X Marks the Spot

Chapter Twenty-One

Gold walked into Granny's Diner even though it had gotten to be pretty late, curtly asked the older woman for a glass of scotch and a bowl of the stew she had made for the day, and then he took a seat in one of the booths furthest away from where only a few other patrons were sitting so that he could remain undisturbed, his back to the front door and windows. When Granny came over with his dinner and began to pour his scotch into the empty glass she set in front of him, Gold coldly told her to leave the bottle and to walk away. She scoffed and shook her head, then simply walked away from him without a word.

It wasn't more than fifteen minutes since his arrival, when Emma walked through the door and approached him with caution while she called out angrily, "Rumpelstiltskin!"

Without bothering to turn around, Gold squeezed the glass he was holding more tightly as he said coldly, "If you're calling me by my real name in that sort of tone, it must mean you're particularly angry with me about something, Miss. Swan. I'm guessing that you stopped by my shop and found I wasn't there…"

"Save it," she curtly interrupted him as she sat down in the booth's seat opposite to him and glared at him. "I know that you're the bastard who's helping Black Beard hurt Killian. Or rather helped Black Beard, until he too became ill. I'm guessing that was the price he's now paying for your magic? Is that all that's going to happen to him?"

"I'm afraid I don't know what it is you're talking about," the Dark One answered calmly and then continued to eat as though he had no reason to be worried about the woman sitting in front of him, not that he did worry about her or anyone else in Storybrooke. "Shouldn't you be in the hospital with your own pirate?"

Emma slammed her fist against the table in front of her as she replied more firmly, "Don't you lie to me! I was with Killian. I've been watching him deteriorate more and more over the last few hours while I've sat with him because I haven't been able to do anything else for him. And then I was told to look into his mind for answers because of his connection to Black Beard. And do you want to know what I saw? I saw an image of his hand in his subconscious. The hand that you stole from him. That's how you did this, isn't it? You didn't go after him personally. But you figured out a way to curse him through his hand because it's still a part of him, even though it's no longer attached to him. You threatened Killian the other day when we came into your shop to find out what the hell was going with you. I just didn't think anything of it until now, even though I really should have. You're the most obvious choice because of your blind hate against him. I want his hand and I want to know how to save him. Right now!"

Mr. Gold finished eating and he looked up at her for the first time, then responded, "I'm afraid I cannot give you what you want, dearie. His hand, isn't here."

"I warned you not to lie to me," she retorted. "Killian told me everything you did to him before, back when he had asked you to reattach his hand and then that you used it to blackmail him into helping you to trap the Apprentice inside that hate of yours. And how all of that was how you got to him enough so that you could rip out his heart and use him as your puppet. His hand is in here somewhere, preserved in a large glass jar for you to put it out on display for all to see and for your own sick amusement. Where is it?"

"You're the one who has the power to know when a person is lying or not," he answered snidely. "Use it, and then you'll know that I am not lying. I kept his hand as a reminder that I should have killed him long ago when I had the chance. But his hand is no longer here. I gave it to Black Beard for safekeeping back when I broke him out of jail for a little while and froze time around us so I could work without you heroes barging in to disrupt my plans. The Captain wanted revenge against his enemy and I saw he was willing to do whatever it took for him to accomplish. So I volunteered. You're right, Miss. Swan. I did threaten Hook and I meant it. I lost my wife because of the two of you and was in fear of losing my second son because Belle no longer wanted me to be a part of her life or our child's. Then Hook waltzed into my shop and had the audacity to provoke me by reminding me of the failure I was to Bae, to distract me for you. My blind hate as you say I have for your love, did indeed overpower me and I acted without remorse. And I'm still not sorry for I've done now."

Emma kept her eyes on him as she replied, "And what about what you must have done to Belle?"

When Gold's smugness vanished at the mention of Belle's name, Emma knew that her instinct telling her that Belle had discovered something earlier that evening was right and she immediately continued, "That's right. Belle came to you to ask you for help. Because she does care about Killian. I knew she must have learned something. I saw a strange look in her eyes when she came to the hospital. She said that you told her you simply wouldn't help, but I sensed there was more. What did you do to her? Erase her memory?"

"If you want to know where Hook's dead lump of flesh is now, wait until Black Beard wakes and ask him," the Dark One responded angrily as he stood up to leave. "I didn't think you heroes would learn of my involvement before it was too late to save your puppy dog, but I suppose now it no longer matters. Because he doesn't have much more time."

"What do you mean?" Emma asked with fear as she stood up, then grabbed Gold roughly by the collar of his coat. "What the hell have you done to him? Answer me!"

He sneered at her and then he answered cruelly, "I warned Hook that I wouldn't forget his role in your little distraction that day. If you really want the slightest chance of saving your pirate, then talk to Black Beard like I already told you. The rest is up to you. Good luck, Savior."

It was then that he finally vanished in his cloud of dark magic, leaving Emma standing there in shock and anger until Granny walked over to her dear friend as she reached out to push the younger woman back down into the booth and asked worryingly, "Are you alright, Emma?"

"No," Emma inaudibly replied while she stared out ahead of the woman leaning over her to try to comfort her. "No, I'm not alright. Black Beard is still unconscious and he may not even recover. That son of a bitch is going to get away with hurting Killian again and there's nothing we can ever do to stop him. He's hurt so many of us. All of us."

"It won't be forever, Emma," Granny responded sounding hopeful. "One day, even the Dark One will get what he deserves for all of the pain he's caused. It's too bad that we can't find a way to imprison him again like your parents did back in the Enchanted Forest. It's not like he hasn't been given plenty of chances to be the good man that Belle once believed him to be. But then again, maybe one day you will break through to him and he'll be a hero yet. Right now, go back to the hospital and be with Hook. Save him as you always do. If I know you can do it, then I'm sure as hell know that you do too. Make Gold pay by thwarting his plan."