she smirked at him hoping it covered how terrified she really felt.
…..
"What did you need with a dragon's egg?" Jefferson wondered from the shadows.
"I thought you were never one to ask questions." She responded cooly.
"Beginning to think I didn't ask enough."
Goldilocks eyed him suspiciously, "I always paid you fairly." she reminded him "no harm ever came to you working with me." she looked around uneasy. She hated being in the open and slipped into the dark alley.
He circled her in the narrow side street "No harm ever came then."
The dim lighting cast horrid shadows across his face, "Has it come now?" she asked, "I don't think it has. Not for you anyway. It has nothing to do with a King and a dragon's egg. It has everything to do with a pirate and a hook." she came inches from his face "And you were never part of that story."
Sharp pain filled her head as she uttered her last sentence. Warm hands gripped her firmly and she started at Jefferson as his face became hazy. She tried to speak but the voice that came from her sounded distant; slowly Jefferson's face faded to darkness.
….
Goldilocks welcomed her old friend. Darkness came to her often on the Jolly Roger, offering short relief from her sufferings but never remained a faithful companion. In Story Brooke, darkness was just as fleeting.
Her quick ears caught the crackle of a fire nearby, soft tapping on the cold window, and faint breathing that was not her own. Slowly she raised her head and blinked at the intruding light. Rope cut into her wrists and ankles. Shifting she noted the pull of a rope around her ribs. Her head pounded as her eyes fell upon Jefferson. Upon approaching her he pulled the gag from her mouth and seated himself across from her.
"Do you enjoy kidnapping women?" she recalled the stories she'd read of him in this new land. "You really have gone mad." she flinched as his hand came to a stop hovering over her face.
Gripping her chin he forced her to look upon him, "I'm far from mad."
"You're far from the man I knew." she told him "Jefferson what happened to you?"
"Don't pretend to know me."
"We've gone through enough dangers together…. I've seen what kind of man you are. This isn't you." She glanced at the door waiting for the sheriff to come and take her. "Are you going to really just hand me over? What do you want? Whatever it is I can help you get it. You know I can. I've always kept my word with you- -"
"I want to go home." he interrupted. "To the Enchanted Forest. That's all I've wanted since the moment I got here; I want a bean. If you refuse…well the sheriff isn't hard to reach."
Goldilocks burned as hot as the fire, "After all we've been through.."she gritted her teeth "You could have asked in the alley way and I wouldn't have hesitated."
"I want a bean."
"I don't have any."
"You already showed your hand." he told her. "Gambling was never your strong point."
"No but I'm always willing to take a gamble anyway. You don't know where the beans are."
"I've narrowed them down to a few places."
She laughed at him, "You couldn't possibly know."
"I know you were staying on the ship. After Hook was found you stayed in the clock tower. Must have been cold up there."
"You've been watching me."
"Ever since you first stabbed Hook"
She gave him a pout, "And you never stopped by to say hello." she strained against the ropes. "You turn me in you get nothing. You'll never find the beans and you'll stay trapped in this miserable town." Goldilocks smiled as he clinched his jaw. "At least you have your daughter. What was her name again?"
A sharp sting spread across her face when he struck her. "Don't talk about Paige."
"Touchy." she spat.
"There are other ways." he told her. "Other ways to get what I want."
Sharp grey eyes studied him and she wondered if he really had it in him. Jefferson paced the floor before her and a light flickered in his eyes as he turned back to his prisoner, "I know just what to do with you." he told her softly.
She trembled at his calmness, "Jef-" her voice muffled around a dirty rag. Shaking her head she tried to spit out the rag as he tightened a thin strip of cloth to secure it. Desperately she looked at him for mercy but the eyes that returned her gaze weren't the ones of the man she knew. A wet cloth suffocated her as Jefferson clamped it over her nose. Heavy eye lids fluttered and her mind clouded as she struggled to escape. Darkness crept over.
Blinking Goldilocks tried to take in her new surroundings. Rope still bit into her wrists and the gag remained firmly tied. She was in a dark box that felt like it was moving. Squirming she tried to get her hands and feet free but to no avail. Slowly she felt the movement gradually come to a stop and the box shifted right before she heard a door slam. She wondered if she was in what Will had told her was a car. Her quick ears caught muffled voices and foot steps. A bright light shone in her face as the trunk opened, allowing the cold night air to blow in. She squinted at the light attempting to make out the second figure standing there. She screamed behind the gag as the trunk slammed shut once more.
"She's yours to do with what you please." Jefferson said as they walked away from the car, "I just want a bean in exchange."
"I don't have any."
"No," Jefferson cast a glance at the car "But you can help me find them. She's hidden them. I think she has them hidden in the clock tower. She would have kept them close by."
"Lead the way."
Goldilocks shook as the car began to move again. Golden strands of hair clung to her sweaty tear stained face. Thinking hard she tried to picture the other figure in her mind's eye. Gold didn't want her and he already had beans. Prince Charming wouldn't strike a deal. Will would never betray her. Robin? Robin had too much "honor" to do this. Hook? Hook would be ready for revenge. Shifting she searched with her hands for anything that would help her escape. Frustration built as her hands turned up empty and she kicked at the trunk while a sob threatened to choke her. It was happening again. Once again she would be at the mercy of Captain Hook and this time, she didn't like her odds.