Chapter 21
In a room permeated with the smell of the ocean, a balding man pulled a slip of paper out of the pocket of the dark haired woman he'd tied to a table. He frowned as he took in the poem, glancing at the other bound woman in the room. A grin split his face. What an interesting development.
There was an air of panic around Mary-Margaret and David as they sped walked into Mr. Gold's Pawn shop. Valkyrie had disappeared and wasn't responding to texts or calls, and frankly neither of them were looking forwards to explaining the absence of the younger woman to her father.
Mr. Gold turned towards the couple as they entered the back room of his shop, Lacey taking a delicate sip from the drink that rested beside her on the table as he did so.
"Sorry to interrupt the party." David said, trying to hide the worry in his tone. Gold raised his eyebrows at the two.
"Well, I certainly don't remember inviting you two. We're closed." He shot back.
"Not to us." Mary-Margaret interjected. "We need your help. Regina's missing, and we think she might be in danger."
"Just the way I like her." Gold smiled. "Now if you'll excuse me-"
"No, I don't think so." Mary-Margaret glanced up at David as he spoke. "Whatever your feelings are about Regina, you still owe me a favor." Gold grimaced at that, looking back at Lacey for a moment.
"Lacey, if you could excuse us, I have some business to attend to." A sour look came over the brunette woman's face.
"Make it quick." She bit out, pushing herself off the table, with the help of Gold's hand, and disappearing into the main store front with her half empty glass.
Gold looked contemplatively between the couple in front of him, limping his way over to a dark engraved cabinet that leaned against the back wall.
"I'm sure I could whip up something to find Regina, but tell me, why do the Charmings want to help the Evil Queen?"
"Because I owe her, after what I did to Cora." Mary-Margaret exclaimed, sharing a guilty look with David over the other reason they were now trying to find Regina. Gold missed the look, scoffing as he set a wooden box down on the table.
"Never underestimate the power of a guilty conscience." He scoffed, opening the box and plucking a small vial out.
"What is that?"
"This is one of Regina's tears." Gold answered Mary-Margaret, her confusion only growing.
"Why do you have on of Regina's tears?" she asked quietly, a note of suspicion entering her voice.
"Because I do." Gold smiled smugly at the princess. "This spell, however, requires two tears."
"You want one from me?" Mary-Margaret sputtered out.
"Well, just think of a dark moment, dearie- something bleak and hopeless." Gold's sharp eyes pierced into Mary-Margaret's. "I know you have a few." Gold was right, and barely a second after the glass brushed the skin under her eye, a tear dropped into the vile. He smiled as the mixture glowed bright white for a moment. "Perfect." Gold swirled the liquid together, backing up a step to the table to place a stopper in the glass. "Now…when you drop this into your eye, you will be connected with Regina, wherever she is. Whatever she sees, you'll see. Whatever she feels, you'll feel."
"How long does the spell last?" David asked as Gold held out the vial to him. The other man considered him for a moment.
"Long enough to lead you to her." Gold finally said, handing the vial over. "And with that, I've fulfilled my end of the bargain. Goodbye." David sighed.
"Always a pleasure." And the two turned to leave. Mary-Margaret, after taking a few steps, stopped, glancing back at the older man.
"You should know," She said quietly, a hint of fear in her eyes. "that Valkyrie went after Regina." Gold stiffened at that. "She had a locket of some kind, she said it could take her straight to Regina and that she'd contact us when she got there but…" A new kind of terror raced through Gold's veins, his eyes slamming shut against the barrage of images that assaulted him, his worst fears welling up as he imagined the horrors his youngest could be experiencing right at that moment.
"And you didn't think to lead with that!" He hissed out, eyes opening to glare at the former princess who looked defiantly back at him.
"You know now. Come find us if you decide to help us find your daughter and Regina." With that, Mary-Margaret swept out, and Gold found himself staring down at the dark wooden floors of his shop, the soft approaching footsteps of his love barely able to pull him from his dark thoughts.
I woke up in my least favorite position: strapped down to a chair with a strange man looming over me. A strange fog hindered my vision and my mind, and I blinked heavily, trying to make sense of it all. My head spun as I rose it to glance around the room with squinted eyes, briefly recognizing the room as the same one I'd been taken to by my necklace, though the sun now hung lower in the sky. Regina was still on the table, her head turned towards me, and a petrified look in her eyes as she struggled against her bonds.
"Ah." The man spoke in a mildly excited tone. "You're awake. Good. Wouldn't want you to miss out on any more fun." He glanced over at my mother. "We've been having a little issue that I'm hoping you can help us resolve."
I shifted my gaze towards him, taking in the plain clothing he wore, his balding head, and the dull blue color of his eyes. In short, he looked like he should be working at a bank, not kidnapping people. A giggle escaped me as I tilted my head towards him, barely noticing the alarmed and confused looks that came across Regina and the man's faces, respectively.
"You aren't very good at intimidating people, you know that?" I slurred, my head falling back against the back of chair, chuckles still tumbling out of my mouth. "I've met armchairs with more pizazz than you." The man sputtered, marching around to lean in and look me in the eye.
"You listen here, you-"
"No thanks." I interrupted, eyes focused on the multitude of cracks that made up the ceiling above me. "I'd rather just sit here and let whatever you gave me wear off if that's alright." Another peel of giggles escaped and I frowned mildly. "What did you give me?"
"I-"
"I think you've given her too much mate." The damn pirate cut in, and I groaned in annoyance at the sound.
Of course he's involved in kidnapping Regina, I grumbled to myself as my head lulled to the side to meet his unbearably smug face. Because stabbing your father surely wasn't enough.
"Your father?" His brow had furrowed, glancing to Regina in confusion. I frowned as well.
"Did I say that aloud?" The words felt like thick syrup in my mouth, and I watched blearily as Hook came closer to my chair, crouching slightly to keep our eye contact.
"Aye, lovely, you did." He smiled, faint amusement coloring his gaze. "Now, who exactly is your father? I'd like to know exactly who I've stabbed." From behind him, Regina let out a hoarse laugh, and my gaze traveled to her, concern rippling through me as I finally took note of the machine she was hooked up to.
"You cannot even comprehend the magnitude of the shit storm that you've brought down upon yourselves." She spat out, grinning madly in our direction. "No one would have given two shits if you'd only taken me, but Valkyrie?" Regina's voice took on a giddy tone. "Valkyrie's father is going to tear you three apart for daring to even touch her."
A third figure appeared then, Tamara stepping out of the shadows with a cautious look on her face. My heart broke for Neal. "And who exactly is her father?" She asked, eyes darting between my mother and I. Regina grinned.
"The Dark One is not known for being merciful."
There was a moment of utter silence, shocked looks being exchanged by our captors as Regina smirked at their expressions. Tamara marched towards me, grabbing a fistful of hair to pull my face up to her. She searched my face, desperately looking for something. I smiled wearily at her.
"You probably thought Neal meant we shared a mother, didn't you?" I whispered, smile widening at the dirty look she sent my way. "It'd only make sense, what with our different last names, and the way he talks about our father. Who would have a child with the Dark One? I'm sure it didn't help that all Neal told you about his mother is that she left when he was a boy. Don't feel too idiotic for not realizing." Her fist shot out, catching me in the eye. I chuckled. "I take it back, feel free to feel very idiotic."
"Greg, get the information you need, quickly." Tamara said, turning and walking towards the door. "Hook, with me." The pirate in question paused for a moment over my slumped form, his flesh hand clenched tightly, before he abruptly turned and followed after Tamara.
I lifted my head as 'Greg', God what a boring name, approached my chair once again, a familiar slip of paper in one hand, plastic nodes attached to wires hooked up to a second machine in his other.
"Now," he smiled, malice covering up the fear that still lingered in his eyes from the previous conversation. "Why don't we see if you can clear this up for us, hmmm?"
Once again, a stranger prowled the streets of Storybrooke, though this one was far stranger than the ones who had come before him, and he was not alone. The man was tall and slender, almost alarmingly so, and wore a dark suit. His face was odd, though attractive, with dark hair that curled softy around his face and sharp green eyes, as his smooth skin seemed strangely waxy, and his eyes a little too bright.
On one side of him was a blonde woman, clad head to toe in brown leather and clearly carrying several weapons, though this did not at all detract from the cheerful bounce in her step as she followed the man down the street.
On his other side, there was another blond, this one looked far more dower, having been subjected to several insults on the way to Storybrooke and frankly ready to get his ex-girlfriend and head home. Not that anyone laying eyes on this man would have known that.
The man and his companions marched towards a building that had been described to him over text a few days previous, when his partner had complained about the "damn Charmings and their surprisingly level headed daughter". They were the de-facto leaders of this weird little town. They would know where Valkyrie had disappeared too and why she had stopped responding to texts.
