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It had been rather quiet after Belle left. Gold had tried to focus on his work and let it make him forget but it wasn't working. He kept imagining tall the terrible things Belle could be doing to Bae. It was only because Hook kept growling at him when he would pause for too long that he managed to get any work done at all.
When there was a knock at the door hours later both men looked at each other in confusion. No one knocked here. No one came here. Hook got off the couch he liked to lounge around on and peered out the window next to the door. A moment later he was throwing open the door with a smile. "Belle love! What are you doing back? I thought the Evil Queen had you on brat duty?"
Oh great it was Belle. Belle was back. Yay... At least it was a small comfort to know that she wasn't with his son but he'd rather she wasn't here either.
"You know Regina hates when you call her that. She came back early and since I missed you so much I decided to come back and spend sometime with you!" There was something different about her. Gold could see the way her eyes flicked around the room staying on him briefly before flitting back to Hook. Her smile was tight and didn't meet her eyes and there was dirt on her hands. Something was off with her.
Hook didn't seem to notice anything because he was still smiling. "Well come on in then love!" Hook gave a small bow and the moment he ducked his head Belle brought her knee straight up into his face. Hook dropped to the floor, his nose clearly broken and barely hanging on to consciousness. Gold watched in shock as she applied a choke hold on him to knock his captor out. When he was a limp pile of limbs on the floor she dusted off her hands. "I like you much better when you don't talk."
It had all happened so fast that when she turned towards him with a smile he was still staring dumbly at her, in shock over what had just happened. "I don't suppose you'll believe me if I tell you I'm here to rescue you?"
"...No."
"I didn't think so." She sighed. When she took a step towards him he shoved his chair away from her. "Stay away from me!"
"Gold I'm trying to help you!"
"No! You work for Cora! I wont be tricked!"
Belle glared at him, "You know you and Bae are a lot like. He said that to me too. But I got him out and I will get you out too."
What did she mean she got Bae out? Things weren't making sense. Why would she knock out Hook? Why would she claim to want to help him. He didn't understand. "You've seen Bae?"
"Yes. I just got him out and to my handler's place. I will take you to him if you would just trust me."
She took another step towards him and he scooted back once more. "Gold please! I don't know how long we have! Will you trust me please?"
"No! How could I trust anyone who works for Cora?"
"I don't work for Cora. I work for the bloody CIA. I'm a spy for God sake! I was sent in to extract insider knowledge from The Heart. Now come with me please. I promised your son I'd get you out of here so you would read him that Rumplestiltskin story. Now please come with me!"
Rumplestiltskin. How would she know about that unless she actually talked with Bae? That story was as much a comfort to him as it was to Bae. His spinner aunts had read it to him just like he had read it to his boy. It was useless information to Cora, not something anyone would ever think to ask for unless they truly cared to know about him and Bae. This could still be a trap, but what did he have to lose? "Alright."
"Alright?"
"I"ll go with you."
The smile that lit up her face was truly beautiful.
Please tell me what you think. Only 2 chapters left after this. :)