SMOKE AND ASHES
Gold and Belle have slipped away from a passed out Zelena and made their way back to The House. Gold promptly removes the golden slave collar, but he was too late to impact on one of the primary effects of the collar – the creation of strong, sexual desire in both the wearer and the master. Although Gold wished to resist taking advantage of the little princess, she begs and pleads with him for release and he allows himself to be swept away by the passion spell. The next morning, as they breakfast together, Belle is able to ask him a variety of questions, satisfying her curiosity regarding the Rumple name, his 'royal' lineage and Zelena's possible heritage. Gold also shares concerns regarding Killian who has not been heard from.
Ruby has been able to track the attractive young man to a large estate on the outskirts of town.
Gold leaves to return to Undertown and asks Emma and Regina to take care of The House and Belle. He asks Emma that should anything happen to him, that she help Belle return to her family in Avonleigh.
Knots
Chapter 29
A.N. We are entering the darkest part of this story (please hang with me as the characters grow and learn). There are more references to child abuse in this chapter.
Zelena was refilling his drink glass. Nice, smooth whiskey. Black label Johnny Walker? It tasted a little differently from his usual.
Zelena had changed into a little black lace thing that showed off her generous assets. Of course, she didn't have the compactness that he had grown to prefer, the delicate proportions, the shy smile, the sparkling eyes. Not Belle, he reminded himself.
"Tell me anything else you know about my father's plan," he directed Zelena.
Zelena took a sip of the whiskey but pulled a face, "This is too strong for me. I'm going to pour myself some red wine," she told him, watching him closely. There, that sounded very lady-like.
She returned and sat down on the sofa next to him, curling up with the glass of red wine in her hand.
She had brought him back to her apartment, hoping he would notice that she had cleaned the place up some. She thought she looked her best, her most alluring. She had taken great pains with her appearance, trying to do all those things, the dress, the makeup, the hairstyle, all those things she had known her mother would do on those few occasions Rumple would come over. It was important, important that she keep this man interested for a couple of hours.
She smiled at him and took a sip of her wine.
He was waiting, watching her with half-closed eyes. He was sitting with his back against the sofa, alert, watchful. He didn't trust her.
"Are you going to tell me anything?" he finally asked her.
Zelena nodded and took a deep breath. She continued with what she knew, "Well, he was visiting with Mother and was sharing that somehow he'd found this old scroll."
"An old scroll?" Had it been The Scroll?
"Yeah. I can tell you I was surprised. The Unseelie are not much for record keeping and . . . you know. . . reading."
"So. . . ?" Would she not get on with it?
"Oh yeah," Zelena continued. "He said it gave him an idea but it needed some re-working." She leaned back on the sofa where she was sitting and took another sip of wine. "You know, I don't think he and Mother were much for doing the nasty together." She gazed off. "Maybe they used to." She sighed. "I never caught them together. Usually they just sit and drink together and bitch about people they don't like."
"So what happened with the scroll?" Gold persisted. Good grief it was like trying to keep a guppy's attention.
"Oh, he got it and brought it over here. He was really nice about it. Told me he needed a quiet place to work and," Zelena dropped her voice, "he thought that I would be better at providing that than Mother."
"So you think he's got this spell ready to go?" Gold asked.
"I don't know. I've still got the scroll . . . somewhere . . . here now. I'll have to show you sometime. Anyway," Zelena refreshed Gold's drink, "Pan said he had looked it over and it had given him some ideas. He started to come over here – he came over a lot - to work on it, you know, not for sex. He gets that other places. You know he really likes some blonde you have living in that House," Zelena was chattering on. She leaned in, "I think he might have some designs on her."
Damn, how long had his father been sniffing around Emma – he assumed it was Emma, not Ashley – Emma was far more interesting than the little fire-witch. Pan had asked for her name the other evening. As for the scroll Gold was now pretty sure that it had it been The Scroll. Had his father recognized it for what it was? Did he know that it was mostly useless without the other four scrolls?
"So has he finished what he needed to do with the reworking the scroll? Is he ready to cast the spell?" Gold asked.
Zelena shrugged and risked patting his arm, "I guess. What I just found out earlier today was that he just needed this special heart and then I think he's good to go."
Gold could see the green emerald hanging from her neck. He resisted the urge just to snatch it and run. Belle might be in danger. He needed to get all the information that he could.
Zelena caught the direction of his glance. "Do you like my necklace? It was a gift from your father. A thank you for helping him out." She picked it up and held it out away from her neck. "It works as a focus stone for me. I didn't know about focus stones until he told me, but I'm able to save up my energy into this and pull it out whenever I need it."
"May I see it?" Gold asked politely.
Zelena pulled back, a slightly worried look on her face. "Oh, I'm sorry. He made me promise never to take it off."
"Of course," Gold quickly agreed. Hell, if only he had put the pieces together back when she had passed out. He could have taken it then . . . but if he had, he wouldn't have been able to get the information about his father's latest devious plan.
He was debating what to do next. He didn't think he could go through with the farce of a seduction. Part of him was repulsed by the woman and another part of him felt sorry for her. Even if he had liked her, he had, in his own mind at least, pledged himself to Belle. Damn, he'd had problems kissing Belle when she'd been put into a disguise, somehow feeling like he was being unfaithful. However, however would he be able to manage a seduction with another woman?
Entertaining women was not one of his strengths. He didn't feel that he was worthy of a woman's attention and had usually found that those who'd attended to him were after something. Belle was the exception. He didn't understand it, but she was felt he was special. She didn't want anything from him.
He managed a weak smile for Zelena.
+ + + + Scents and Sensibilities
Ruby knew something was up. She had found a group of young lycans, barely out of their litter stage and had been having a generally good time drinking and carousing with her own kind, but she couldn't help but sense that something was going on. Places seemed emptier as if a good portion of the population had headed out and gathered somewhere else. She stepped away from the partying. One of the handsome young brutes tried to rein her in but she bared her teeth and backed him down. She wasn't part of this pack and had no interest in joining on any type of permanent basis. Her status as a Lone Wolf was too important to her.
She stepped into some shadows and . . . changed.
She sniffed the air. Ah yes, Gold was back and had gone off with . . . Zelena? Yes, there was a sickly sweet smell there with an overtone of spoilt milk. Zelena's scent reminded her of . . . Pan's? Both were that combination of suffocating sweet and unpleasantly sour. Still no hint, no suggestion of Killian's scent.
She sniffed the air again. Definitely something happening. There was an excitement in the air.
It did not bode well for her friends.
Ruby considered. Did she stick around the Villains' Club? Go off to Zelena's apartment? Or back to the grand house that she felt surely belonged to Cora? Or was there somewhere else? She shrugged and made her decision. Her assignment had been to partner with Jones. So she loped off to the grand manor.
+ + + + The Shop - Very Early Morning
"Really?" Emma had dragged herself awake. "You think there's something trying to get in?" she asked struggling to pull on a pair of jeans. Regina had gone on full alert.
"I heard something outside, getting closer. Then it got very quiet for a long time, then I heard it again," Regina explained.
"You don't think it's just a rat or a cat or something?" Emma asked, not happy to have been awakened.
"I can't explain it. But I just feel something. There's something out there."
Emma looked at the other woman. "All right," she accepted Regina's verdict and pulled herself up to a sitting position to pull on socks and shoes. "Any ideas what it might be?"
"No. I'm going to go outside to check things out. I want you to cover me."
"You think that's a good idea?" Emma had to ask.
"I don't want to just sit here and wait for something to attack. If we need to get everybody up, I want to get on it. If it's just a single shadow creature or a couple of redcaps, then you and I can handle it." Regina stepped resolutely to the front of the shop followed by a still yawning Emma.
She slowly opened the door and peered out into the blackness.
Nothing moved.
"I know you're out here. I heard you," she addressed the darkness.
Nothing happened.
Emma had come up behind her and was peaking over her shoulder. "See anything?" she asked.
Regina glared at her and returned her attention back out to the street. There were a few cars parked along the road and a handful of trees. Rosetta's, the restaurant next door, was closed and all was dark in that building. The same for the building on the other side of the shop. Regina was about to close the door when something caught her attention.
"There," she whispered to Emma and pointed to one of the cars parked on the street. "A shadow moved. It's hiding under the car tires."
"Just one?" Emma asked.
"That I've seen." She started to pull back inside, when . . . "Wait! Over there!" she pointed down the street.
"I don't see anything . . . oh . . . yeah. . . now I do. More shadow shapes."
As the two women watched, shadow entities began coming in from all directions, dodging in and out between the cars and the trees. There were tens of them . . . many tens . . . hundreds . . . the place was swarming with the shadow creatures.
Regina and Emma both stepped back into the shop, slamming the door behind them.
"Hit the alarm!" Regina directed Emma who promptly went behind Gold's counter and hit the red button that signaled an attack. The loud buzzing filled the building.
Emma stood at the bottom of the stairs, "Everybody!" she called up the stairs. "Down here!"
Some came dressed in pajama pants and tank tops and others had managed to pull on blue jeans. Belle came down the stairs first, dressed in some black silk pants and an over-sized matching black silk shirt-jacket. She had gotten down to the ground floor before everyone else, although she had come from the top floor. Leroy, Mary Margaret and David were next down the stairs, each carrying their weapon of choice (an axe, bow and arrows and a sword). They were followed by Ashley, Jefferson, Milah and Archie, who was carrying a gun. Belle reached behind the counter and handed Archie some silver bullets. She put a basket filled with small silver pellets on the counter.
"What do you want us to do?" Jefferson asked as the door to the shop shuddered. There was a booming sound as if it was being hit with a battering ram.
Regina scanned the group, some magic users, some not so much. "Belle, you and Milah get at the back and stand together behind Leroy. Jefferson, you and Ashley stand with David, here near the front. Archie and Mary Margaret, stay behind Jefferson, Ashley and David - Archie can tell you where to aim your bow." She created the groups that had been most successful in their practices together. There was another boom.
They all took up positions in different places in the shop, turning their attention towards the door . . . waiting.
+ + + + Desires
It was hot in Zelena's apartment and while in his dark form he could tolerate a great deal of variation in cold and heat, Gold had opted to remove his outer jacket. It was too hot in the little apartment, very hot. He'd had second thoughts once he had done this – the act of him removing an article of clothing had apparently nearly made Zelena wet herself.
"Wow, I . . . mean. . . oh!" she stammered. "You . . . look so . . . comfortable," she finished lamely. Struggling to pull herself together, she asked, "Where's your little pet?"
Gold debated. Zelena seemed drawn to the darkest side of nature and he wasn't sure if feeding this was good or bad. Would it bring him closer to getting the dagger?
"I set her a task," he finally said neutrally. He was still feeling . . . odd. Hot . . . and odd.
"What? What do you do with her?"
He didn't respond right away he felt weak and dizzy and Zelena continued.
"What's it like for you? Having a woman as your slave? Knowing you can do anything with her . . . anytime you want to?"
"It's pleasant," he told Zelena. He was beginning to think he needed to lie down.
"I know what that particular golden collar does," Zelena told him quietly. "It makes the wearer crave sexual release. If they don't get satisfaction, it becomes unbearable for them."
Gold couldn't stop himself from thinking back to the night before with Belle begging him for his attentions.
"You like that, don't you?" Zelena observed, dropping her voice, slowly and softly speaking. "Having a woman beg you for sex." She ran her hand up his arm stopping at his shoulder, "How do you think you would manage being the one wearing the collar?" she asked him.
"I don't think I would like it," he told her. Now there was nausea. "It's not easy for me to submit to another." He needed to get out of her apartment. He'd realized it suddenly. He realized that he needed to get out.
"But doesn't that make it sweeter?" she asked nearly whispering. "When you have no other choice but to comply ?"
Gold was dizzy and confused. Something was wrong. Something was seriously wrong.
It was a simple enough spell. One he should have been expecting. Zelena had reached behind him as he sat on her sofa. And he hadn't turned to see what she was doing in time. He didn't have the strength to resist. Something had happened, he had grown so weak and was beginning to lose coordination.
Zelena had moved fast enough to put a collar around his neck. "I guess we'll get to find out," she told him.
Gold was initially confused and also realized that he was unable to talk. Then he was furious and his anger must have shone through his eyes as Zelena sat back.
She gave him a weak smile, "I put just a tiny, tiny amount of colloidal silver into your whiskey. You had several glasses. I didn't drink any of it." She smiled at him and laid her hand on his face. "Pan had wanted me to take your magic also," she held up a leather handcuff. "but I think I like the idea of having your magic at my disposal also."
He shook his head. What?! What did his father have to do with this?
Zelena guessed his confusion, "Oh, he told me what to do. He wanted me to keep you busy while he did something or another. He was afraid you'd intervene. He did want me to tell you that he appreciated you sending that pretty fellow to keep Cora, now how did he put it? oh yes, 'tied up' so he didn't have to worry about interference from her."
Zelena ran her hand down his face. "Oh, I know you have so many questions. Ask them of me, my pet," she told him. "You have my permission to speak."
"I'm going to kill you. At some point, you will make a mistake and I shall kill you," he hissed through his teeth.''
She smiled at him, "Then I shall have to be very, very careful, won't I? Now do you have anything else to say?"
"You're working for Pan?" he managed to ask.
"Of course. Everyone here is working for Pan - in one capacity or another." Zelena ran her hand through his hair. "He told me if I followed his directions, I could have you – as my pet."
"Zelena, is this really what you want?" Gold tried to talk some sense into her.
"Oh I do, I really do. Every man I've ever had has been selected by my mother. She sold my . . . use, when I thirteen for some lech to take my virginity. She had me tied down and blindfolded so I have no idea who it might have been. Apparently he paid pretty well, because after that first one had done his dirty business . . . well, it became a pretty regular occurrence. Not all of them just wanted a fuck either. Some had to stick it down my throat and others liked going up my bum. The worst would be when dearest Mother would send two of them at a time."
Zelena talked casually about her history of abuse as if she were talking about the weather. "You are the only man I ever wanted for me, for myself. Mother had you and she threw you away. Did she actually tell you that she was pregnant at one point?"
Gold nodded.
"Well, she was talking with Pan one night and, well, of course, I was listening in. She told him that when you didn't immediately propose, she realized she was not ever going to have you the way she wanted to. So, she said, it was no big deal to tell you she'd lost the baby, which she'd planned to do anyway, since she wasn't really pregnant."
Even drugged and collared, Gold was staggered. The baby, the child he had mourned for years, the child that in his own mind had become a grown person with beauty and talent and everything a parent might hope for – the child had never existed!
Zelena was watching his reaction and, despite her limited social receptiveness, she realized he was astonished. "Oh my, you didn't know, did you?" She shook her head. "I take that it was mother's plan to tell you she was pregnant and get you to marry her. Once you were married, she would 'lose' the baby then, but since you didn't propose, well, she ditched the brat right away. I think part of her still hoped that you would feel sorry for her and would propose then. You really were a bit of bastard then, you know," Zelena said.
Gold was still sorting out his feelings. Mostly there was a sense of utter loss, but there was a growing anger towards Cora, the conniving, deceitful bitch. If she had been in the room, he likely would have tried to strangle her.
And then he'd strangle Zelena.
"You'll get to see her, my dear," Zelena told him. She lifted his face to her and he fought the compulsion to lower his eyes. "My, you are a strong one," she observed. "I'm going to change back to my pretty silver dress so I'll be more presentable in public."
+ + + + Meanwhile back at The House
The door was booming, over and over as if it was being hit with a battering ram. The ten tenants now in the House watched anxiously, not knowing what would be coming through the door. The buffeting the building was receiving was not just a physical assault but a magical one also.
Regina was worried. She knew The House had very powerful wards and only the most powerful practitioner would ever be able to make even a dent in the protections that were layered and layered around the building.
Still something was coming through.
"Be prepared everyone," she said quietly. "Be prepared to kill whatever comes through that door. It's coming to kill you."
There was a moment of silence and then . . .
And then the door burst. At first there was nothing, just a couple of puffs of smoke that filtered in.
Then the door was filled with all manner of shadow creatures, blood feeders, soul-suckers and flesh devourers, all who came crowding in - the width of the door limiting the number that could come through at one time.
Mary Margaret's silver-tipped arrows began flying overhead, taking down one creature after another. Archie began discriminately firing into the attackers aiming his silver bullets at specific targets. Leroy and David both jumped into the fray, slashing and hacking away with their silver-tipped weapons at any creatures that got close to them. The howling of downed and injured creatures began to rise and soon it was deafening.
The magic users began to perform next. Milah began throwing lightning bolts, singeing one creature after another. Ashley began conjuring fire-balls and, working with Jefferson and his air magic, they were able to propel them into the thick of the incoming masses. Regina and Emma were both throwing fireballs one after another, each carefully picking their targets.
Belle stood in the back and, as the sheer number of incoming petit-demons began to make headway on the tenants, she began to blend the attacks of the defenders. She called out a suggestion to Milah, the weather witch, and Emma, a primary water elemental, who both nodded and, working with Belle who was able to channel their talents, the three women were able to create a hail storm that drove back the encroaching creatures.
Then the creatures rallied and this time, Belle called out to Ashley, a fire elemental, and Jefferson, an air elemental, and Belle, again, channeled their talents. They were able to create a massive blast of scorching air which again caused the enemy to pull back.
The creatures rallied once more and this time, Belle pulled Regina, primarily an Earth elemental, together with Jefferson, and they were able to raise a dust storm, blinding the attackers, who pulled back a third time.
Finally, with the attackers rallying yet again, Belle was able to take several handfuls of silver pellets and working with Milah, they were able to rain silver down on the attackers. The creatures pulled back out of the door, back to the outside.
They all stood around, breathing heavily, exhausted physically and drained of their psychic energies. Had they beaten off the attackers? There had been so many of them. They had seemed so determined.
Regina made a tentative move towards the front door, now blown off its hinges.
But then there was a blast of energy like none of them had ever felt before. A solid, heavy hand that came down on them, pushing them first to their knees and then forcing them to the ground, making them drop their hands and pulling their weapons out of their hands. They were paralyzed and held in place. Regina and Belle were the only two who managed to retain some level of consciousness.
Belle, managing to stay awake, immediately recognized the slight figure that came strolling in, stepping over bodies. He sniffed as if he smelled something unpleasant as he looked around.
"Not bad. I had gotten reports that you were most inadequate as fighters, but I see you've improved," the surly teenager smirked at the group of defenders. "Well hello Regina, haven't seen you in awhile."
Regina barely was able to raise her head to see the intruder, "Pan, sorry we've a bit of mess here, otherwise we'd invite you in for tea."
"Nice," he smiled back at her. "I'll let your mother know you are doing well."
Regina just barely managed to nod.
Pan walked around, looking around at the downed fighters. "Well, well, well." He called back to some creatures hanging back outside the door. "You know what I'm looking for," he told several of the larger shadow creatures who swarmed in and began picking over the bodies of the defenders. They were grey entities with glowing eyes and long sinewy legs and arms. They moved bonelessly around the room examining the prone downed defenders.
"Massster?" one of them had pulled Ashley up to sitting position.
Pan glanced over at the young woman. "A pretty blonde, for sure, but not the right one."
"Massster?" another one of the creatures had lifted up Emma.
"Ah yes," Pan strode over to look at the prone figure. Emma had been knocked out by the blast of Pan's entry and was unresponsive. Pan knelt down and ran a hand through her hair. He gently trailed his fingers down her cheek and lifted her face by the chin. "Yes, yes, this is the one. Very good." He looked around. "And the other one?"
A third creature was moving along the back of the shop. It rejected Milah and Mary Margaret but stopped when it got to Belle who was awake but unable to move of her own volition. She opted to feign unconsciousness.
"Massster?" the creature addressed Pan.
Pan went over to the creature and examined the woman. He was momentarily puzzled, "This appears to be the woman but she's not wearing my son's collar." He considered for a moment and a sly smile grew on his face. "So she's not his pet . . . she's his little girlfriend. He actually cares about her." He was nearly grinning as he contemplated Belle, "This gets more delicious by the minute."
He turned back to the door. "Take this one and this one," he told his minions, pointing to Belle and Emma. The shadow creatures bowed humbly.
One of them spoke, his voice sibilant and hissing, "Massster, doooo weee binnnd themmm?"
Pan considered. "This one could be dangerous so we best put a magic suffocation band on her wrist." He was talking about Emma who was struggling to regain consciousness. Pan leaned down again and stroked Emma's hair. He again traced his fingers down her face. "So beautiful. A little old for me, but her beauty makes up for it."
Emma had regained just enough wherewithal to sense something unsavory was pawing at her. She blinked her eyes open, recognized Pan as an enemy and managed to spit at him. He stood up and laughed. "Oh, my dear, breaking you is going to be so much fun."
Pan turned to the minions. "Put my special leather strap on her wrist – that will contain her magic. She's a neutral so iron or silver will hold her, but neither will subdue her. An iron cage will be sufficient to hold her." Pan nodded to his helpers.
Another one of the shadow creature held Belle. "Masssster?" it questioned him.
Pan smiled, "This one. She's an half-Fae Empath. She's about as much threat as a butterfly. Put her in the iron cage with the pretty Water Sprite."
The rest of the tenants were beginning to come back to awareness. Still struggling to regain control of their bodies, they watched helplessly as Emma and Belle were carried off. Pan strode off, leaving the shop. When he got to the door, he addressed the myriad of creatures all huddled by the door, "They're yours. Have fun." And he left.
As soon as he cleared the door, the creatures began to pour into the shop.
+ + + + Closing In
"What I have discovered your majesty, is that this Dr. Gold comes from the Asheville, North Carolina area. It is on the east coast of the United States. It is well within the range of cities that the princess could have made her way to."
Maurice nodded.
"What else?"
"As you suspected, from here they rented a plane to get back to Paris. The letter was sent from Paris within the timeline that this group was there. We also know that in the group that accompanied Gold were two young women." Cogsworth pulled out a security camera picture of Emma. "This woman is definitely not the princess." He pulled out a second security camera picture of the dowdy graduate assistant. It was a full -on headshot.
"That's not my daughter," Maurice protested.
"Give me a moment, your majesty. "First we take away the unruly hair and replace it with the princess's satiny chestnut locks." And through the miracle of Photo-shop, the graduate assistant had her hair changed. "Then we change the color of her skin, lightening it," and again changes were made. "Then we remove the glasses and we change the mud-brown eye color to the princess's cerulean blue."
Maurice gaped at the picture. It was a long moment before he said anything. "She looks a bit thinner."
"My thought too, sire. She apparently accompanied this Professor Gold to the Library on some type of mission. I seriously doubt that it was just an academic study trip."
"Research this Professor Gold. Find out everything you can about the man." Maurice ordered the head of his security forces.
Thank you, thank you, thank you to my loyal (and new) reviewers: MyraValhallah, karolprado, Chauchi, DruidKitty (chapters 12, 13, 14, 15 and 16), Erik'sTrueAngel, jewel415, thedoctorsgirl42, Aletta-Feather, RaFire, CharlotteAshmore, AidenSnapeSutcliff (chapter 11), Robin4, RoxyMoron, deweymay, cynicsquest, and orthankg1
Anne Andrews (Guest) (didn't think you were going to quit reading, but I can't give too much away as to what will happen – except – spoiler alert - there will be a happy ending)
NEXT: Emma and Belle handle a desperate situation
And The (Final) Battle in the Shop