See chapter 1 for summary. Thanks for all the amazing reviews! Keep them coming! I'm really glad to be getting more frequent updates on this one too. It's a fun one. :) Here's individual responses:
foxchick1: Glad you're enjoying it. Hope you continue to. :)
AnonSnowing: Yeah, it really is the hottest thing ever. This story has a lot of wet Charming and it's very hot. Yeah, Rumple is right and it's about to get very dangerous. Glad you're enjoying it!
Grace5231973: I think you'll like this chapter a lot. I won't say more than that. It's interesting that you mention Bae, because they will meet in a very unique way later on. :)
sexystarwarslover: Lol, it was a little rude. Charmings are a bit high maintenance, but that's why we love them. But you're right, Regina is the reason they're in trouble most of the time. Yep, Kurt really got an unfortunate fate in the canon. Fortunately, I get to fix it in this story. Yep, Gold is awake thanks to Emma's name and he'll have to help them if he doesn't want the chance of the curse being broken to be threatened. Yep, a little protective Daddy Charming there. Things are about to get dicey for sure. Ha, yeah I think David actually understands Rumple on a certain level. Glad you're enjoying. :)
BooksinmyDreams: Glad you're enjoying! You're very welcome. Hope you enjoy this chapter. :)
Mysterious Fathoms Below
Chapter 6: Escape from Storybrooke
They entered Gold's shop and looked around, not surprised to find it full of peculiar objects.
"So...any idea where Regina might have him stashed?" David questioned.
"If I had to guess...the basement," Rumple responded. Snow's brow furrowed.
"The basement?" she questioned.
"Yes...the basement level at the hospital serves as a mental ward. No one but Regina and certain hospital staff members have access. It is the perfect place to put someone away that you don't want found," he responded. He had no way of knowing that he would soon find out how true those words were.
"Can you get us in?" David asked.
"It shouldn't be too difficult, but we need to be quick. The minute we're in, I know Nurse Ratchet will call Regina," he warned.
"Okay...we get Owen's father out and then back to the boat. Then I can tow us out of Storybrooke again," the prince said.
"And then you can't return until Emma is ready to break the curse," Rumple replied.
"And how exactly is Emma supposed to do that?" Snow questioned curiously.
"It's unclear...I do not have a clear vision on how she will do it," Gold answered.
"But she doesn't have to do it alone, right?" David asked and Gold softened a bit.
"No...you both will be there for her, but only if Regina doesn't catch us," he stressed, as he looked at the time.
"Now is the moment. We have a small window. I know for a fact that Regina is in a city council meeting. We have thirty minutes to get Kurt Flynn out and all of you gone from Storybrooke," he said. They nodded.
"Lead the way," David said, as they followed him out back to his car.
Regina tapped the gavel against the table, dismissing the meeting and packed up her things. She dropped the items in her office and then moved to her safe. It opened, upon her putting in the combination, and she took out a small vial of liquid. It was time to take care of her outsider problem and ensure that no one would ever find Storybrooke. She pocketed the small vial of the lethal concoction and left her office. Her intended destination: the hospital.
When they arrived at the hospital, it was time for a shift change and Rumple knew that this might be a lucky break for them. They watched, as Nurse Ratchet came up from the basement and there was another nurse waiting there. The other nurse started down the stairs and the door started to swing closed. Fortunately, they had been waiting for that exact moment and Rumple stopped it from closing with his cane. They made their way into the basement and looked around, finding it dank and echoing of a dungeon.
"She keeps people down here?" Snow asked.
"It's Regina...of course she does," David replied, as they got to the nurse's desk.
"Excuse me...no one is allowed down here," the nurse said, as she put her hand on the phone.
"You don't want to do that, dearie…" Gold warned. She gulped.
"Mr. Gold…" she said nervously.
"I think it's wise that you take an early coffee break and tell no one of this," he suggested. She nodded and hurried up the stairs and he got the keys from the desk, before tossing them to David.
"You still have a way with people I see," David commented.
"Just find him and then you can all be on your way, while I take a potion to forget any of this ever happened," Rumple growled.
"You're going to put yourself back under the curse?" the prince asked.
"I have to...there's no other choice," he responded, as Snow lifted the latch on the first door and peered through the peephole.
"Is it Kurt?" David asked.
"No...it's a woman. Open it," she said.
"The only one we're looking for is this boy's father," Gold protested.
"We can't just leave some poor woman in captivity," Snow argued, as her husband did as she asked and unlocked the cell. The woman curled up and shied away from them.
"It's okay...we're not going to hurt you," Snow said, as the young woman seemed to ease at her soothing voice.
"I'm Snow...what's your name?" she asked.
"I...I don't remember," the young brunette responded in an accented voice that made Gold go rigid. He pushed his way passed them and his eyes locked on someone he thought to be dead.
"Belle…" he uttered.
"You know her?" David asked. He clenched his teeth.
"Oh, I know her...and now Regina is going to pay," he hissed.
"Yeah...keeping people apart seems to be what she does," David said bitterly, as he continued to look and found a cell that had a man in it. He looked disoriented and the prince lifted Owen up to look through the hole.
"Is that him?" he asked. The boy's face lit up.
"That's him! That's my dad!" he cried. David smiled and put him down, as he unlocked the cell.
"What the hell is going on here?" Regina snapped, as she appeared. Snow gasped and looked up to find her step-mother standing there and she held the baby. Regina got a devious smirk on her face.
"Well, well...look what has swam right into my dungeon…" she hissed, as David helped a disoriented Kurt out of his cell and saw who now stood in their way.
"And there's your other half...how perfect. My revenge...falling straight into my lap," Regina said, as she then noticed Owen and frowned.
"Owen...you came back," she mentioned.
"For my Dad...you locked him up and took him away!" Owen shouted.
"Owen...I only wanted you to stay with me. We can have a wonderful life here together, just the two of us," she said.
"By taking away his father?" Snow interjected and Regina glared at her.
"Reminding me of you presence isn't wise," she warned.
"What are you going to do? Take us away from Emma? Like you ripped this father and son apart?" David challenged.
"Oh that's exactly what I'm going to do to you. The Sheriff is on his way and the two of you are about to find yourselves in separate cells, right next to Kurt. But don't worry...I'll make sure your child finds a way into a nice orphanage in Boston," she hissed.
"You're evil...you're never going to change," Snow lamented, grieving the loss of the woman she had once loved as family. But that woman clearly gone.
"You're going to do no such thing…" Gold hissed, as Regina turned to him and noticed that he had found her secret ace in the hole. She frowned.
"You lied to me, dearie...and you know how stupid that is," he hissed.
"You really think you have the moral high ground here?" she retorted, as they glared at each other.
"Oh no...morality is not really my thing, which is very unlucky for you!" he growled, as he picked his cane up from the floor and tossed it up a bit so he could grip it like a weapon. Regina's eyes widened, as he proceeded to bring it down on her. She ducked and found herself scrambling away from him. David moved in and helped her off the floor, only to restrain her arms behind her back.
"You just can't help yourself, can you? Locking up those that people love and using them against someone that loves them. You'd deserve if I let him bash your skull in," David hissed. She smirked.
"But you won't...you're Prince Charming," she mocked. He smirked.
"You're right...but since you like to lock people up, maybe you can see what it's like," David retorted, as he pushed her into Kurt's cell and locked her in.
"The Sheriff will let me out and then you'll all pay," Regina warned, as David assisted Kurt, while Snow helped Belle along, as the young woman seemed to trust her the most at the moment, probably because she had a baby in her arms.
"We need to get to the Harbor quickly. Once Sheriff Graham lets her out, she'll use him to trap you two at gunpoint if she catches up," he warned, as they made it out to his car. It would be a very tight squeeze for all of them, but there was enough room and they piled into his vehicle.
"Dammit…" he cursed.
"What is it?" David asked.
"This changes everything...I'm glad Belle is alive, of course, but if I use a potion to erase my memories now...Regina may just lock her up again," he replied.
"You have her back. She may not remember, but you can protect her from Regina," David advised.
"Yes...but that means twenty-seven years of awareness I wasn't counting on," he said sourly.
"You did it for three-hundred, right? What's twenty-seven more?" David responded.
"I had magic," he reminded. David smirked.
"And now you can have love, perhaps," the prince mused.
"Love is magic, after all," he added, as he turned from his seat in front to look at Snow and reached for her hand. Rumple groaned.
"Well, I certainly won't miss you two and your sugary nonsense," he quipped. David smirked. He was one of the few that could see through the Dark One's bluster though. He had a feeling that when they returned to Storybrooke that they might find a changed man.
Graham entered the basement level of the psychiatric ward.
"Down here!" Regina snapped, as the Sheriff unlocked her cell and she pushed past him.
"We need to get to the Harbor right away," Regina growled, as he followed her and they got in the Police cruiser.
"Go...put your sirens on!" Regina snapped. He did as she asked and sped off down the street at high speed.
They were closing in on the Harbor and by then, Kurt's head was clearing from all the drugs.
"Who...who are you?" he asked.
"It's okay Dad...their names are Snow and David and they helped me find you," Owen answered.
"You...you've been caring for him?" Kurt asked. Snow smiled.
"It was our pleasure. He's a wonderful little boy," she replied.
"I...I saw her holding a man's heart. Was I hallucinating?" he asked.
"Nope," David said, as he turned his head to look at him in the backseat.
"And you're about to see some more stuff that's going to be pretty unbelievable. But you need to trust me and my wife. We're going to get you and your son out of here," he promised, as they arrived at the Harbor and parked his car. They got out and David helped Kurt onto the boat.
"You and Emma get on the boat...I'll get us out past the barrier," he said, as a siren blared and the Sheriff car screeched to a halt.
"Freeze…" Graham ordered, as he got out with his gun trained on them.
"You're both under arrest for breaking into the hospital," he added. David stepped in front of Snow and put his hands up.
"Really? Aiming your weapon at a mother and baby? The curse really did a number on you, Huntsman," David admonished. Graham looked at him strangely for a moment, wondering what he could be talking about.
"Never mind that...cuff them and take them to the station," Regina snapped.
"What about the child?" he asked. She smirked.
"Oh, I'll take care of that," she replied, with a devious grin.
"You're not taking my baby…" Snow cried, as she started to back away. David made the risky decision and rushed the Sheriff, as they struggled with the gun. Snow backed away from Regina.
"Make this easy...and I'll make it quick. She'll just go to sleep," she promised. Snow looked horrified.
"She's a baby…" she said in outrage, as tears slipped down her cheeks.
"She can break my curse...you know I can't let that happen…" Regina snapped, as there was a momentary flash of regret on her face. Snow tried to dodge her to run, but Regina grabbed her arm. Snow lost her footing on the wet, slippery dock and went tumbling into the water with the baby.
"SNOW!" David screamed, as he shoved Graham off and dove into the water after her. Graham started to walk toward the water, but Gold held up his cane.
"Stand down dearie...or I'll promise you'll regret it," he warned. And even armed with a gun, Graham was not brave enough to cross Mr. Gold.
"Snow!" David cried, as he surfaced and tossed his necklace onto the boat deck. Kurt's eyes widened as he saw David's red tail that was now visible in the shallow water.
"It's okay dad...they're good," Owen promised, just as Snow surfaced and took a breath of air.
"Oh Snow…" he cried, as he swam to her and she tossed her necklace onto the boat, as her brilliant white tail swished.
"Is Emma okay?" he asked and she looked at him with a watery smile.
"She's better than okay," Snow said, as Snow lifted her all the way out of the water and he gasped.
"She's like us…" she revealed, as Emma giggled and reached for her father. He took her in his arms and admired her little red tail, which had tones of white in it. He looked at his wife in amazement.
"It makes sense. You conceived her after true love's kiss changed you both into merpeople. Now go...and don't come back for twenty-seven years," Gold ordered.
"Graham...shoot them!" Regina commanded, but he was too stunned at what he was seeing and his curse brain was unable to comprehend.
"Mermaids?!" he exclaimed in disbelief. Regina growled. She was going to have to use what little magic she had brought with her to erase his memories.
They wasted no time and Snow climbed into the boat, before putting her necklace back on, giving her legs once again. David handed Emma to her and once she was in the boat, their little one's tail transformed automatically into legs again.
"She's the product of true love...she'll be able to transform at will," Gold advised, as David nodded to him and then glared at Regina.
"We'll return someday...and then you'll pay," David said, as he started towing the boat.
"If you two come back...I swear, I'll destroy you! If it's the last thing I do...I'll destroy you both and your precious daughter!" Regina screamed to them, as the boat disappeared past the barrier.
"You...I'll make you pay for this…" Regina hissed.
"Oh dearie...don't lobby threats you can't keep. If anyone is going to pay...it's you for what you did to Belle!" he snapped. Regina smirked.
"You should thank me...I decided against killing her," she retorted.
"Yes...to use against me, but sorry...you don't have that card to play anymore," he said, as he hobbled back to the car.
"Enjoy your curse, dearie...you have twenty-seven years before it comes crumbling down," he warned, as he got into the car and drove off with Belle. Regina glared at the retreating vehicle.
"We'll see about that…" she hissed.
David surfaced, as they arrived at the dock in the small town where they lived. Snow handed him his necklace and his tail transformed back to legs. They led Kurt and Owen back to their house for the evening and went about cooking them all something to eat, while they helped Kurt understand everything, now that his head was mostly clear from all the drugs.
"Unbelievable...I mean if I hadn't seen all that with my own eyes, I'd never have believed any of it," he mentioned.
"I'm so sorry for what she tried to do to you and Owen," Snow apologized.
"She was going to kill me...wasn't she?" he asked quietly and met their eyes.
"Probably," David confirmed. He sighed.
"I owe you both my life…" he said, as he teared up and looked at Owen.
"And I owe you for helping my boy find me. You put your own family at risk...I'll never forget that," he added. Snow smiled.
"You and Owen are welcome to stay here as long as you need, but I'm sure you're anxious to get back to your home," she said.
"Yes...we've been gone a long time and I have no idea what to tell the police since they think I'm missing," he replied.
"They actually think you abandoned me," Owen chimed in.
"Well...maybe we'll hit the road for a while. We can find a new place and change our names," Kurt replied.
"Hey...maybe you can all come with us!" Owen said excitedly.
"Oh sweetie...that would be wonderful, but David and I think it might be best if we leave this land for a while now that we know we're able to with Emma," Snow replied.
"You're leaving?" Owen said in disappointment.
"We don't really want to...but Regina might try to find us. I think we need to disappear to another realm for a while now that we know Emma can swim like us," David replied.
"Will...will we ever see you again?" Owen cried.
"Oh of course you will…" Snow promised, as she hugged him.
"We'll come back to visit and maybe even come back to this land when Emma is older. By then, our trail will be cold and Regina won't be able to find us," she added.
"But...how will you find us?" he asked. Snow and David smiled.
"All you have to do is tell any fish or sea creatures that you want to see us and they'll get the message to us," she told him.
"You talk to the fish?" Kurt asked in surprise. David chuckled.
"Fish are less reliable than dolphins and sharks are just jerks, but yes, we can communicate now with most sea life and Snow still can understand birds, but they can't travel the realms like sea creatures can," the prince explained.
"And you'll really come visit? No matter where we are?" Owen asked. They nodded.
"Promise," Snow confirmed.
The next morning, after breakfast in town, Owen and Kurt drove the little family to a secluded cove a little ways upstate. David had told them about the kind woman that had helped them get identification when they had arrived in this land and assured she would help Kurt and Owen with new identities.
"So...where will you go?" Kurt asked curiously, as they walked toward the small, empty beach.
"Many of the realms are frozen due to the curse, but there are so many that aren't that it's kind of hard to choose. But we never shy away from an adventure together," David replied, as they shared a smile.
"Well...wherever you go, be safe," Kurt said, as they shook hands.
"You too," David replied, as Snow hugged Owen.
"We'll see you again soon," she promised, as she got into the water and removed her necklace, before putting it in her pouch. Her tail appeared and David handed the baby to her. Emma giggled and splashed in the water, as her tail appeared. Snow smiled and cuddled her, as David joined them and she put his necklace in her pouched as well. Kurt and Owen waved at them, before they dove into the water and disappeared for this new adventure in their lives. They were return someday and save their people, but for now, they would travel the realms freely as a family.