Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot and any unrecognizable characters and dialogue.
So... had a story stolen. Again. Thankfully, this one was resolved rather peacefully, though I'm not holding my breath for an apology.
To answer questions about why I had Tiger Lily (the fairy) in the last chapter - given that I already had fairies interacting with Katerina's (Lily's mother) past, I decided to make it so that Tiger Lily was Katerina's fairy godmother, much like she was Rumple's. And, since they have a habit of introducing random characters that probably would have fit in better during past arcs, I'll probably not be calling Lily 'Tiger Lily' anymore, solely because I like this incarnation of the character.
Oh, and yes, Tiger Lily is the namesake of Lily.
Also, this was such a struggle to get out and I'm very sorry about the long wait for it.
Chapter Playlist: 'Keys to the Past' from 'Avengers: Age of Ultron OST' and 'Your Mother' from 'Beauty and the Beast: Original Score'
Storybrooke
Surrounded by his family, including his newly found father and grandfather, Henry cheerfully blew out all eleven candles that burned merrily on his birthday cake. He grinned when the surrounding adults cheered and clapped for him, smiling up at Gold when the older man rested his hands on Henry's shoulders.
"And now, my boy, for your present," Gold told his grandson warmly, clearly far more comfortable with his new role than before. "Pick one object from the shop," he gestured widely at the objects, magical and otherwise, that lined the shelves in his shop. "Anything you like."
Practically bursting with excitement, Henry eagerly darted around the shop, surveying the prospective presents with a seriousness rarely seen in an eleven year old. Quickly dismissing the ancient texts and useless baubles that were scattered around, he zeroed in on the small collection of wands displayed on pedestals.
Henry approached the wands, head tilted in thought. He had no way of knowing what any of them did so, he merely chose at random, pointing towards the nearest one. "That." He plucked the wand from its resting place and waved it around in broad strokes of his arm.
Neal moved toward him, holding his hands up in warning. "Alright, careful, buddy! Wands are powerful."
Henry obediently lowered the wand, fingers tingling with the magic he could feel thrumming through the thin object. It felt similar to whenever Lillian used her magic to heal him. "So," he began, turning to Gold, "how does it work?"
"Here, let me show you." Gold held out his hand, accepting the wand when Henry offered it. Holding the wand high above Henry's head, Gold waved it gracefully, before his intent changed. Flicking his wrist in a sharp, downward movement in Henry's direction, he suddenly turned the little boy into a statue.
"Gold!" Lillian cried, eyes widening in growing horror at his actions.
"Why would you do that?!" David demanded, too stunned to move at first.
"The prophecy," Gold explained pleasantly, as if they were speaking of the weather, and not of the spell he'd just placed on his grandson. "The seer said the boy would be my undoing. So, I have no choice: I must be his."
Before they could react, before Lillian could act on the murderous rage he could feel building up inside her, he acted. Gripping his cane tightly in one hand, he brought it down violently on Henry, shattering the boy into a million pieces, the cries of the others like music to his ears…
In his bed, Gold was thrown from the throes of the dream - or was it a nightmare? - and violently lurched upwards in bed. Panting heavily, he looked around, fingers twisting in the silk sheets as he took in the familiar sights of his room in Storybrooke. Closing his eyes as the dream played over and over in his mind, he swallowed thickly, willing that the seer's words would torture him no more, to no avail.
"Hey, that's cheating!" Lillian called when Neal reached out with his wooden sword in an effort to sweep her feet from under her. She vanished in a swirl of purple smoke, reappearing on top of a picnic table several feet away.
"So is that!" Neal playfully retorted, charging her once more.
Henry joined in the fray, ganging up on his father with Lillian at his side. As he fended off their 'attacks', Neal was also carefully watching how Lillian looked and acted, unable to shake his concern. Though she must have sensed his emotions, she said nothing, never giving any sign that she had an idea of what he was thinking.
She looked more alive than she had since their reunion, skin no longer that sickly, deathly-looking pale it had been back in New York. Her face even looked fuller, though Neal doubted she could have put on much weight, no matter how needed, in the small amount of time he'd been in Storybrooke. Even so, he hadn't seen her look so happy since, well… Pan.
As the mock-fight in the park continued, Gold watched the trio from a safe distance. Lillian no doubt sensed his presence, and he was almost positive that Neal had seen him arrive, but neither had done anything. Discontented that he had been pushed aside, but aware they each had their reasons, Gold forced himself to remain a distant observer.
"Seems like we both have been pushed to the side lines." Regina drawled as she approached, hands shoved in the pockets of her long overcoat.
Gold didn't turn in her direction. "What are you doing here?"
"The real question," Regina neatly side-stepped, "is what's your son doing with mine?"
"Oh that… " Gold had to laugh at the absurdity of their lives; due to Cora's presence, Regina had not yet been informed of the newest member of the convoluted family tree it seemed half of Storybrooke now shared. "That's right, you didn't get the birth announcement, did you?" Turned towards her, he caught the confusion painted all too clearly across her face as he raised his cane in Neal's direction. "That's Henry's father."
"What?"
"Do I have to spell it out for you?" Gold demanded, already tired of this particular game. "Miss Swan and my son- "
"You're Henry's grandfather?!" Regina interrupted loudly, incredulously.
He refused to be silenced. "Guess that makes us family," he needled, unable to help himself. "He's got my eyes, don't you think?"
Satisfied that he'd shut her up for the time being, Gold turned and began to leisurely stroll away with a nonchalance he didn't feel. Behind him, Regina struggled to comprehend all he'd said. When she did, she spun on her heel and all but ran him down.
"You did this!" She spat the accusation.
"Trust me, dearies, it was as much a shock to me as it is to you."
"No! You must have known!" Dogging him step for step, Regina refused to believe a word that came out of his mouth. "When I adopted him, it was you who procured him for me. You expect me to believe that that was a coincidence?"
"No, not coincidence," Gold finally deigned to turn her way, irritated beyond belief as he corrected her. "Fate. And, apparently, fate has a sense of humor."
"Fate." Regina deadpanned, but dropped the subject easily enough; she had bigger fish to fry. "So, you're playing the part of the loving grandpa now?" When he didn't answer, only grimaced, she saw an opportunity to scratch at an already itching wound. "They won't accept you, no matter what you do. Not your son, not Lillian, not any of them."
"We'll see."
"Oh, I've already seen, Gold. I've seen your dark heart and it always wins out - you always choose darkness."
"You think you know me, dearie." His tone darkened, the only warning he would give her. "But you don't."
"I know you well enough. If your own son couldn't bring out the good in you, who will?" Regina demanded, pleased that she had had the last word, before she turned and stalked off.
Glaring down at the white-knuckled grip he had on the handle of his cane, he almost didn't look up in time to see Lillian staring his way. The mock-sword fight had momentarily stopped, allowing Henry and Neal a chance to both rest for a moment. Gold met Lillian's gaze head on, idly noting the strength of the glamour she'd placed on herself.
Allowing his eyes to go unfocused, he saw the deep, dark shadows that seemed permanently carved beneath his assistant's eyes. She looked worse than she had during the fight with Cora; worse than she had the weeks following her return after her thirty-year absence. At that reminder, he made a mental note to corner her when she was looking better and demand answers about her time, and Bae's, on Neverland.
Her eyes had begun to narrow, signally her displeasure with their impromptu staring contest. Inclining his head in greeting, Gold broke eye contact when she returned the favor, and rejoined Henry and Neal. The other two didn't acknowledge his presence, though he was fair enough to admit Henry was now doubt unaware he was even there.
Fully able to recognize when he wasn't wanted at all, Gold turned and strode away, heading toward the one place, and the one person, who had always accepted him, no matter what.
Neverland
Standing on the deck of the Jolly Roger, the sea breeze in her hair and salt on her tongue, Lilith felt her shoulder's relax for the first time in weeks. As always, the sight of the sea stirred something within her and, without any prompting, her mouth opened and the song poured forth from her lips. 'See your heart, cruel like the sea… will you ever give it to me… '
"Lass," Hook called, shivering at the haunting notes that danced heavily through the air. Lilith turned, lips parted in preparation for the next verse but, upon reading his expression and the feeling of foreboding that was running through him, she subsided and arched a brow patiently. "'Tis bad luck to sing such a tune. It- "
"Summons Davy Jones, yes, I know," she said dryly, amused by how superstitious and fearful the band of marauding pirates could become at the drop of a hat. "I was raised in a kingdom that bordered the coast - I've spent my share on ships as well."
Hook smiled, almost bashful, but resolute. "If you must sing, perhaps a more… cheerful tune will do?"
At his words, she visibly wilted, withdrawing once again as she usually did. She was a hard one to read, but Hook far preferred that she remained on the Jolly Roger with the crew and himself, somewhat safe from Pan's manipulations. It had only been a few days since that nasty dreamshade incident and, if the rumor mill on Neverland could be trusted, Lilith had refused to tolerate Pan's presence.
"By chance," he continued, drawn from his inward musings by Lilith moving toward the steps that would take her to the Captain's quarters. "Where did you learn such a song?"
She shrugged. "Taverns aren't just for brokering deals and learning rumors. At the Snuggly Duckling in Corona," he tweaked an eyebrow at the name but said nothing, "plenty of pirates bunk down there. Tongues loosen with every sip of ale, and some of them more than others."
He said nothing else, but joined her at the side of the ship, watching the dark waters crash along the ship. Unconsciously, Lilith shifted toward him, drawn to the solid, calming presence he projected anytime they were alone. Unlike the other pirates, whose expressions varied from disinterested and curious, to downright hostile and fearful, Killian merely watched her with an open, somewhat friendly expression.
"What was it like?" He broke the peaceful silence with a whisper, one she had to strain to hear. "To be raised by such a creature?"
"You mean Rumpelstiltskin?"
"Who else could I mean?"
She shrugged, one sleeve of her loose blouse slipping to reveal the tanned, freckled skin of her shoulder. She pulled it back up impatiently, fiddling with the laces of her leather vest while she was at it. "My brother. He was more of a monster than Rumple could ever try to be, if you could believe that."
At that, Hook regarded her with bemusement. Lilith rarely spoke of her past with the Dark One; she spoke of her past before said being on an even more infrequent basis. From what he had managed to glean from their few conversations on the subject, Lilith's life before becoming a sorceress had been a dark one she didn't enjoy revisiting.
"Aye," Hook said, reaching out to place a hand on her shoulder. She tensed at the sudden contact, relaxing a heartbeat later, and tossed him an apologetic gaze. "Sad to say, but I can indeed."
Storybrooke
The hospital was teeming with life as Gold stalked through the halls. While people have him a wide berth that he had long become used to, the staff barely paid him any attention. He had been coming to see Belle ever since her admittance, even after she screamed at him to leave her alone. He'd respected her wishes and hadn't bothered her with his presence, somewhat content to simply be near her and watch from a distance.
His lips twisted at the irony that had become his life.
When he reached the room that held Belle, he paused. His last interaction with her had been on phone, when he was all but sure that he was going to die. Even if Mary Margaret had not proved to have the gumption to do what needed to be done, he'd trusted Lilith to carry on where the former princess failed. In the end, it hadn't mattered, as he lived and Cora had died.
He could only hope that his heartbreaking, death-bed confession to the amnesiac woman on the other side of the door had not done any damage to her recovery. Even if she didn't remember him, Belle had always been a caring individual, and he hadn't mean to scare her.
Belle was sitting up in bed, carefully turning the pages of the book Ruby had brought for her several weeks earlier. Her head shot up at the soft knock on the door frame, blue eyes widening at the man who stood on the other side.
"You're alive," she breathed, unsure why a veritable stranger could have such a profound affect on her.
"Indeed I am." He carefully made his way into the room, ready to leave at a moment's notice if she wished it. "I imagine my last phone call was a bit alarming."
"Yeah," she cleared her throat, "sounded like you were on your deathbed."
He winced at the reminder, knowing he shouldn't have put such a weight on her shoulders. "I'm really sorry if I startled you," he apologized, expression shamed. "I know that you have no memory of me. But my feelings for you are real. And I just needed you to know that in case… well in case I died."
"I'm glad you're okay." Belle revealed, smiling hesitantly at the way he brightened at her words. "And I could tell your feelings were true."
"You could?"
"I have a sense about people," her expression became sheepish, almost shy, but she met his understanding gaze. "I can't explain how, but I… I could just tell."
The surety in her words made it easier to breathe. "So, you believe we know each other?"
"I believe that whatever caused me to forget myself, means that I have a past, and… that past probably included you."
"It did."
Her demeanor changed, becoming almost wary. "When I, uh… when I was injured… this is gonna sound crazy," she chuckled, continuing only when he nodded encouragement. "I remember you healing me."
"You've been through a lot." Gold reminded her gently, wondering just how much he should reveal. "Serious injury. All the drugs you've been on since you've been in here." He paused, reading the disgruntled expression on her face and hiding a smile. "With all that, I'm not sure the full explanation would be best for you right now. But, once you remember who you are, it'll all become clear."
Belle felt the brewing anger at her questions being dismissed dissipate somewhat at his words. Unlike everyone else, he was not flatly denying her claim that something had happened, nor was he condescending when he spoke to her, speaking to her as a child like everyone else had been during her stay at the hospital.
"Can you help me do that?" She asked eagerly, leaning toward him with wide, excited eyes. "Remember who I am?"
He returned her excitement. "Only if you help me remember who I am."
She blinked, bemused. "Sorry, what?"
"Belle, you always brought out the best in me," he told her quietly. "And right now I need that. So, yes, I will do everything I can to bring you back, for you and for me."
Belle reached her hand across the blankets, palm extended toward him in invitation. "We can help each other."
"Yeah," he took her hand, squeezing it gently before his expression turned serious. "Let's talk to someone about getting you out of here. You've been locked up long enough."
Enchanted Forest
Even though the Dark One had promised he only wanted her to return with him to his castle, in exchange for protecting her people from the Ogres, because he needed a new maid, she was still more than a bit apprehensive. Being shown to a cell in the dungeon and told it was her new room hadn't helped matters much, resulting in her laying awake in bed for most of the night, paralyzed with fear.
However, she soon found her fears that he wanted her for other reasons besides cleaning were unfounded. Rumpelstiltskin did release her each morning, giving her detailed instructions over which part of the castle he wanted clean. Parts were off-limits and, rather than sate her inevitable curiosity and go snooping, so far she'd chosen to remain where she was told.
The Dark One was still far too much of a mystery for her to correctly assess his moods, and decide whether or not he would be forgiving.
Even though she was kept busy during the days, so much so that she barely had a minute to herself, her nights were filled with anguish. Even though she disagreed with her father on much, even though she had all but despised Gaston and was glad that, with the Dark One's promise, their engagement could finally be at an end, she missed her papa so much that it physically hurt. Sobbing into her pillow, she almost missed the sound of the cell being unlocked, though she heard the door open and her captor's voice well enough.
"When you so eagerly agreed to come and work for me, I assumed you wouldn't miss your family quit so much." The scaled man trilled, looking distinctly put-out by her crying.
The sight made her furious. "I mad my sacrifice for them. Of-of course I miss them, you beast!" She retorted hotly, eyes sore and head achy from all the tears. She was in no mood to pander to his eccentric whims.
"Yes, yes, of course. But the crying must stop." He told her, making light of all she'd given up as he usually did. "Night after night! It's making it very difficult for me to spin. You know, I do my best thinking then." Without giving her even a chance to reply, though the barbed words rested on her tongue, he gave a twist of his hand. "Perhaps this'll help?"
Belle stared at the silky, tasseled throw pillow without bothering to conceal her disbelief. "For me?"
"Not quite so beastly now, am I?"
"Thank you," she took it, still leery of his intentions. When he did nothing but smile, a touch mockingly, at her, she turned to go back to the bed. Her captor had not seen fit to allow her any time to pack essentials, and her golden gown was all she had. It was crumpled, and the hem was beginning to become stained, but she could have cared less. "Maybe now, I can actually get some sleep."
"No, no, no. It's not to help you sleep, dearie. It's to muffle the cries, so I can get back to work!" He told her, gleeful at the sight of her renewed anger.
Before she could spit out a biting reply, there was the sound of glass shattering from above them. Instantly on alert, Rumpelstiltskin raced up the stairs, leaving the door to Belle's cell wide open. She cautiously stepped out and, when nothing happened, ran after him. They arrived in the large dining room in time to see a hooded figure, a man by the width of the shoulders and cut of the cloak, reaching for one of the magic wands the Dark One had scattered around the room.
"Are you sure you wanna do this, dearie?" Rumpelstiltskin called lightly, but with an undercurrent of malice that was obvious to all.
The thief flicked his hood off, revealing an angled, bearded face with a pleasant smile. "Pretty sure."
"if you don't know how to use that wand," the Dark One continued, carefully stepping toward the thief. "It can do nasty things to you."
"Well then… " Smoothly, the man produced a finely carved bow and notched an arrow. "I'll stick to what works. Do you know what this arrow can do to you?"
He clearly expected the Dark One to sense the magic that ran through the aged wood, and the sorcerer did not disappoint. Scaled features breaking out into a mad grin, Rumpelstiltskin giggled. "Has to hit me first."
He vanished, leaving a eerie stillness in the large room, one that set Belle on edge. The thief, however, seemed to be perfectly at ease with the situation. The only sign that he noticed the rising tension in the air was the tightening of his fingers around the bow.
"Shouldn't be a problem," he announced the his invisible assailant. "An arrow fired from this bow always finds its target. Don't you just love magic?" He asked heartbeats before he let an arrow fly.
Rumpelstiltskin reappeared, vanishing once more to evade the arrow, but when he reappeared some distance away, the arrow embedded itself in his chest.
The thief smiled. "I know I do."
The surprised, pained expression on the Dark One's face gave way to a grin of his own. "As do I!" He cheered, wrenching the arrow from his chest, giggling all the while. "But don't you know?" He asked as the thief immediately went on the defensive. "All magic comes with a price! And in your case, that's me."
Storybrooke
"So," Lillian asked in an undertone, raising a hand to wave goodbye to Henry and Neal. She was careful to keep the painstakingly crafted smile on her lips as long as Bae was in sight. "How much are you going to yell at me?"
David chuckled wryly, smiling and copying her movements towards his grandson. Neal was, for the moment, virtually ignored. "Oh, don't be like that. I'll give you a five minute reprieve before we really get to it."
Lillian attempted to muster some semblance of a smile, but was unable to do so. David spared her a sympathetic smile of his own before he placed a hand on her upper back, steering her back into the Station. Emma had returned to the Charming's loft at Mary Margaret's request, giving David and Lillian some time to have a much needed heart-to-heart.
For her part, Lillian complied meekly enough. Truth be told, David was more worried about her behavior than he let on. While he knew many of them, himself included, didn't treat her as the adult she mentally was, this compliant attitude she'd had since Cora's death was nothing like how he was used to her acting.
"First," he began, shutting the door with a soft snap behind them, "drop the glamour."
She blinked innocently. "Beg pardon?"
"Don't give me that," he chided, leaning against the metal desk. "I've seen your magic enough to know when you're using it on yourself and when you're not. And right now, you're using a glamour." He brushed his fingers across the tip of his own cheekbone, causing her to consciously touch her own skin. "I can see the shimmer - how long have you been keeping it up?"
Self-conscious now, she rubbed at the offending spot with a muttered oath. "All day."
Settling more comfortably against the desk, ignoring the way the cold metal bit into his hip, David waited. While sometimes hot-headed and impatient, he found that his patience had increased tremendously since the breaking of the Curse. He would wait as long as it took for Lillian to open up to him; he wasn't blind to the way she visibly flinched away from his family, including himself.
Reading his emotions, and realizing he wasn't going to drop the issue, Lillian closed her eyes and released her already weak hold on the glamour. As it faded from her features, she caught David's faint, but unmistakable intake of breath.
"Lillian… "
The skin beneath her eyes were puffy, with dark half-moon circles carved beneath them. Her face was drawn and ashen, and the skin looked as if it was stretched too tightly over the bones of her face. Overtaken by concern, David crossed the short distance and cupped her face between his hands.
"What happened? Did Regina- " He stopped at the strange look that crossed her face. "What? What is it?"
"It wasn't Regina," she croaked out through dry, cracked lips. She felt like hell and it was a relief to drop the glamour. Part of her had been strangely hurt that, despite all their years on Neverland, Bae hadn't realized the magical mirage she had created, but she knew she was being unfair. She and Bae had been separated for decades - centuries even, with the way time passed on Neverland - and he had his own problems to worry about. "It was… Neal's fiancee."
"Tamara?" David asked dumbly, still unclear as to what the older woman had to do with anything. "What does she have to do with this?"
She ignored the vague gesture toward her haggard appearance. "I… I saw her last night at the Inn. She was… she was kissing someone. Someone who wasn't Neal."
David's eyes widened at her hushed whisper, mind racing at the implications. "How… how does Tamara know someone in Storybrooke? This is the first time she's been here, isn't it?"
"Yes, it is. But the way they spoke, it was like they'd known each other for years." She had felt longing, relief, lust, and, most sickeningly of all, love coming from the pair.
"Well who was it?" He started to pace, clearly torn about how to react, not that Lillian could blame him. "Who did you see Tamara kissing?"
"It was Greg." Lillian swallowed at the darkening expression that made its way across David's confused features. No one had been happy about the tourist's continued stay, especially after word got around - courtesy of Leroy - the the man was healthy enough to travel again. "I saw her kissing Greg Mendell."
More happy than he could say that they were alone at last, Greg forced himself to focus on the task and hand and not Tamara. Spreading out the carefully marked map on the table in his room, he moved to the side. Tamara took his place, sharp eyes scanning all the places he had marked.
"These are all the places you saw it?" She demanded, tracing the marked map with the tip of one finger. There was no set pattern, though some places had more activity than others. She had even seen some of it with her own eyes despite her short time in town, and could add yet another marker to the spot where the Sheriffs Station was located.
"Yeah," he answered, moving to stand at her side, touching her arm absently. Even he hadn't believed it at first, all the times he'd witnessed magic since his arrival into the town more than proved that it existed. The Home Office had briefed them of course, but even that hadn't prepared them for the truth. "This town's lousy with magic." He glanced over at the clock, lips pursing. "Now you should go," he urged her, forcing his voice to sound casual and unaffected. "If Neal suspects anything, it's gonna make everything we have to do that much harder."
Tamara spared him a knowing smile; she could see through his pitiful attempts at nonchalance easily. "Don't worry, he won't." Her humor abruptly faded, replaced with a solemn seriousness. "Greg, have you had any luck… finding him?"
"My dad? No." He forced a smile, and she mirrored the expression, if only to comfort him. "But he's here. I'm sure of it."
"We will find him."
"I know." He said, confident that they would be able to, one way or another. "But one thing at a time. Now, you were able to get the package here, right?"
She nodded. "It's right outside town. Couldn't just drive in with it."
"And it's… it's stable?"
"Very," she assured him dryly, wondering if they had the same definitions of 'stable'. "I'll bring the package in tonight," she headed toward the door, shooting him a smile. "Be ready."
Steeling herself to pass through the cloaking spell - she hated fairy magic - Lillian held her eyes tightly shut until the cloying magic separated from her skin. Peeling them open, she allowed her eyes to wander the bean field in awed wonder. The dwarves, along with the shrunken giant Emma had befriended in the Enchanted Forest, milled about, pruning the precious beanstalks.
"Lillian!" Leroy called, giving her a wave with his free hand. The others greeted her as she walked along the rows, expression openly delighted. With careful fingers, she ran them along the leaves of a carefully pruned stalk, magic shimmering beneath her touch.
"This is… amazing," she breathed to no one in particular, not really expecting an answer. When the beans were harvested, she could…she could go home.
She got one in the form of a travel-sized giant. "Aren't they?" He asked, beaming proudly at the stalks as if they were a prized pet. "They're growing rather nicely - harvest time shouldn't be too far off." Remembering that he'd never met the young woman beside him, he stuck out a large hand. "Oh, I'm Anton, by the way."
She almost lost her hand from his vigorous shaking, but found his enthusiasm infectious. "Lillian."
"I've never met a good sorceress before," he said, words and expression both pleasant. Clearly, no one had told him about her empathy; fear and wariness coiled around him like a vine.
Her answering smile was humorless. "First time for everything."
Anton was saved from responding by the approach of David's truck. Peering past Anton's shoulder, Lillian watched as the Charming family - minus Henry - filed out of the pickup truck.
Emma, it seemed, was on the warpath. "Why are we in the middle of nowhere?" She demanded, voice and figure distorted by the barrier. Lillian watched the blonde as she attempted to verbally tear a strip off her parents for their apparent lack of concern regarding August's death. "Why aren't you guys telling me what's going on? Why the secrecy?"
"Because you need to see it," Mary Margaret replied, lips twisting up into a wide smile.
"Great." Emma huffed, glaring at her mother and father in turn. "That always goes well for me." When they didn't react to her sarcasm, she tried a different route. "Listen, whatever it is, can it wait? August was trying to warn me about something - someone dangerous."
Her father merely smiled. "Doesn't matter."
"Why not?"
Mary Margaret reached out to draw her daughter toward the barrier. "Because of this."
A parent on either side of her, Emma reluctantly allowed them to lead her toward the patch of empty land. To her surprise, once they'd gone a few feet from the road, they passed through something that felt like walking through water. Blinking rapidly, Emma looked around warily, eyes widening at the sight before her.
All seven of the dwarves were milling about between several rows of what looked like smaller versions of the beanstalk she'd climbed in the Enchanted Forest. As if to add to her struggling attempts at processing what was in front of her, Anton appeared in her line of sight.
"Emma," the shrunken giant greeted, a grin splitting his face in half.
Numb with shock, Emma had to force her arms to respond when the giant swept her into a warm hug. "Hey."
"Are you here to help?" He asked as he drew back, raising his hand to show her the pruning shears he held. "It's not quite harvest time yet."
"Beans." Emma whispered, mouth barely able to form the words. "You're growing magic beans." She turned accusingly on her parents. "That's what you were up to when I was in New York? Why didn't you tell me?"
"We are telling you." David reassured her. "We kept it a secret to protect the crop. Mother Superior, she cloaked the area." He nodded at the bearded giant with a smirk. "That way Anton can do what he does best."
Anton raised a brow. "Actually, you haven't seen me play darts." Lips twitching, he shrugged his shoulders modestly. "But, yeah, I do this pretty good."
Focus returning to the no longer giant giant, Emma settled on the obvious. "Um, Anton, don't take this the wrong way, but w-why-why are you so… "
"Small?" He finished, taking absolutely no offense. "Cora. She and Regina brought some magic to make me human-sized."
"Which," another voice drawled, "I believe was pishsalver." Lillian stepped out from behind a row of beans, eyes silently appraising as she approached the four of them. "It's a kind of drink that makes you shrink."
Anton nodded. "Whatever it was, I kind of like it."
"Enough lollygagging!" Leroy chided, snapping the garden sheers in his hand. "Back to it."
"Wow," Anton muttered crossly, irritated that his well-deserved break was already over. "Dwarves really like to work. It's great to see you, Emma." He flashed her another grin before he followed Leroy's directive and headed back into the fray.
Lillian remained where she was, watching as Emma agreed with Anton's words before glowering at David and Mary Margaret. She could sense the storm of emotions swirling within the blonde sheriff and settled back to watch the fireworks.
"You want to use the beans to make a portal, to go back to the Enchanted Forest." Emma accused them quietly, unable to hold back the beginnings of hurt she could feel settling deep in her stomach. "That's the real reason you didn't tell me. What about Ogres and destruction and danger?"
When they'd been trapped there, Mary Margaret had made her feelings for her former home very obvious; she wanted nothing to do with the magical land, focused only on getting home to their family. Now, it seemed, she'd changed her mind. David had always wanted to return back to their old land, but with no way to travel between the realms, there was little he could do.
Until now.
"We can fix all that." David said confidently. "We did it before, we can do it again."
Mary Margaret added her voice to his. "We can start over, Emma."
Struggling not to feel betrayed, Emma eyed her mother soberly. "So, you've changed your mind. You wanna go now, too." Before they could respond, she focused on Lillian. "And you? What do you think of this?"
"I won't say no to returning home," Lillian replied carefully, heart thumping wildly beneath her rib cage. "But, home is where the heart is, I think."
Seeing her daughter was struggling, Mary Margaret steered her attention away from Lillian's cryptic answer. "Not my mind - my heart." Her hand found David's, and she gripped it tightly. "After what I did to Cora, I think restoring our land is the best way to mend it."
"It'll be good for all of us, the whole family. Henry and you."
"We're from there. You're from there."
Emma shook her head, resisting the urge to take a step away from their open, pleading expressions. "No, this world is… my home."
"And it's been nothing but cruel to you." David reminded gently, expression softening at the raw pain as it flashed across Emma's face. "If we go back, I think you might be able to have your happy ending."
With all the paper work settled, Gold strode confidently through the hospital hallways, a spring in his step that had been missing in recent days. While the matter of where Belle would be staying had yet to be resolved - he had several unused apartments and properties at his disposal, should she not wish to stay at the manor - there was time to deal with that later.
Knocking lightly on the door frame of Belle's room, Gold peeked in, perturbed to find the room empty. Eyes sweeping over every surface, they narrowed when he realized that each and every one of Belle's things was gone.
"Nurse? Nurse!" He called loudly, anxiously tapping his fingers on the handle of his cane until the older woman hurried to his side. "There was a patient suffering from amnesia - where is she?"
"Belle?" The red-headed woman confirmed, expression baffled. "She should still be here."
"So where is she?!" He demanded, ignoring her promises that she'd look into it straight away.
As the nurse scampered away, his attention was drawn to the bedside table. Resting innocently on the surface was a matchbook with the logo of the local dive bar - the Rabbit Hole. Scowling blackly now, he shoved the offending object into his pocket and stormed from the room. When he found Belle - and he would find her - there would be hell to pay if a single hair on her head was out of place.
Enchanted Forest
At the sound of soft footfalls, Belle looked up from her dusting, lips pursed. Rumpelstiltskin entered the main hall and she blanched; the black apron placed over his clothes to protect them was soaked through with blood.
"I'm gonna need another apron." He announced without preamble.
"Uh, they're uh… they're on the line drying." She said, struggling to maintain some semblance of calm at the sight of all the blood. "It'll be some time."
"Fine, fine," he muttered, untying the apron with quick, practiced ease, "Get to cleaning this one as well." He handed the bloodsoaked garment to her - the fifth one that day - and began to stride towards the wing that held his rooms. "I'll be back later."
She held the apron away from her dress with a grimace at his back. "All this because he tried to steal a magic wand?"
"No, because he tried to steal from me. The Dark One!" Golden eyes gleaming with anger, Rumpelstiltskin stared down his far too opinionated maid. "You try that - you get skinned alive. Everyone knows that."
At his words, Belle raised an eyebrow and held back an incredulous scoff. "Actually, no, they don't."
"Well, they will after they discover the body." Choosing not to take her to task for her cheek, the Dark One merely released a high-pitched giggle and pranced away.
Knowing better than to act on her plan so soon after he'd left the hall, Belle continued with her chores for the day. After some time had passed, she made her way to the dungeon beneath the castle, clutching a glass of water and looking over her shoulder anxiously the whole time.
The heavy wooden door creaked loudly as she entered, rousing the thief from what she assumed was unconsciousness. One eye was swollen shut, the other bruised so badly it was a wonder he could see at all. He squinted at her, trying to puzzled together exactly who stood in the doorway.
"What?" He rasped, throat raw from when he could no longer hold back his cries of pain. "Did he send you to finish the job?"
Pity swept through her at the state he was in, and it took a moment for her to regain use of her tongue. "Uh - no, no. Not at all." Stepping further into the cell, she raised the cup to his lips. "Here, drink this. I couldn't let this continue, it's inhuman."
Well aware that this could be another ploy and that the cup could be filled with poison, the thief still drank eagerly."I-I couldn't agree more." He managed, eyes widening when she set down the cup and began to work on the manacles that held him against the wall. "You're not her, are you? His assistant, the red-eyed she-demon." He elaborated at Belle's puzzled expression. Once the chains fell slack, he crumpled to a heap on the ground and raised his head weakly to stare up at her in wonder. "But… will he not turn his wrath on you next?"
"If he does, I'll stand up to the beast that he is," she announced as she reached down to haul him to his feet, "because no one… no one deserves to be tortured."
"Well, he may beg to differ."
"Well, I don't care," Belle said with a toss of her head. The thief, while on his feet, was clearly in no condition to run for his life, but that couldn't be helped. "He doesn't frighten me. Hurry up," she urged him to the cell door. "He'll be back soon. Hurry."
"But he will - he will kill you." Sympathy glinted in the man's eyes and he hesitated at the door before holding out his hand. "Unless - unless you run away with me."
Ruefully, though she would love nothing more than to escape this castle and the life of servitude, Belle shook her head. "I can't run. I made a deal to serve him, in exchange for him protecting my kingdom and my family from the Ogres. If I were to leave, I might survive, but my family surely won't."
Recognizing the resolve in her voice, he reached forward to grasp her hand, pressing a kiss to her knuckles. "All I can do is wish you luck."
"Thank you," she whispered solemnly, with the grace of the lady she had once been. "Now go," she urged, knowing their time was running out. "Go."
Storybrooke
"What have you done with Belle?"
Raising her gaze from the papers on her desk, Regina arched a brow at Gold's icy demand. "I'm sorry, do I look like a one-handed pirate with a pistol? You know who shot her."
Infuriated by her attempts to act innocent, he stormed into her office. "Stop playing games! She's gone and now she's someone else!"
"Oh, you mean she has her memories back?" Regina drawled, affecting a surprised tone."You're welcome."
"Not her memories, he curse memories."
Inwardly rolling her eyes, she rose, refusing to allow Gold to intimidate her in her own office. "Yeah, from the cruse you gave me. You see, all I did was jog things back in place."
"Well, undo it, bring her back."
Regina frowned at his command. "You know I can't," she reminded him tartly. "She crossed the town line. Her old self is gone. Those curse memories she has are now real." Her painted lips quirked. "Lacey's here to stay."
"Any curse can be broken, dearie." Gold reminded her darkly. "Now you are gonna help me… "
"Or what? You'll kill me?" Regina scoffed incredulously. "No, you won't."
He leaned in threateningly. "Oh, won't I?"
"You're on your best behavior because of your son. You don't want him to know who you really are, now do you?" Regina challenged, smirk widening when he backed off. "So I suggest you get used to Lacey."
"All right. I'll find a way."
"Finding a way isn't the problem, dear." Regina threw the endearment back at him with all the spite she could muster. She still wasn't, and would never be, over his involvement in her mother's death. "We both know what is."
"Yeah, true love's kiss."
"And I don't think our new resident feels the same way about you as you do her."
"Then I'll make her!"
Rather than be put off by his outburst, Regina rolled her eyes. "There's the charm that should easily woo a lovely young lady. She'll most certainly fall in love with you at first sight." Her expression turned cruel. "Oh wait, that didn't happen, did it?"
"She will," he leaned closer, voice low, "or I promise you, there will be suffering."
"Finally something we both can agree on." Regina countered, expression just as threatening. "Good luck, Gold. Oh, and… give my best to Lacey."
"Ten bowls of chili." Leroy ordered, forgoing a greeting, the moment he was at the counter at Granny's. "No beans." He added as an afterthought, grimacing at the thought.
Granny arched a brow over her spectacles as she bustled over. "You and the Dwarves got something against beans?"
Leroy pursed his lips. "Oh, let's just say we've had our fill over the past couple weeks."
"What exactly are you boys up to, anyway?"
"Just a little landscaping."
David held in a chuckle at Leroy's evasion. The dark-haired Dwarf was finding it very difficult to keep his mouth shut for once and not shout to the skies that they had a way to go back home. Smiling in thanks when Granny placed a piping hot bowl of chili before him, David prepared to tuck into the meal when a cool, accented voice spoke from his left.
"Is this seat taken?" Gold asked of David, expression one of forced politeness. Without waiting for an answer, he turned his attention to Leroy. "You might wanna run along," he told the fuming man carelessly. "I need to chat with the prince."
Sensing that Leroy was about to say something guaranteed to bring the Dark One to the surface, David stepped in. "It's all right, Leroy. I got this."
Growling beneath his breath, Leroy stole a last mutinous glare at Gold before he slipped from the bar to join his brothers at a table. Watching the older man as Gold eased himself onto a stool, David inwardly took a calming breath in preparation for what he assumed was going to be an unpleasant interaction.
"What do you want to chat about, Gold?"
Gold didn't need to have Lilith's empathy to sense that David was ill at ease. "Regina," he muttered, getting to the heart of the matter. "She, uh, helped jog Belle's memory."
"That's good, then?" David arched a brow at Gold's tone.
"No, no. Wrong memories." Gold told him, stomach sinking once more as he realized how different this Lacey was from his Belle. "She now thinks she's a scantily clad barfly named Lacey. She has a false life, as you did under the curse with Kathryn, only hers apparently involves a lot more alcohol."
"What do you want with me?" David asked, lips pursing. "Why not go an find Lillian?"
Despite his best efforts, he flinched at the sound of his assistant's name. "I want to know how you did it." He said, sidestepping the second question altogether. "Even when both your heads were filled with false memories, David Nolan still won Mary Margaret's heart."
"You want me to help you?"
"Well, I'm certainly not here for the over-praised lasagna." Gold shot back tartly, meeting Granny's glower head on, lip curled in challenge.
Mindful of every watchful eye in the diner, David leaned uncomfortably close to Gold and hissed in a low voice, "You got my wife to murder someone."
"Someone who would have killed all of you." Gold reminded him balefully, eyes narrowing in irritation. Realizing that his present course would get him nowhere, Gold changed his tune. "Look, if you don't wanna help, that's fine. But if you do, for the first time ever, I'm gonna owe you a favor."
David studied the older man in silence. Every instinct screamed at him to ignore the offer and continue on without a second thought - but he had to admit the idea of having one-up on the Dark One appealed to his protective instincts. "All right," he exhaled with a resigned finality and leaned in again. "When Regina cursed Mary Margaret and me, there was still a sliver of Snow and Charming. The real us inside."
"And so how do I bring back the real Belle?" Gold asked, hating how desperate he sounded.
"Show her the man she fell in love with."
"So, uh… are we ever gonna talk about it?"
Lillian glanced up from the text in front of her, and the sight of her blood-red eyes unnerved Neal deeply. Sensing the turn his emotions had taken, she closed her eyes and took a deep breath.
"Sorry," she muttered, concentrating so that her eyes were their natural hue when she opened them.
Neal breathed a sigh of relief. "You know I always hated it when you did that."
She pursed her lips to keep from sticking her tongue out at him. "At least you have the guts to admit it. All the others hate it - except Henry - and they walk around me like I'm going to explode whenever it happens." She shut the book and gave him her full attention. "Now, talk about what?"
"Pan." Neal said, wishing he hadn't said anything the moment his words registered. However, he soldiered on, knowing this conversation needed to take place. "About what happened after you… left Neverland."
"Left," Lillian hissed, voice oozing cynicism, "as if I had a choice in the matter." Agitated now, she swept her hair up into a bun at the top of her head, tangling her hair into a complete mess. "Rumple used David to summon me - it was a spell," she explained at Neal's questioning expression. "One that could only be done by someone who needed me but didn't exactly want me."
"And David needed you for… ?"
"Saving Snow White. Rumple blackmailed Prince Charming into summoning me from Neverland in exchange for help to find his true love. And David, big shocker, fell for the bait, hook, line and sinker." She sighed heavily. "I don't want to blame him, really I don't," she whispered, turning earnest eyes Neal's way. "But it's… it's hard…"
"So," Neal cleared his throat with difficulty, "You're still, uh, in… you still have- "
"I'm still in love with Peter," Lillian said dryly, reaching her hands across the table. Neal obliged her unspoken wish, clasping them within his own. Smiling now, she continued with less snark, "Even though it's been a long, long time… a really long time… yes, I'm still in love with him. Once, I'd have done anything to get back to him."
He caught the slight hitch in her words. "But now…?"
She let out a heavy gust of a sigh. "Now? Things are a bit more complicated."
Part of her wanted to come clean - to tell him everything she had seen and heard from Greg and Tamara the other night. Guilt roiled around in her gut at the thought of keeping something from Bae, the boy who had once been her best friend… her only friend, if she was honest. But, as David had cautioned her just that morning, it was too dangerous to play their hand with the Greg and Tamara situation. Not when they didn't know everything.
"Because of my father?"
"Because of Henry. And you," she grimaced before adding, "and Rumple, I suppose. Honestly, enough has happened within the last year that I'm not even sure I want to be around Rumple any longer than I have to be."
Neal's expression tightened briefly; Lillian had told him all about what had happened with the fairy ring his father had given her and the split personality it had created.
"I don't want to forgive him," she whispered, and when Neal rounded the table to wrap her in his arms, she didn't fight the hot press of tears. "I don't think I can."
Enchanted Forest
Given a break from her duties, Belle sat on a divan near the open window, open book in her hands. Actually reading the words in front of her was proving difficult, as the sound of Rumpelstiltskin sharpening a dagger proved too distracting.
"I'll try not to be too loud." The Dark One promised lightly, testing the sharpness of the blade as he set down the whet stone and picked up several other torture devices. "I can't promise the same courtesy from our prisoner." Turning, he walked toward the cells, unaware of how rapidly Belle's heart raced within her chest. "Belle!" His sudden shout echoed through the castle, causing her to stiffen in readiness. "Where is he?"
"Gone." She answered as he reentered the room. "I let him go."
"What? He was a thief!"
"Which doesn't give you the right to kill him."
"It gives me every right!" He countered loudly, eyes narrowing maliciously. "Oh, let me guess. You think he's a hero, stealing from me for some noble cause." He jabbed a finger at her, relishing in her flinch. "You read too many books, dearie!" The book in her hand disappeared in a purple swirl of magic. "Maybe that'll stop filling your head with poisonous thoughts!"
"I didn't free him because of what I read in my books. I saw good in him." She told him, hoping her words would sway him to her line of thinking. "That man only wanted to escape with his life."
"Oh, is that what you thought? Our thief escaped with more than his life." Drawing back from his threatening stance, Rumpelstiltskin gestured to the empty wand stand. "You were tricked. You foolish, gullible girl!"
Belle rose cautiously to her feet."Th-there must be an explanation. We… we don't know why he needed that wand."
"He took the wand because he wanted magic!" Rumple scolded her, all too familiar with the subject. Whirling and throwing his hands up, he stalked to the table and threw the unused blade onto the table. "People who steal magic never have good intentions!"
She dogged his steps, voice pitched in growing distress. "No. No. You can't tell what's in a person's heart until you truly know them."
"Oh, we'll see what's in his heart, all right. When I shoot an arrow straight through it." He mocked drawing back a bow and she flinched away from him again.
And because I am a showman… " Without looking, he summoned the thief's bow into his waiting grasp. "It'll be with his bow. And because this is your fault, you get to come with me and watch, and know as the blood drips from his carcass it'll be you and your rags to wipe it up!"
Storybrooke
Accepting the shot that was handed to her, Lacey knocked it back before biting into a lemon slice.
A dark-haired man slid onto the bar stool beside her, eying her up avariciously. "Another round for the lady!" He called to the bartender, who nodded acknowledgment.
She hummed in response, side-eyeing him with a patronizing manner. Instead of being put off, the man leaned closer.
"I've had my eye on you for a while."
Lacey took the next shot when it was given to her before setting down her glass to smile at the stranger. "Thank you," she said sincerely, lips twitching into a cruel smirk. "Not my type."
"Well, you never know unless you give me a chance."
As the former Sheriff of Nottingham attempted to cajole Lacey, Gold and David entered the Rabbit Hole. Eyes drawn to the bar, the older of the two men held in a snarl at the sight of the former Sheriff attempting to cozy up to Belle.
it was a struggle to not immediately incinerate the Sheriff on the spot, but Gold somehow managed. "You might wanna wait outside."
Sensing the oncoming murder - Lillian reacted in a similar manner when faced with a displeasing situation - David lunged and threw out an arm to stop Gold from advancing. "Yeah, yeah, bad idea." He cautioned, relaxing as they watched the dark-haired would-be suitor slink away dejectedly. Come on."
David chose a spot at the bar several seats away, attempting to give the couple privacy, while still remaining close at hand. Gold picked the former seat of the Sheriff, catching Lacey's attention as she took a sip from her glass.
"Oh! Mr. Gold. You're, uh, you're back."
He gave a pained smile. "As are you."
"Well, what can I say?" She teased, smiling at the decor. "Love the ambiance" chuckling into her glass, she scowled as the song playing in the bar changed. "Mm. What the bloody hell is that?" Twisting in her chair, she glared at the jukebox. "Let's get some "Panama" going on in here. You, uh, you like Van Halen? You're a hagar man, aren't you? Huh?"
As she spoke, Gold could only stare at her, lost. Seeing she wasn't going to get an answer, Lacey left her seat, fingers tapping to the beat on the bar, and strode to the jukebox.
Watching her go, David hissed at Gold, "What are you doing?"
"We have nothing in common."
"That doesn't matter." David chided. "You just need a way in. Ask her out," he gave a firm nod in Lacey's direction. "Go on."
Feeling as if he was a tongue-tied youth again, Gold followed Lacey from the bar, step heavy. She was spread out across the jukebox, rifling through the song selection.
"Uh, Lacey?"
"Yeah?" She asked distractedly.
"Now that you're… back to your old self, perhaps we could spend some time together."
Turning to face him, she leaned back and raised an eyebrow. "Like a date?"
"Yes, a date."
"Well, you do know that I'm not this Belle that you're always talking about?" Lips pursed, she waited for his reply.
He answered with only the slightest of pauses. "Yes, of course."
Clicking her tongue lightly, she tilted her head at him. "I've heard about you, you know. People in town, they're afraid of you Mr. Gold."
"Don't let that deter you." He said quickly, dimly regretting every cruel thing he'd done before, during, and after the Curse. "Give me a chance, please."
Lacey eyed him coolly, clearly waiting for him to crack. Then, she nodded as if she'd found something. "Okay," she muttered, expressionless. "Tonight. Granny's, 8:00."
"Not bad, don Juan." David drawled, drawing up to stand at his side.
"Don Juan was nothing before he made his deal with me." Gold crowed.
"Regardless," David crossed his arms, sighing somewhat in relief that it had been that easy. "You got her to go out with you. Congrats."
"Indeed. Now I just need her to fall in love with me." Gold said, half to himself, realizing that the battle wasn't even half-won at all.
Lulled by the sounds of the sea, Emma was absorbed in re-reading the story of her parents. Lost in thought, she didn't hear the approaching footfalls until Regina spoke.
"Reading up on Henry's father?" The mayor sighed deeply, sitting on the next bench over. "Or maybe his grandfather? How long did you think you could keep that from me?"
Emma couldn't even muster the energy to bristle at Regina's words. "Well, I was going to tell you, but I was kind of busy trying to stop you and your mother from killing me and my entire family."
Regina refused to rise to the bait. "What is he doing here?"
"Neal?" Emma queried, relenting when she saw the look Regina wore. "Relax. He just wants to spend some time with his son."
"Funny, he didn't seem to want to spend time with him the first ten years of his life." Regina retorted conversationally, but Emma wasn't unaware of the pointed barb hidden beneath the calm delivery. "But then again, neither did you."
Hackles rising, Emma's eyes narrowed. "You know what, Regina? How about instead of worrying about everyone else, you start focusing on trying to be the person Henry wants you to be before you lose him for good?"
"'For good', what does that mean?"
Emma felt like biting her tongue. Her parents and the Dwarves would kill her if word got out about the beans. Keeping her face expressionless, Emma sighed. "Nothing. Unlike you, the rest of the world isn't always scheming to get what they want."
"No." Regina said slowly, expression unblinking. "You're hiding something. Well, whatever it is, I can assure you of one thing. I'm going to find out."
Neal reached out with a trembling finger to trace the vivid, nasty looking scar that spanned half the left side of Lillian's rib cage. "So, you're telling me that Hook did that to you?"
"Yup," her eyes were guarded, as if attempting to protect herself. "He didn't… I don't think he meant to. He was angry and lashed out and his hook was coated in dreamshade- "
His already angered expression darkened. "Wait, wait, wait. You're telling me that you got poisoned with dreamshade and are still alive? How the hell is that possible?"
"I knew the right way to counteract it," Lillian shrugged, uneasily meeting Neal's eye. "And… I may have picked up an immunity from Peter. The whole 'linked souls' thing really comes in handy sometimes."
Neal slumped against the headboard of his rented room at Granny's, thrown by the revelation. Tamara was off doing her own thing, taking in the city, and while he didn't think she'd mind that Lillian was there, he didn't want to push her comfort levels. Tamara was already taking things as well as could be expected, given that she was about to marry into a family from another, magical realm.
"I, uh, never thought Killian would do that. To you especially - you two were always close on the island."
Her eyes darkened with remembered hurt. "Didn't stop him from abandoning us there, did it?"
Neal winced at the reminder. While he had loathed the sight of the pirate, he agreed that it had stung when the older man had been able to leave the island for good and hadn't taken either of them with him.
"Hey," he moved to the edge of the bed and wrapped an arm around her slumped shoulders. "We got out, didn't we? We're free."
"Yeah," she snuggled into his shoulder, sense prickling as Henry headed down the hallway to the room. Her chest ached as she remembered Peter's snarling, heart-wrenching expression as she was torn away from him.
"I guess we are."
Storybrooke
Heart aching in a similar manner to his assistant's, Gold gathered what was left of his dignity and left the Rabbit Hole behind him. Belle's betrayal - though he was honest enough to admit that she wasn't Belle any longer and that she hadn't truly betrayed him - hurt badly enough that he almost wished he could banish his humanity the way Lilith once had.
Rounding the corner of the building, Gold quietly made his way back to his car. Behind him, the Sheriff of Nottingham chased him down, panting heavily as he caught up with the pawnbroker.
"M… mister… Mr. Gold. I'm… I'm so sorry about what happened back there." The dark-haired man gasped out, lips swollen and hair tousled from Lacey's ministrations. "I… I… I didn't know that you two were still together."
The other man's obvious fear didn't even phase the Dark One. "We're not." He replied grimly.
"Oh," the sheriff breathed, then laughed, relieved. "Oh, so we're good then, right? There's no hard feelings?"
He offered his hand, smiling hopefully in the face of Gold's quiet, simmering rage. Eying the proffered appendage dispassionately, Gold felt something within him break.
"You know, I have tried so hard to be on my best behavior. But I guess there's no point now." Before the panicked looking man could run, Gold whisked his hand together, summoning the Sheriff's tongue from his mouth as he had all those years ago in Sherwood Forest. "So no one can hear you scream."
Gagging now, the Sheriff made to grab his tongue from Gold, lunging when the Dark One tossed it, only for it to vanish in a swirl of black smoke. Grinning madly, Gold brought his cane down hard on the Sheriff's exposed back, sending him to the ground before Gold's rage rained down on him.
Enchanted Forest
Forever grateful that the Dark One had been able to find his humanity somewhere within the soulless husk he presented himself as, Belle remained silent the whole trip back to the castle. It wasn't until they had entered the main hall that she deigned to open her smiling mouth.
"Looks like you won't be needing that bow anymore."
Rumpelstiltskin chose to ignore the cheekiness of her smile. "Actually, I think I'll hold onto it." He hung the bow and quiver on the edge of his carved, high-backed chair until he could procure a stand for it. "You never know. Could come in handy someday."
"Well, uh, if you don't need me for anything else, good night, Rumpelstiltskin." Smiling, she turned to leave, stopping when he called called her back.
"No, wait." He gestured toward one of the towers that she knew was empty. "There is something else."
Following him closely, she was unprepared for what awaited them at the top of the stairs. The once empty tower room - she was almost certain that the room had belonged to his mysterious apprentice - was now filled floor to ceiling with books.
Rumpelstiltskin didn't need Lilith's empathy to sense how excited the woman behind him was. "Temper your excitement, dearie. This is merely another room for you to clean."
"It's… it's beautiful." Belle breathed, taking in the room with awe. "There's more books in here than I could read in a lifetime."
"Well, I hope you can clean faster than you can read."
Rather than become offended at his quip, Belle smiled before she was drawn to the book resting on the table. Picking it up, a smile unfolded when she saw it was the book he had vanished just that morning.
"Did you do all this for me?"
"I better not see a single speck of dust gathering on any of these books." He ordered, scowling when she smiled so brightly it seemed to light up the room. "What are you smiling at? I'm serious."
"You're not who I thought you were." Belle said, reaching out to take his hand in her own. He stiffened at the touch, too stunned to pull away. "And I'm glad."
Storybrooke
Neal knocked on the door the the Charming's loft, Henry slung over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes. Emma answered, her parents still on their way home from the bean field.
"What, did you tranquilize him?" She demand playfully in a hushed whisper once she saw the state her son was in.
"I just gave him a couple bourbons." Neal retorted just as teasingly. "Kid's a real lightweight."
"Sounds like you guys had a full day." Emma said over her shoulder, leading Neal to the couch. She wasn't sure Henry would stay asleep long enough to be taken up the stairs and didn't feel comfortable with Lillian using her magic to move him there.
"Spent most of it at the park," Neal lowered his slumbering son onto the couch and stepped back as Emma threw a quilt over him. "He's getting pretty good with those wooden swords. I guess that makes sense, considering where his family's from."
"Shh," Emma whispered, tucking the quilt around Henry. She'd take his shoes off later.
Neal caught onto her secretive manner. "What?"
"You ever thought about going back?"
"Back where?"
"Home." She exhaled, sitting at the small table. "Where we're from."
Uh… I spend most of my life trying to forget that place." Neal reminded brusquely, sitting down as well. Tamara hadn't texted him back yet, so he figured he had a few minutes. "I didn't exactly have a fairy-tale childhood. You know what I mean. Why do you ask?"
"No reason."
"August came by the park today. He and Henry seemed to really hit it off."
"That is gonna take a while to get used to."
"You know, I gotta say, he's actually a lot cooler as a kid." Neal grinned, scratching the back of his head. "Steals less of my money."
Emma tried to smile but it came out as strained. "He'd be way cooler if he could remember what he was trying to warn us about before he got… "
"Rebooted?" Neal supplied.
Emma gestured in acceptance. "'Storybrooke isn't safe'? Isn't safe from who?"
"Well, he always had a knack for being cryptic." Inhaling deeply, he leaned his elbows on the table. "Don't worry about it. You'll figure it out. If there's one thing I know about you, you don't stop till you find what you're looking for."
Seated in his car at the town line, Greg waited impatiently for Tamara to arrive. Straightening up when he saw the approaching headlights, he exited his car, smiling at her.
"Hey, beautiful," he greeted, drawing her close for a kiss. "We all good?"
She returned his smile. "Better than good." She sighed, turning to the trailer hitched to her car. "Now should we unwrap the package?"
"You think he'll cooperate?"
"Wouldn't worry about that," she assured him lightly but with a deep conviction. "From what I know of him, I don't think he'll need much convincing to help us."
"What makes you say that?"
Tamara opened the back of the rented trailer, smirking as the metal clanged loudly. "Because if there's one person you can always count on to do your dirty work… " The door fell open, revealing a dark-haired man, bound and gagged, sitting in the back. "It's a pirate."
Squinting against the glare of the light one of the strangers held, Killian Jones glared heatedly at his captors.
Thoughts? Comments? Questions?