Disclaimer: I do not own the Once Upon a Time franchise.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Gold and Neal landed in Scottsdale, Arizona and moved to the front of the airport where Gold had arranged a car to pick them up and take them to West's office. Neal was nervous, tugging on the tie his father had insisted he wear. "We need to look just right. Appearance is everything and you don't get a second chance at a first impression." He'd reminded his son. Neal grumbled in response and readjusted the tie to his father's liking.
It took twenty minutes to reach the office of Walsh West. It was a grand, old building that showed success and wealth. Gold did his best to straighten up, knowing that the West family was old Scottsdale money and Gold himself did not hold a candle to this family. Gold had called ahead and scheduled a meeting for himself and Neal under the pretense of wanting a new office building developed just outside of Scottsdale. The figures Gold provided West's secretary were high enough to make her jump at the opportunity to schedule the appointment for him with Walsh West and his father, Conrad West. Gold was most interested in meeting Conrad West. From his research, the man could buy his way into anything and had a firm grip over the state of Arizona.
When they entered the office building, the woman at the front desk gave them a sunny smile as they introduced themselves, "Mr. West and Mr. West will see you both." She led them to the conference room where the two West men waited.
The conference room was smaller, but it was decked out to show the power the West men wielded. The carpet was a deep burgundy. The table looked like it was hand-carved in a deep, dark wood. The chairs were a dark brown leather with gold accents. The business these men were in was clearly quite profitable. "Mr. Gold," the older man stood up and crossed the small room, "I'm Conrad West."
"And I'm Walsh West." Walsh introduced himself. While Conrad West held himself with dignity, the son, Walsh, was nervous and his hands were clammy as he shuffled from foot to foot. When Conrad West cut his son a quick look, Walsh stilled.
"Robert Gold, this is my son, Neal Gold." The men shook hands enthusiastically.
"Always nice to see another father and son duo." Conrad gave them welcoming smiles before motioning for everyone to sit down. "Now, can I get anyone coffee or tea or water before we get started?"
The Golds shook their heads to decline the offer before Robert Gold leaned forward, "I must admit, Mr. West –"
"Please call me Conrad." Conrad West interrupted.
"And you may call me Robert." Gold continued, "I was not truthful in my reasons for setting up this meeting. We are not looking for develop any office parks here in Arizona." He held up his hand before either West could interrupt, "However, we do have a proposition for you. A deal if you will."
"Continue." Conrad West allowed.
"We have something you may be interested in." At their raised brows, he elaborated, "Or rather I should say, someone you may be interested in." He gave a dramatic pause, "Your wife, Mr. West." He pointed to Walsh.
Walsh stood up suddenly, "You know where Emma is?"
Gold nodded, "Yes, she's in our hometown. She just wandered in with her friend August and her son Henry. I didn't realize she was married until two days ago and I came straight here with my son."
Conrad West motioned for his own son to sit down, "And what do you want?"
Gold nodded to Neal, "Henry is my son." Neal told the men. The room fell silent, "I never knew she was pregnant. She never told me. I didn't find out until my father told me about her son. I wasn't in town when she arrived. I don't live in Storybrooke."
"Storybrooke?" Walsh asked.
"Yes, Storybrooke, Maine." Gold told her, "And we would be happy to help you encourage Emma to come home." He worded his thoughts carefully to gauge what the West men thought. Based on what he knew about the two men, they had something planned for Emma. Something less than ideal for Emma, but that suited Gold just fine. "But I believe it is time my son get custody of Henry."
Walsh cleared his throat, "Emma is unwell." He finally said. "She's been unwell for some time, which is why I've been in a state of panic since she took Henry and ran off with that man, August Bailey." He paused, "We have had a private investigator looking for her. So far, he's tracked her as far as Portland, Maine. We have a place to put Emma where she can get help. I believe it would be very beneficial for Henry to spend some time with his father while I handle Emma."
Gold gave a slightly sinister smile, "Well then, let's discuss our deal."
Emma paced around the living room of Killian's home. The kids where in the guest room playing some sort of elaborate board game they'd created using a chess board. The adults were in the living room trying to come up with a good plan. "They've found out about Walsh and Walsh has someone here in town. What do we do?" She tugged at a curl, her eyes continuing to dart around in panic.
"Start by keeping your voice down." Regina snapped as she poured another glass of wine. "We have to stay calm." Regina's voice shook, though, as she said those words.
Killian drew Emma down to the ground where he sat and into his side so he could wrap his arms around her and press a kiss to her temple. "Take some deep breaths."
She turned her head to catch his gaze, "I have to take Henry and run before Walsh shows up here." She knew what she had to do, she just hated that it was her best option.
Killian nodded slowly, "Okay, but I'm coming with you."
Emma's answering smile was soft as she gently traced the scar on his cheek, "Okay, let's do it."
August sighed, "Running may not be the worst idea right now. Then when they show up we can work out how to handle them." The group looked a bit incredulous that August supported Emma, Henry, and Killian running.
"Where should we go?" Emma asked.
"Let's take the Jolly." Killian suddenly said, "Down the coast. We can stop in different ports along the way. Visit Virginia, the Carolinas, Florida. . ." He trailed off.
Emma let out a long breath, "When can we leave?"
"I can have everything we need so we could cast off tomorrow around lunch." Killian replied.
"Henry is going to hate this, but a trip is probably the best thing to do right now." Emma agreed.
"I'll get groceries together for you." Jefferson moved to the kitchen to grab a pen and paper and begin to make a list.
"And I'll get a better first aid kit than what you have on the ship." Victor offered.
"Lemonade." Ruby murmured from her spot next to Victor as her eyes teared up a bit, "I have lemonade."
Emma stood up and pulled Ruby into a hug, a bit surprised at how emotional she was, "It's okay, Ruby. We're all going to be okay and before you know it we'll be back here living a normal life. I promise."
Ruby squeezed Emma tightly and let out a quiet cry, "Just come home, Emma. Please."
Emma stroked her hair, "We will and we'll be safe and keep in touch." She promised.
Tink stood up and wrapped her tiny arms around Emma and Ruby, motioning for Mary Margaret and Regina to join them in a group hug. "We'll be together again soon." Tink murmured.
The following afternoon, Henry was clinging tightly to Grace on the dock next to Killian's ship, The Jolly Roger. "You be safe, Henry." Grace whispered to him.
Henry gave her a squeeze, "You too, Gracie. If they come back. . ." His voice trailed off.
Grace shuddered a bit at the thought of bad things coming to their quiet town. "I'll stay close to Daddy." She promised.
It took a nearly twenty minutes for all of the goodbyes to take place. Everyone was teary-eyed and worried as Emma, Killian, and Henry finally boarded the ship. August was going to stay behind to look into Walsh and Conrad West. He was convinced if he used his contacts properly he could get Emma a divorce. It would be easier to do if he wasn't having to watch out for Emma and Henry. While he looked into that with Regina, David and Graham were going to find someone who wanted to arrest Neal. August also wanted to be close by in case Belle needed protecting from her husband. And when Gold found out Emma and Henry were gone and that Belle had been feeding Tink and Graham information on his plans, she was going to need protecting.
With a final wave, Killian put Henry in a life vest and ushered him and Emma up to the bridge before he accepted the ropes from Victor to cast off. The group stayed on the dock, watching as The Jolly Roger pulled out of the small Storybrooke Marina.
Simon Sanders watched from his rental truck as the ship pulled away. He found out where Emma and Henry were hiding out just as they were leaving. And he had no idea where they were going and it was going to be hell to track them down on a ship. He had his work cut out for him. The question still remained: was the price for finding Emma and Henry worth it or should he let them go?