THIS IS IT! THE LAST CHAPTER HAS ARRIVED! :)
Thanks again for hanging in there and waiting for me to finish this story. I greatly appreciate it!
So, for the last time (with T&T), please enjoy!
-FantasyWriterFoSho
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Summary of the Previous Chapter: Gold and Zelena make a deal before the latter is trapped, then evicted from the town by Regina and Emma.
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Chapter Thirty: The Possibilities
…
8:07PM
A couple of hours later, Gold had finished fixing the mirror but when he tried to contact Zelena, he couldn't reach her. After quickly searching the town for both her and his requested individuals—his features invisible—he ended up finding the latter in the clocktower.
They were all paralyzed and when he scanned them over, he instantly noticed the presence of another person.
Standing right beside Henry, was the motionless form of Regina.
Remembering how Zelena wanted her sister to be trapped in the hat, he smiled. "Well, she has certainly made my job easier," Gold remarked with a sarcastic tone. "This is exactly where I needed them to be and besides," he then turned to look at Regina. "You have something I need, dearie. I know that you have my device and I want it back..."
He was about to unfreeze and possibly torture her for the information when something, in his peripheral vision, caught his attention. Turning towards it, Gold saw exactly what he had been looking for. Sitting on top of a barrel, was the metallic item, which glimmered at him in the dim lighting.
Magically revealing his dagger, Gold turned away from the four frozened bodies and moved over to the device in order to begin his preparations. He didn't like it that Zelena was nowhere to be seen but he brushed it aside, chalking it up to an unexpected case of nerves. Surprisingly, he had no plans of double crossing her but given their complicated relationship, perhaps she thought he would?
That's understandable, he silently admitted with a wince, his heart throbbing painfully in his chest. It's no matter though. She's not getting her mirror until my business is complete, so until then, she can do what she wants...
After transforming the device into the hat, he had barely glimpsed at it before he had a really bad feeling.
Spinning around, Gold's eyes widened when he saw the trickery before him.
Standing with one of her hands tense over the urn's lid was Regina, who was glaring at him with razor sharp eyes. Behind her, were the others and none of them were paralyzed anymore…
Did Zelena betray me? he asked before dismissing it. No, she wouldn't. She wanted that mirror too much to entrap me.
Narrowing his eyes at the scene, he opened his mouth to say something when he suddenly heard some movement creeping up behind him. Briefly glancing over his shoulder, Gold instantly saw the defensive forms of an emerging Emma and David climbing up the stairs. Catching a glimpse of the former's ring, he was able to see the words: CLOCKTOWER in front of a solid purple background, quickly realizing that it was Regina who had put this ambush into motion.
Turning back to face her, he dropped his gaze down to the urn that was still in her hands.
They certainly had him in a difficult position. A very difficult one.
He could use his magic against them but the ache in his chest was nearly unbearable and, at this point, he doubted that he would be able to beat the composed Regina.
Looking back up at her face, Gold tried to ignore the throbbing heat encompassing his ribs. "I'm assuming that Zelena is out of the picture then?" his tone was silky despite his pained insides.
"She's probably still walking to the next town," Regina replied. "Since she doesn't have her magic to help her anymore..."
Gold sighed. "I guess she didn't learn from her last mistake afterall. She seemed so sure that she would succeed..."
"Well, if Emma and I didn't immobilize, then force, a truth serum down her throat, I'm sure she would've put up a better fight. In any case," Regina continued, nodding at the hat in his hands. "You have bigger problems. I don't think you noticed that you've already lost."
Furrowing his brow, Gold looked at the navy blue item and inwardly gasped. There's no stars on it, he thought, growing angry at the implication. She freed them. I'll have to start all over again.
Trying to reign in his feelings, he then shifted his attention over to his wife, who was watching him with an unreadable expression. "Belle," Gold began, his eyes automatically softening. "I just want to say that you don't have to do—"
"Don't even try to appeal to me now," she cut in, her stance inflexible. "Though I still love you, I'm too mad at your lack of humanity, sympathy and morality to even deal with you." She then paused to take in a deep breath. "Your deceptions have gone too far this time. You've ruined everything and...I honestly don't know if I want to be with you anymore."
Heart shattering, Gold's mouth fell open when his chest tightened even more.
Taking advantage of the couple's moment, Emma had peeled herself away from the stairs, her gaze focused on the dagger in his loosening grip. Sneaking up behind him, hands slightly outstretched, she was seconds away from his hand when he suddenly turned around and caught her.
Eyes intense, Gold pressed two fingers together and began magically choking her. Gasping for air, Emma jerked her hands up to her throat and grabbed at it, her nails clawing into her skin as if it would grant her some kind of relief. Before anybody could truly react, Gold then stunned David backwards, his body crunching hard against the wooden stairs, as he descended, before propelling Emma's body forward and stationing her directly in front of him, her feet hovering a few inches above the ground.
"Her life...for my freedom," he then growled, his chest roaring beneath his shirt and coat.
"Emma!" Killian cried, trying to rush forward but Regina held him back with a quick grab.
"Rumple, stop!" Belle shouted, her eyes wide in horror at the blue splotches growing on Emma's reddened face.
Lighting up on his magical grip, Gold waited until he heard Emma take a violent gulp of air before peeking his head out to glimpse at them.
"You're making this a habit, old man," Regina jeered, pulling his attention over to her. "Using other people as shields just shows your cowardice."
"Her life for my freedom," Gold repeated firmly.
"Don't...do...it," Emma squeezed out, her lungs on fire.
Gold flexed his fingers to retighten the invisible hold around her neck, making her wheeze harshly.
"Whatever you want from me," Killian began, fighting against Regina's, and now Henry's, grip. "Take it. It's yours. Just let her go!"
Gold smiled. "Now, that's more like it. See, that's a deal worth trading for. I take back the shame I placed on Ms. Swan earlier about her failing to kill you with her magic. If she did, I would never have this opportunity to do it myself..."
One again, he released the tension around Emma's marked up neck, making her gasp loudly. Lowering her to the ground, he waited until her feet touched the floor, before prompting Killian forward with a hand wave, his dagger glinting when he did so.
"Regina," Emma croaked. "Open...the...urn..."
Again pulling a moving Killian back, Regina then shoved him behind her, her eyes flicking between a hunched Emma and a wary Gold. "I can't do that," she answered, shaking her head. "It'll suck you both inside..."
"Do...it…"
"Will you two shut up!" Gold snapped, raising a threatening hand. "The Captain and I have already made a deal. Now, step forward!" But just when Killian was about to try again, Gold's hand began to shake, making his hold on Emma loosen. No, not now, he thought when his heart constricted then thundered hard, shooting sparks of fire through his veins. Groaning in pain, he took a step back, his hand slightly dropping.
Sliding down to the floor, Emma landed on all fours, her neck incredibly sore. Hair spilling over her shoulders, she tried to breathe normally, her body shaking under the strain.
"Rumple?" Belle asked, seeing what was happening. Concern now etched on her face, she took a small step forward, leaving the surprised others behind her when Gold suddenly clasped an occupied hand to his chest. Remembering how he told them that he was dying, Belle raised a gentle hand out as if reaching for him. "It's your heart, isn't it?" she asked, her tone soft. "It seems that...all of your bad deeds have finally caught up to you."
Gold tried to breathe through the agony ripping him apart. She's not wrong, he thought, glimpsing up to look at her. His blackened heart was probably moments away from turning to ash because of all the evil things he's done in his life and what he was doing now wasn't helping.
In fact, it was propelling him even closer to death...but he had to do it.
This is the only way.
"It's not too late to make a choice," Belle backpedaled, her eyes losing some of its anger as her feelings began to overwhelm her. "We can make it work. Whatever it is, we can work through it but it has to be done the right way. It's either our marriage or your magic..."
Meeting her gaze, Gold thought about what she was asking him before he selfishly hardened his resolve. "My magic," he lied, knowing full well what his words implicated despite feeling the contrary. I'm sorry, Belle, he thought, his steely gaze seeing the devastation flaring in hers. But I really am doing this for us…
Moving his eyes over to Killian, who was shaking his head in disgust, he breathed through his gritted teeth before using his magic to lift a recovered Emma back up, but as soon as her body was, once again, blocking his form, he didn't see the resolve blaring in his victim's eyes.
Looking for the right moment to attack, Emma took advantage of him looking elsewhere by waiting until her head was inches away from his face before snapping it back, making solid contact with an unsuspecting Gold's nose, which immediately erupted with blood.
Reacting by stumbling away and dropping both of the items from his hands, his influence on Emma fully broke when all of his concentration went to his face.
Half-turning and half-falling forward, Emma's hands suddenly shook then glowed before releasing a burst of energy into Gold's chest, further pushing him back against some of the stair's railing.
Crumpling down to the ground, both of his hands clasped where she had struck him while blood began to dribble from his nose and lip. "Well played, Ms. Swan," he rasped, briefly glancing up at her before looking at his hands.
Belle, Regina and a recovered David immediately rushed towards Gold while Killian and Henry went to Emma, who slightly flinched when she felt their touch on her arms. She felt horrible. She didn't mean to magically attack him, but at the same time, she did mean to hurt him.
Closing her eyes when her action brought her back to what had happened at the station, Emma breathed through them before shoving those memories away. That's in the past, she thought, banishing those negative thoughts with positive affirmations. Feeling Killian pull her up to her feet, she was soon looking into his worried eyes when he began inspecting her face and neck. This is different. He was going to hurt my friends and family...
Grabbing his dagger and the hat before kneeling beside him, Belle's eyes were harsh with worry even though she considered his wound a justifiable attack. "Can you heal him?" she then asked, glancing up at Regina.
"He can't heal himself?" Henry inquired, taking a step closer before Emma stopped him by putting a hand on his shoulder.
"Probably not at this moment," Regina answered. "He was already losing his grip on magic when Emma hit him." Standing directly in front of him with the urn secured under an arm, she debated about what to do. Either she could indirectly help Gold by trapping him inside of the urn, where he would eventually heal himself, or she could directly assist him by using her restocked medical kit—purposefully treating him like a normal person—or...she could take his heart out to see how bad the damage really was.
But before she could properly decide, Gold glanced up at her, his eyes hard.
"My, how the tables have turned," he commented raggedly, though his tone was bitter. "Just know...that you're only so strong now because I'm in a weakened state."
Regina narrowed her eyes. "There are many ways for a person to be weak. You're just finally aware of your impending mortality."
Smirking, he gave her one more look before suddenly snapping his fingers and disappearing in a thick cloud of smoke, which filled the room, momentarily blinding them all.
After glancing around, Regina then turned to look at Belle. "Since you have his dagger, do you want to forcibly summon him back here?" she asked, her voice soft when she saw the sadness in the other woman's face.
Fighting the hurt pricking at her heart, Belle shook her head. "No, I don't want to see him and besides, he made his choice." Looking at her, she then handed Regina his dagger and the hat before rephrasing something Ingrid had said. "Being alone now is what he deserves..."
Slowly heading for the stairs, Belle's fingers clenched when she made her way down then out of the clocktower, several tears rolling down her cheeks.
Everybody else waited in silence for a couple of minutes before following suit.
Slowly moving to stand by Regina, Emma then leaned over. "If Belle doesn't want us to use the dagger," she whispered. "I still have that tracking potion she gave me. We can use it on that scarf you told me you still have. After all, we still don't know what he was planning to do..."
Regina thought about it before shaking her head. "I don't think Belle would want us to do that either. For now, we'll hold onto what we have for future usage, but at this moment, let's just leave things alone. I don't think he's going to come back anytime soon anyway." She then glanced over at the blonde with a forlorn expression. "Besides, I don't want to push things because, in a way, she's in mourning..."
Understanding that feeling, Emma nodded then looked down. "Poor Belle."
Deciding not to meet up later for celebrations, they exited then dispersed—Regina went to go talk to Robin about everything, especially about the "Marian" situation; David took Henry back to the loft after quickly being looked by Regina; while Emma—whose neck was also looked at by Regina—and Killian headed out to go get some drinks, needing a way to soothe the rough day they had.
…
A Week Later
It was early in the morning and Emma was at the loft.
Sitting at the island, she idly stirred her coffee while absentmindedly reviewing past events.
Gold hasn't been seen since his disappearance but she believed that he'll resurface soon. Afterall, he has unfinished business to attend to and he's not the sort to just let things go, especially where his dagger is concerned; however, if he does...they'll all be ready and poised with their signet rings.
Since everything was decent between them all now, Henry had been staying at Regina's house the last couple of days and has been referring to the whole situation as: "Operation Ostrich" due to how fast things had changed in their lives.
Regina and Robin were now seeing one another; though they were taking it one day at a time for Roland's sake. He was still somewhat confused about what had happened to his mother but he was also thrilled to be hanging around the reaffirmed couple again.
Where her vault was concerned, Regina had put extra precautions on it since it now contained: the urn, the hat, Gold's dagger and the mirror—which they discovered mysteriously floating in front of the library the day after the clocktower incident.
Elsa had managed to send her a letter, which she was overjoyed to receive. In it, she told her how Arendelle was in serious repair, because of Han's misguidance, but it was coming along nicely. She also informed her that while she continued to accept her magical abilities, Anna and Kristoff had finally gotten married and were easily adjusting to their new roles.
Belle has been putting on a brave face but definitely had days where she was noticeably suffering. They all had spent some time with her, to keep her company, particularly Henry, and were overjoyed when she moved out of the Pawn Shop. She was currently renting a place a couple of minutes away.
Her parents and baby brother were doing well. After they talked about everything that had happened—with David being very protective of her feelings when she gave them a full disclosure of her experience while Mary Margaret, once again, fiercely apologized for the station incident—they were now definitely on equal footing. They were also excited for the next chapter of their lives, but especially for Emma's new adventure because...
She was moving into a new house!
With a smile, Emma took a sip of her coffee before sighing in relief.
She was also officially being trained by Regina again, which had a great improvement on her magic. She no longer was having any spastic attacks, now that she was learning self-control, and through proper consultation with Hopper, she was also making great strides where her emotinal turmoil was concerned.
Flexing her fingers, Emma put down her cup so she could purposefully create some flames around the tips, a pleased look in her eyes, before she glanced up then played with the lights—remembering the incident that had happened at the Pawn Shop so long ago.
A wide smile appeared on her face when she then heard her parent's exasperated sigh from upstairs. Giggling, Emma called out her apologies before leaving the lights alone and dismissing the flames. At the same time her dad began climbing down the steps, she was about to take another sip when she heard a familiar rapping at the door.
Grabbing her keys and phone, before running over to get her jacket, Emma opened the door and immediately spied a grinning Killian, who was there to treat her out to a breakfast date.
Smiling back at him, she stared into his blue eyes.
They've been doing well, especially after they had made themselves official to their friends and family—or to the entire town. He also got into the habit of calling her his "girlfriend", which was enough to make her heart flutter.
Leaning in to kiss him, Emma then turned around to wave at a content-looking David, who responded by telling her to be safe. Giving her dad a warm smile, she nodded at him before leaving, closing the door behind her with a gentle thud.
Making their way over to her recovered car, which was parked right next to her dad's retrieved truck, Emma then leaned against it, her gaze focused on Killian, who did the same when he got to the passenger's side.
"I hope you're hungry," she said, a humorous glint in her eyes. "Actually, I know you are after catching up and binge drinking with Robin last night."
"Did he snitch on us?" he asked, his eyes wide. "Or are you using that tracking thingy on my talking box?"
Emma's hazel eyes sparkled. "Both. Robin told Regina and she told me, but apparently, he can't hold his beer either."
"It seems that Regina and I need to have another talk..."
"I don't think she needs any more advice from you about her personal life or whatever shared experiences you two may have."
"First off," Killian said, a laugh on his lips. "I give spectacular advice, Swan. Second, our new conversation will be about boundaries."
"If that's the case, then you should talk to Robin about that too, on the, you know, the next time you continue the bromance..."
Killian sighed before winking at her. "Aye, love. Anyways, I'm famished. All that rum, while delicious, can have stressful side effects, particularly if you have too much of it. Feeling empty, the next day, is definitely one of them..."
Emma then opened the car's door, a teasing look on her face. "Now, I'm both sad and disappointed. Apparently, my pirate doesn't know the rules to alcohol consumption and also can't handle his liquor..."
After giving her an exaggerated, shocked expression, Killian leaned in closer. "I can still do it better than you, sparky."
Mouth dropping open at his playful banter, she continued to smile at him. "Oh, I will hurt you," she said when they both clambered into the vehicle and closed their doors.
"I'm not scared of you, love," Killian responded, a big loving smile on his face. "But if you do, just promise me that you'll revive me with a True Love's Kiss."
Emma laughed when she put the car into drive and as they soon made their way over to a small cafe, on the outskirts of the town, she looked over at him. "I love you," she said, the phrase easily rolling off of her tongue.
"I love you too," he responded, his heart pounding in his chest.
Removing one hand from the steering wheel, Emma rested it atop his hook and gently held it, before focusing on where they needed to go, never feeling so light, airy and complete in her entire life than at that moment.
...
Watching the town from a distance, a reclusive Gold mulled over his past plans, despite having put them on hold.
Ever since that day at the clocktower, he hasn't had any chest pains and he believed that it was all because of Emma and her magic. He understood that as the Savior, she had powerful and even enhanced magical traits, but that didn't stop his suspicions and curiosities.
Frowning, he sighed. Maybe I can discover more facts about a Savior's abilities through the Dark Ones. It worked with the Transference Potion and the dagger...
Shaking his head, he sighed.
He was at a crossroads.
He didn't know whether he should go after Emma's magic or to just leave it all alone and be grateful that, for the time being, he was well. Afterall, he was most likely going to survive because of her.
Grunting, he then nodded his head after a few more moments of thought.
For now, I'll accept what has happened but...who knows what the future holds?
Staring a little bit longer at the town he helped create, Gold raised his hand and disappeared to an unknown location, but not before glancing over at his closed shop.
His wife's name lingering on his lips.
oOoOoOo
THE END
…
Thanks for reading!
And for those of you who are asking about my other series: A Swan Is Born (Part 2) and To Err Is Human (Part 1), I plan on doing some writing real soon :)