Chapter 11:
They quickly arrived at the Hospital, taking 2 cars so they'd have the space to place Belle in if she was fit to leave the hospital.
"We don't even know who she's supposed to be in this town yet." Henry reminded them.
"We'll deal with whatever comes Henry. At least she won't be under Regina's control. We can be sure she's planning on using Belle against Gold at some point and freeing her is a priority." Emma replied.
"Henry has a point though, you might have to hold back when you see her, you wouldn't want to scare her if she doesn't remember you." Bella warned Gold.
"I know, you're right. As long as she's safe, I'll be happy. But be ready to remind me to step back when the time comes." The Dark One nodded.
"Of course." Bella replied with a gentle smile.
"Who would have thought that the Dark One would start trusting people?" August commented.
"Who would have thought the Dark One would fall in love?" Gold replied.
"Love isn't everything, you have hope. Maybe all hope isn't lost for you after all. I hope your son will see it when the time comes. Plus if there's hope for you, it means that there's hope for everyone." August told him, thinking that, maybe, later, he should tell Gold that he knew where Baelfire was.
"So do I." Gold muttered, wondering if August knew anything about his son and making a mental note to ask him about it later.
"Sheriff, what's going on?" Doctor Whale asked as soon as he saw them walk toward the locked door.
"Nothing that concerns you doctor Whale, go back to your patients and please let us do our job." Graham replied, continuing on his way.
Nobody noticed a passing nurse taking her cell phone out to text Regina a warning.
Going through the door took them a few minutes but eventually, it opened and they walked down the stairs. While Henry stood watch at the top of the stairs, Graham warned the nurse at the desk to stay in her place unless she wanted to be arrested for interfering with an official investigation. Emma, Bella, August and Gold started opening the window of every locked door to see which one held Belle inside.
"Here, that's her." Gold nodded after 7 rooms.
A lot of the other rooms were empty, others had truly crazy people in it and Belle seemed to be the only one who was sane and calm. She simply looked bored.
Bella and Emma opened the door and slowly walked toward the young woman. Belle didn't recognize Gold, or anyone, and was confused. She didn't remember anything besides being locked in this room. She said that sometimes a woman in a pant suit visited her, never speaking, only staring with satisfaction, and the description did match Regina's.
"Do you think we can arrest Regina for holding Belle prisoner?" Bella asked Emma.
"I doubt it, she probably has everything covered to prevent that but I'll look into it anyway." Emma shook her head.
"Let's get her checked out." August suggested and they nodded.
"I'll get the book, maybe it'll help her remember." Henry suggested happily when Doctor Whale was checking Belle out.
"Don't bother, we should do this later, away from potential spies of Regina's." Bella replied.
"Do you think the book will work on her?" Gold asked Bella.
"It should. Right now she doesn't have any memories, she's a blank page. The book should help her fill it and it would be best that we used it before Regina has time to fill her head with other memories. Once she remembers who she is, kissing you, Mister Gold, should be just enough True Love's magic to giver her all of her memories back." Bella replied, confident that it would work.
Physically, there was nothing wrong with Belle and she was able to leave the hospital so they took her with them when they left, planning on going to Gold's house to explain everything to her.
"What is going on in here?" Regina suddenly barked, surprising them all.
Bella moved so she was hiding Henry who, thankfully, ran away without being seen by his adoptive mother. Gold also moved, going to stand in front of Belle so he could protect her in case Regina had anything planned.
"What are you talking about Madam Mayor?" Emma asked innocently.
Regina was looking at Graham incredulously. She had crushed his heart, he couldn't possibly still be alive right now.
"And be careful at what you answer, don't forget that I'm still the sheriff of this town and I'm not opposed to arresting the Mayor." Graham added, stepping closer to Emma.
"I see… I don't know how you did it Miss Swan but you're all going to pay for this, I swear you will. Nobody takes what's mine and lives to tell about it." Regina replied harshly with a glare before she turned around and went back to her car, cell phone already in her hand.
"I hope she doesn't hurt Henry to get her revenge." Bella whispered.
"She better not." Emma added.
After this, they all made their way to Gold's large house.
"Henry texted me, he's safely back home and Regina doesn't seem to be suspecting anything." Emma declared as they parked in front of the house.
"Good, at least we don't have to worry about that." Graham nodded.
They were all about to come inside the house, Gold had already opened the front door and let Belle inside, he was about to follow her, when another car parked and Sydney Glass ran out of the car, gun in hand.
"Wow, what are you doing Sydney? Don't do anything you'll regret!" Graham exclaimed, moving to stand in front of Emma while August went to move in front of Bella, deciding to forget about his fears.
"You're the one who's going to regret it Sheriff. You had it all, you had her and you betrayed her, you'll pay." Sydney yelled before he fired the gun in the general direction of Graham.
As soon as Sydney had fired the shot, August moved to get between Graham and the bullet. He couldn't let Emma lose someone else she had grown close to, he needed to do his best to protect her heart and at the moment, that meant jumping in front of a bullet to protect her against heart ache and loss. He was hoping that saving her present love interest's life would help him make up for his role in her losing Neal.
"August!" Bella screamed when the man fell on the ground, holding his shoulder while Emma and Graham rushed to arrest Sydney before he had time to escape.
"I'm calling an ambulance." Gold declared immediately.
"How is he doing?" Graham asked as he forced Sydney Glass to seat down in the patrol car.
"I don't think it's serious. He's bleeding but he'll be fine." Bella replied, fighting the tears of fear that threatened to fall.
"My leg." August whispered to her.
"What about it? Did you hurt it when you fell?" She asked him.
"Look." He insisted so, lifting his pants a bit, Bella cried out in surprise, seeing a normal human leg.
"I'm not wooden anymore." He smiled against the pain.
"Because you've been brave and unselfish. I know that you're still hiding something from us so you haven't been completely truthful, but you've been truthful enough." Bella told him softly.
"I'm going to bring him to the station, charge him for attempted murder. You'll be fine here?" Graham asked everyone.
"I'm going with August to the hospital." Bella declared.
"I'll stay here with the book and help Gold explain everything to Belle. I'll check on the two of you later." Emma told them.
"Maybe you should have your parents come over, it could help." Bella advised as the ambulance parked.
"You're right." Emma nodded, taking her phone off.
.The sorcerer's thoughts.
I knew that Pinocchio had it in him and I can't help but be proud of him. I was able to use his brave action to lift his curse, hoping that Blue wouldn't put it back on him.
Looking closer as he was settled in his hospital room, I couldn't help but notice the way that Bella was looking at him. Could she really be slowly falling for him? Could she be happy with August? I don't know if I should be happy or not. Surely he'll be better for her than that pathetic thief Will Scarlet but he's not the best either.
Then again, who'd be best for my daughter? A noble heart full of hope and potential for goodness, a powerful man capable of defending her against anything, someone courageous, brave, who'd love her more than his own life. Would August be capable of this?
Quickly thinking of all the men I knew, I tried to find someone I wouldn't mind seeing with my daughter and it was hard to select someone. Maybe Lancelot, the loyal and brave knight but he'd never forget his love for Arthur's wife so that was a no go. I also couldn't help but think that, with her by his side, Arthur wouldn't have turned out so bad, he would definitely be worthy but he was taken and lived in another realm, so he wouldn't be the one for her either.
Shaking my head, I left the mirror a bit to go and get something to eat. I was a loving father, nobody would ever be good enough for my daughter, all I had to do was hope that she'd be happy and wouldn't end up broken hearted like she was after that horrible Edward Cullen had messed with her.
.
While Emma was doing her best, with the help of her parents and Gold, to help Belle remember, Graham was filling the paperwork to make sure that Sydney wouldn't be able to get out of jail anytime soon.
"I don't know what Regina has on you, but you need to stop doing her biding before it costs you your life." Graham told Sydney as he locked the cell.
"You're the one who's going to regret betraying her. Don't you see how lucky you are to have her affection? Miss Swan will never give you half of what Regina could have given you." Sydney argued.
"Regina was manipulating me and somehow she's manipulating you as well. The day is coming closer when Regina is going to get everything she deserves and she'll end up in a cell as well for everything she's done." The sheriff replied confidently.
"Regina is a queen and should be treated as such. She'll never fail, you're the crazy one for not staying by her side."
"Right, I forgot that you were in love with her. I hope you'll see that truth before the end or she'll end up being your downfall." Graham declared before he went in his office to do the paperwork he needed to do before his dinner with Emma and her parents at Granny's.
.
It took Emma a couple of hours to make Belle believe. Unlike Mary-Margaret and David, she had all of Belle's memories, she remembered everything and not only what was in the book, due to the fact that her mind had been completely blank first.
"I was on my way back to you, Rumple, but Regina found me and arrested me. She locked me up in her tower and I've been in there for… I don't know, feels like decades." Belle replied.
"It was decades. 28 years under the curse plus the year or so she held you before she enacted her curse." Gold replied, happy to have his love back.
"Until the curse is broken, you have to be careful not to call him Rumpelstiltskin, people can't ask too many questions, it would only anger Regina more and an angry Regina is a dangerous Regina. She would have already killed Graham if we hadn't gotten his heart back and exchanged it for someone else's." Emma told the young woman.
"I understand, maybe it would be safer if I stayed inside for the most part until the curse is broken, maybe go out at night only." Belle suggested.
"What about your father?" Mary-Margaret asked her.
"I don't think he knows about her in this cursed life." Gold replied.
"It's okay, I'll see him once the curse is broken." Belle smiled, happy to be free, away from her dark room and able to read and see new things.
"Graham just texted me, Sydney is locked up. Bella also texted she said that August is going to be fine." Emma informed them.
.
Indeed, at the hospital, Bella was keeping August company in the room they had given him for the night.
"You don't have to stay, you know. They said I'll be fine and that they'll let me out tomorrow. The bullet didn't hit anything vital." August reassured her.
"I know, I've heard but you shouldn't be alone. I'll stay with you a while, keep you company. Unless you'd rather be alone?"
"Of course not, I like having you here" August exclaimed, liking every minute he spent with the young woman who made him feel like there was hope for everything.
"You know, I've talked to your father once here." Bella told him to start a conversation that didn't concern bullet wounds.
"How was he? Happy?" August asked, concerned.
"I don't think anyone is truly happy in this town right now but I think he's happy enough. As happy as someone can be here. He's healthy too. Maybe you could meet with him before Emma breaks the curse and help him in his shop. I'm sure you'll find a reason to approach him." Bella suggested.
"Maybe you're right."
"I know you're afraid but he won't be disappointed that you left Emma. You were just a child, he placed a weight too heavy on your shoulders. He will understand that you didn't do it immediately and will be proud of the fact that you fixed your mistakes." Bella argued.
"You're right, I'll go and try to meet him as soon as I'm out of this hospital room."
"Good." Bella nodded.
Bella stayed about 2 more hours with August, keeping him company and talking about various subjects. She liked his company, he was nice to have around and she knew that he'd be a good friend, maybe even more if they let it be.
I hope you liked it.
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Lorelei Candice Black