Chapter 6: Cheers
Isaac decided that some fresh air would be good. He had to think. He needed sometime for himself. This room was suffocating. He just left Granny's waving at the old lady who glared at him as he walked outside knowing that the evil witch was still upstairs.
The town seemed very quiet and that was just what he needed. The morning breeze, the warm sun...He needed to start tiding the mess that was going around his head. It was more than the fact that he had slept with Cruella. It was the fact that he had no idea what he would with her, or without her. So now what they just stay at Granny's forever in a small inconvenient room? Both of them? She made pretty clear she wanted nothing more from him. They both leave Maine and go to another place? Together? separately? Questions, questions... he would do everything just for her to give him a chance. A chance to show her the world, like he wanted to do in the first place. He wanted to start living his life. Maybe start writing an actual book, finding a home, a wife. What a normal person would want. But what would she do? She was all alone. She always knew how to take care of herself. This wouldn't meant however that he should leave her. Moreover he didn't want to. He couldn't.
"You, author!" A feminine voice interrupted his thoughts. He turned around to see that it was Regina, the evil queen. She started walking faster as he was too. "Don't run from me" she glared at him as she appeared in front of him out of a cloud of smoke.
"What do you want?" Isaac finally replied knowing that there was no escape from her.
"We need to talk. Just not here, someone could hear us." And while Isaac was trying to explain that he is no longer the author and that he wouldn't be of any use, Regina had magically brought them to her house.
"Oh shut up!, I know everything. The charmings told me. You are not here to be punished. Well at least I hope it won't be necessary." He was just looking at her. Scared. He knew that Regina was capable of everything. And he responsible for her losing her happy ending. She had every reason to want him dead. Him and Cruella.
"Then what do you want from me? If it's about Cruella.." He made an effort to talk again.
"Oh just stop talking and let me finish" She interrupted him. "I don't give a damn about Cruella. All I care is that you are no longer the Author. And that somebody else is..." She continued talking.
"I have no idea really.."
"I know. But what I also know is who is the new Author" They both shared a strange look and then silence prĪµvaild until Regina broke it again. "It's Henry."
"What? How is that possible, I lost the quill once Cruella was back to life"
"Yes and it appeared on Henry's desk! But it's not the how that concerns me. It's Rumplestilskin. If he finds out that Henry is the Author he gonna come after him. And I don't want to know what will happen if Gold gets to write his happy ending. I don't think you and your loved one would want either" The Queen was right. Rumplestilskin would do anything to survive, including using his grandson. He was ruthless, he was dangerous.
"She is not my loved one.. Anyway, I agree with you. And what do you want me to do? I have no powers now" He had no clue. Without his pen and ink, Isaac was nothing more that a common person. Moreover, Regina didn't know him that well to trust him.
"Oh I know, I just want to frame him and I need your help. I want you to be the bait. All Rumplestilskin knows is that you have no idea who the author is. But you are going to tell him that there is a way to find him or her or whatever. And that you will do that if he lets you live in peace. He can't resist deals. Once you get him where I want him to be, we will trap him inside the book." She was sure that this could actually work. They would get rid of him once and for all. It was a good plan actually. But Isaac wasn't very good at lying of course. He didn't have it in him. It could be dangerous. It was dangerous in fact. Rumplestilskin was sly and always watched his back.
"What if it doesn't work?" He managed to express his worry . The odds were 50-50. They could win this and Rumple would no longer be a threat to anyone and mostly him and Cruella. But if it didn't work, he would be the first one to die.
"Let's make sure it will, it's the only way to protect the town, to protect Henry." She tried to convince him and point out that this was the right thing to do. Rumplestilskin had to be banished from this town. He was the one creating all the trouble.
"You will leave now, and you will give a call to Rumple tomorrow morning, asking him to meet you at the town's clock tower. You will just go there and start a conversation about the deal you want to make. That's all I want you to do. I will take it from there." The mayor ensured him.
He took a moment to think. Could he actually trust Regina? What if she was lying? Did he , however, had a best oprion of getting rid of Rumple? He new the answer was negative. He knew that the right move would be to accept and take the risk. "Okay.." He replied, agreeing to help her. Maybe it would be a way to redeem himself. He thought.
He got up from the chair he was sitting and moved to the door to leave Regina's house. But the Queen's voice stopped him, once again. "Oh and make sure that Cruella knows nothing. Especially about Henry." she warned him. She knew that a sociopath like her would ruin everything. Especially after what Emma did to her. She would rightfully want revenge.
He nodded and went out of the house. He took some deep breaths trying to relax. Even withou magic he still managed to get tangled in situations he didn't want to be in the first place. He was standing outside the porch on the middle of the road looking right and left wondering where to go. Back to his room, back to his walk... What would he say to Cruella? He couldn't hide such a secret. He would, though, for everybody's sake. But it would be hard, especially since he had to deal with her all day.
A loud noise was what made Isaac turn his face on the road. It was his car running like crazy. But luckily it stopped just two meters before him.
"What are you looking at, darling? Are you gonna get in or what?" Cruella exclaimed, smirking.
Isaac got in without saying anything. He was feeling weird. She pretended like everything was good. And how the hell did she find him. Strange. But he decided to go along with it. It was for the best. Besides he enjoyed being around her. Even though she was getting on his nerves.
"Where are we going?" He eventually asked her.
"For a morning drink, darling. You left in such hurry this morning.. " She pointed out trying to sound a bit upset, which she wasn't, she just wanted to make him feel guilty. She could be very manipulating if she wanted. He was the only one she had at that moment. She just couldn't be alone all the time. She hated it actually. It reminded her of that time in the attic. Isaac was actually surprised. Surprised by the fact that she was seeking his company. It wasn't like her that much. But he didn't complain. He liked it. No matter what she did, he just couldn't really hate her.
"I will have a black coffee, thank you" he smiled politely at Ruby as she was taking their order.
"I shall have a mimosa" She gave her a nasty glance and the wolf girl immediately left their table feeling irritated about Cruella's attitude. Once red disappeared, Cruella was able to talk freely.
"So.. what were you doing at the mayor's house that early in the morning after all?" Straight to point. He was astonished by the fact that it took her so long to finally ask.
"Relax, she just wanted to welcome me to the town and make sure you and I won't cause any trouble. And that you won't after Emma after what she did to you.." He answered nervously, hoping that she won't get suspicious. He was lying of course. But he knew that he had to keep Regina's secret. Cruella was unpredictable and she could even side with the dark one, you can never know with her. Moreover, she couldn't know about Henry.
"I am not convinced, darling.." Isaac swallowed his coffee intensely. "But I shall believe you for the time being...And as for miss Swan, I would so like to rip her head off but that would be the dumbest thing to do right now so you don't have to worry." She had her doubts. He wasn't the type of man that lied. But still she was trying to make the slightest of effort, so she decided to trust him. Besides she knew that to survive in a town where everybody disliked her and she had no way to defend herself, she needed to behave.
"So..what were you doing with your life? I mean before you get here.." He tried to change completely the subject and start a new conversation. He wanted to have that particular conversation anyway, he wanted to know more about her. He hadn't seen her in ages. So many years have passed. So many years he was trapped in that book.
"Unfortunately I wasn't an episode in deadly women..But at least I got to live among riches.. my ex husband, you see, happened to own a couple of billions.." She gave him a bitter smile. Isaac was kinda shocked. He had no idea that she used to be married. It hadn't even crossed his mind.
"Husband? Were you married?" he asked as if he didn't hear well. Of course it was normal for her to move on with her life but the idea of anybody else having her made him jealous. He had no right to be. She was never his.
"For the past 6 years I believe so.." Cruella replied casually as if it was nothing really important.
"So where is he know?" Isaac insisted on asking questions. A marriage was indeed a big deal. For him at least. He never thought Cruella was really the marriage type of girl, no matter how much he would want her to be. She wasn't very into all that romance and happy ending type of stuff.
"In jail, for embezzlement. Too bad they caught him before he got to write me my own mansion" she joked. A criminal, of course. Isaac thought. How else could Cruella co-exist with another person at the same place without killing him (if only she could). Well there was also something else that could keep somebody with a person for so long. Love. True love. Maybe she was happy with him. Maybe he was her happy ending.
"Did you love him?" He finally popped the question without really thinking about it.
"Does it really matter anyway?" she rolled her eyes. Who bothers with such insignificant details? she thought to herself.
"It matters to me." His insecurities couldn't let him relax. He wanted to know. Was she able to love another man? Why couldn't she love him?
"No, I didn't.." she returned. He was feeling a bit weird. She noticed.
"I wonder, how could somebody stay in a marriage without loving the person who sleeps next to them every night.." He looked deep into her eyes trying to find any hint of emotion. On the one hand, he hated the fact that she might have felt something for somebody else, on the other hand though he knew that if she was capable of feeling, she was capable of being saved.
"He was rich, darling! All that glamour, the social events, the diamonds..Besides who said we slept on the same bed? " The answer for her was obvious. He could offer her everything without her having to put any effort. It was an easy catch. Having a husband or not, was the same for Cruella. She didn't really believe in marriage. But she believed in money, however, and Lars had plenty.
"Did he love you?" He couldn't stop vomiting questions. He knew that it wouldn't be appropriate for him to ask her such private questions. She had any right not to answer.
"I wouldn't call it love, exactly.. He just wanted a wife. Don't be silly Isaac, no one could ever love a person like me. Not even my own mother.." She had started to get irritated by all of these questions. However, she decided to answer them anyway, trying to make a proper conversation instead of losing her temper.
"I did."He took a long pause before he finally said it. He lifted his eyes to look at her. She might knew that she had power over him but he cottoned on to the fact that she never believed that Isaac really cared about her.
"Yes, before you realize what I really am, darling! Admit it! That moment you found out I wasn't a damsel in distress, you were repelled by me. I saw that look of disgust in your eyes!" She shot back. She wasn't wrong. Isaac fell in love with that innocent little girl, he met at that window. To her point of view, Isaac gave her the chance to be free and then took the thing she loved most and destroyed it. He took revenge because she was what she really was. She couldn't help herself. She couldn't control her mind and everybody was blaming her for that.
"You lied to me! You stole my pen, you showed me you care! What did you expect?" He tried to keep his voice down.
"Nothing." She murmured. She expected nothing back then. There was no sympathy for the devil. And now he sees her for the person she really is. They both took a moment in silence just looking at each other. Breathing slowly. The conversaton was getting tense and none of them wanted that.
"But I am still here, aren't I?" he broke his face into a smile.
"Why is that I wonder? You should hate me , the way I hated you." He was indeed still here. After all the lying, the tricks, the threats... he brought her back from the dead. He stayed with her, even if a few days earlier she had put somebody to kill him. Was he insane? She was giving him so many reasons to walk away, so many reasons for him to hate her.
"Because it doesn't just go away.." he replied lowering his eyes.
"What doesn't go away, darling?" One of his flaws was that he was never direct. He was just dropping hints expecting that the other person would figure it out. But Cruella wasn't the type of person that could bother her head with such matters.
"Love, Cruella. Once you fall in love with a person, you don't just stop. Even if the other person doesn't feel the same way. Even if the other person hurts you. Even if the other person has flaws. It might seem hopeless but I still hope.." He made a sad smile. He knew that now, Cruella could ruin him. She could open her mouth and spit uncountable things to break his heart once again. He hoped that he could change her. That his love would be strong enough to eliminate the darkness within her. That his love could finally make her realise that she could be happy.
"I am a lost case Isaac.." An ironic and kind of dark laugh escaped her lips. Maybe not that ironic. Maybe it was more heartsick. "Whiskey, darling!" she then yelled at ruby lifting her empty glass.
"Only if you give up.." he instinctively grabbed her hand. He didn't mean to, it was spontaneous. She didn't move, she just stared at him for second which seemed like hours. Then Ruby brought Cruella's drink and they both broke contact awkwardly.
"Besides, you said you hated me, past tense." He hinted and grabbed his mug. She escaped a simper. "So.. here's to not hating me?" he made a toast hoping that she would agree on that and bring her glass to touch his. Actually he was more than hoping. And she did, to his surprise. And then with one sip, she downed all her drink.
"Cheers!" She laughed, and he laughed too as if her laugh was contagious. And that very moment, he was back at Murray's staring at this crazy girl laughing and having fun. Opening his eyes once again he was back to reality. His heart however, was beating exactly like that night. He couldn't escape her. He was falling deeper in love. This time with the real Cruella..
Hello, guys, this had been a very long chapter I know, but I believe that things besides the pairing should be said because of course in storybrooke getting a happy ending is not that easy. I want to believe that it's not extremely fluffy, yet. Isaac of course is head over heels for Cruella, but she has just started to like him... However do you think they deserve a happy ending together? Feel free to tell me your opinion, Reviews are always welcome!