SMOKE AND ASHES
Finding that all the tenants of The House have survived the fire, Gold is distraught to learn that Elspeth and Zelena have not been accounted for and begins an all-out search, securing the surprising support of Ruel, who assists, along with Maurice and Belle, in locating Elsepth.
Elspeth, who has indeed been kidnapped by the Bocans, is being watched over by a nameless Bocan guard. The child, unafraid, begins to befriend the shadow creature, getting him to tell her the tumultuous story of his origins on Omaha Beach during the Battle of Normandy in World War II. She names the Bocan, "Omaha" and offers the creature part of her lunch, a gesture that touches the sad, lonely Bocan.
Gold (with his entourage) converge on the Bocans on a lower level of the city's largest parking garage. They confront the enraged Bocan Commander who attacks. Gold is easily able to repel the Commander who then attempts to harm Elspeth. Omaha takes the brunt of the attack. Gold, with assistance from Belle and Ruel and a lack of action from Rashnack (the Bocan lieutenant) destroys the Commander. Elspeth pleads with her father to save Omaha, but he is unable to heal the dark creature. As a last resort, Belle combines healing energies from Gold and Ruel (along with her own abilities) and restores the Bocan to a corporeal form.
Accords
Chapter 41
+ + + + Reunion
Gold pulled Elspeth to him and kissed her on the forehead, his hand entwined in her hair. He then looked deeply into her eyes. "You seem fine. I was worried about you."
"I okay, Daddy," she repeated and hugged him back. Gold glanced up at Belle and she lent her arm to help stabilize him as he stood back up.
Gold looked around the dingy concrete parking garage. "This is no place to negotiate," he remarked.
Rashnack nodded. "Perrrhaaps theee Viiillllains' Cluuub?" he suggested.
"Perhaps. But I can't take most of these people there." Gold observed. "And the stalwart men of the fire department will likely keep me out of The House for awhile – and," he addressed the Bocan, " I'm not sure The House would let you in, in light of recent events." He sighed, "Let me get everyone settled and you and I can convene this evening, say eight o'clock? Villains' Club would be fine."
"Yesss, Masssterrr," the new Bocan leader agreed. He rose back up to his full height. "Thisss onnnne," he looked down at Omaha, now a corporeal being. "Thisss onnne beeelooongs too yoooou noow."
Gold agreed, "I believe so. We'll take care of him," he promised the Bocan who nodded and drifted off collecting his lesser officers and taking them with him.
Gold then turned to Ruel-Miranda and Maurice. "I'm afraid I can't offer you the hospitality of my home. I've been recently indisposed," he apologized.
"Perhaps I can suggest a place," Ruel-Miranda spoke up. "I have a small condo on Lexington Street, in an apartment building."
"You have an apartment here in town?" Gold asked her slowly. He was mildly pissed. She'd always had him contact her via a cone, rather than just dropping by her office . . .or apartment!
"Well, I don't use it very often, but on rare occasions it has been useful," she admitted a trifle chagrined.
"I'm sure," Gold murmured, privately wondering just what all types of mischief the meddling Fairy Queen had gotten into from that apartment.
"Let's go then," he bowed to Ruel-Miranda with an added flourish. And the group, consisting of Gold, Belle, Miranda, Maurice, a bubbling Elspeth and a rather vacant lumbering Omaha, began the walk down the hill to Lexington and then turned away from The House to go right towards the upscale condo building. Despite the awkwardness of managing a cane and carrying a child, Gold insisted on carrying Elspeth.
"I was afraid I might have lost you," he told the child.
Along the way, walking by Gold, Belle borrowed her father's cell phone to call Emma to let her know that Elspeth was safe and sound. She also was able to get an update on Zelena and passed the information onto Gold.
"David found her sitting outside of Malaprops. She was in an absolute daze, not knowing where she was, how she'd gotten there, anything. David took her in and got her some coffee and that helped. They talked. Zelena's last memory was leaving The House with Elspeth to go on their walk before lunch. She's been frantic, worried you're going to kill her."
"I just may," Gold retorted.
"Miss Zelena try to save me," Elspeth told him. "Three big shadow men came and took me away. They made me sleepy," Elspeth recounted her kidnapping.
"Gold, Zelena would have had no chance against three Bocans," Belle tried to reason with him. "And it sounds like they were hit with some type of sleeping spell."
Gold shrugged, obviously not entirely convinced that Zelena was blameless.
Belle had now turned her attention to Omaha. The young man or creature or man-creature was still in a befuddled state. He was still struggling with awareness. Now that he was standing, Belle could see he was quite tall, perhaps six-four, nicely filled out. He had somehow acquired clothes during the transformation (thank goodness) and was dressed, appropriately enough, in black. Elspeth seemed to be the only constant for him and he hardly took his eyes off the child as they walked along the city streets. Belle tried to feel his state of mind and was surprised when the young man-creature immediately turned his attention to her. He looked at her puzzled, almost hurt. Belle gave him a quick little smile and withdrew.
They arrived at the high end condo on 12 South Lexington. Ruel-Miranda produced a passkey that got them into the building and they all rode the elevator upstairs.
Ruel-Miranda's apartment looked like somewhere a Fairy Queen might live in. Most everything was white or crystal or silver. The walls were gleaming white with a white carpet on the floor. There were gauzy white lace curtains on the windows. Two large white sofas dominated the living area set at corners to each other with a deep natural sheep's skin rug on the floor on top of the carpet. Along the walls were a few silver colored display cases with clear glass shelves. Inside the display cases were such things as a crystal bowl set with glass fruit and a silver clock. There were silver-toned lamps with white shades set about the room. The only touch of color in the room was a soft blue throw on one of the sofas.
Gold immediately felt uncomfortable in the place, although probably tolerating it better than he might have before Belle had come into his life. Elspeth wiggled until Gold put her down. She promptly went and wallowed on a fluffy sheepskin run. Wordlessly Omaha followed her and sat on the white sofa next to her.
Belle followed them both and sat down on the other white plush covered sofa. She began gently, "Omaha, what's the first thing you remember?"
The young man looked at her and Belle could see his eyes were a pale blue. "Blood," he answered her. "Blood and water."
Elspeth spoke up, "He told me there was a 'vasion' and they threw away der stuff in the water and two thousand was kilt."
Maurice had been standing by and heard Elspeth's story. He sat down next to Belle looking odd in the posh surroundings in his relaxed clothes. "Omaha? Belle, in World War Two there was a battle on what was called Omaha Beach. It was part of the Invasion of Normandy when the Allied forces suffered great loses."
Belle considered. "I read that Bocans were created by the energies generated by grief and death. Is it possible that our young Mr. Omaha was born from the carnage of Omaha Beach?"
Gold had been pacing, looking for something in the apartment that didn't put his teeth on edge and decided that sitting next to Belle was his best bet. "It's quite possible, my Belle. In fact, it's rather likely." He looked over at Omaha. "Although I have never heard of a Bocan becoming flesh and blood. The healing magic must have reverted him to some semblance of one of the victims of the battle."
"So he's not exactly . . ."Belle couldn't finish.
"He's not human," Ruel-Miranda finished for her. She had come to stand behind Maurice. "He may very well retain some of his Bocan powers."
Omaha looked up at Miranda at that remark. He seemed puzzled.
"But he does seem very attached to Elspeth," Belle observed.
"Then I shall consider employing him to protect my daughter," Gold decided. "After this latest debacle I think she may need someone to look after her."
"Is he stable, do you think?" Ruel-Miranda asked him.
"Gee, he's right here, Ruel. Omaha," Gold addressed him and the young man turned his gaze towards Gold.
"Would you be interested in making sure nothing bad happens to my daughter Elspeth? We can negotiate a salary and additional terms once you feel a little more settled in."
"Watch Elspeth?" the young man asked slowly.
"Take care of her. Make sure she's not kidnapped again and not hurt by anyone," Gold further explained.
Omaha sat for a moment. "Yes. I would like that. Elspeth is my friend."
"We'll watch him," Belle told her mother. "Listen, it's getting late in the afternoon and I've not had lunch. Shall we order up from . . . ?"
"Posana's very close," Gold decided for everyone.
"I have one their menus," Miranda told him and she fetched it from a small drawer in the kitchen.
Gold didn't look at the menu. "Trout for me."
"Tofu with rice and mushrooms," Ruel-Miranda said after a glance.
Belle looked over the menu, "The chicken with parmesan fries. Elspeth can help me with it."
She then handed the menu to Maurice.
"Hum, the pork tenderloin or the duck breast? I think I'll go with the pork," he said after a moment's deliberation.
"Oh that's good," Ruel-Miranda told him. "I suspect our Mr. Omaha would like that also."
Gold nodded.
Ruel-Miranda made a phone call to secure their meals.
"What will you do now that you can't live in The House?" she asked Gold quietly away from Belle and her father.
"What do you care?" he couldn't help but ask.
"You're with my daughter now. I don't want her living out of cheap hotel room," Ruel-Miranda told him.
"When have you ever known me to go cheap? I have insurance on The House. And money of my own," he came back acerbically. "And The House has a way of taking care of its own. We'll be fine." He looked up and saw Belle looking at him. "Thank you," he added petulantly. When Belle still glowered at him, he shot back, "What? She knows I'm never goin' to like her. It's not like it's a secret."
"So you two are together?" Maurice asked Belle while looking at Gold.
"Yes Daddy," Belle spoke up. "Mr. Gold rescued me when I was at the end of my resources. He gave me a room and a job, a decent job. He started taking me out to breakfast and things just kept going from there."
"Daddy's goin' to ask Miss Belle to marry him when he finds the right time," Elspeth spoke up.
Gold pressed his lips together – kid has a mind like a steel-trap. Out loud he said, "I do have honorable intentions towards your daughter, Maurice. And if I understand what Ruel has related to me, your daughter and I are meant for each other, kinda pre-ordained," he said with a smug smile directed at Ruel-Miranda.
"Is that right?" Maurice was not impressed.
"I was surprised too," Ruel-Miranda admitted. "These would have been the last two that I would have put together, but apparently prophesies are tricky things and can be interpreted in more than one way."
"Prophesy? You told me about that earlier," Maurice replied. "So these two are special?"
"Very." Ruel-Miranda agreed.
It was an awkward supper that the six shared. Gold asked if Ruel-Miranda and Maurice could watch over Elspeth while he and Belle went to Undertown to finish up dealing with the Bocans. He also asked them to babysit Omaha. It would likely be very late when they were finished up and Gold had an idea of where they might find a place to crash for the night not wanting to impose and thinking he would never be able to go to sleep in Ruel's apartment. Gold and Belle made plans to meet back up with everyone at the Green Sage Cafe at nine the next morning (barring any major mishap) before leaving out.
Maurice was glad to sit with Elspeth. He chatted with the little girl after Belle and Gold had left, telling her how much she reminded him of his own little girl.
"Who she?" Elspeth asked him.
"Belle," he told her.
"Miss Belle you daughter?" Elspeth's eyes got big. She had been hearing something along these lines, but this time the relationship had been stated clearly.
"Yes, she's my little girl," he replied.
"She not wittle!" Elspeth protested.
"She used to be," Maurice explained.
"Really!" Elspeth was intrigued.
"And I used to tell her stories and take her on picnics," he reminisced. "And we would fly kites and sail boats."
"Stor-rees?" Elspeth was leaning into the older man. "I like stor-rees."
"You do?" Maurice was acting as if he was surprised although he was secretly very pleased. He could certainly see why his daughter and that Gold character had become enamored of the child. She was a delight. "Well, let's see if I can come up with a good one."
"Sit on you?" she asked him.
So Maurice picked her up and settled on the sofa with her. "Once upon a time," he began. "There was an inventor who got lost in a forest. The person who owned the forest got mad at him and imprisoned him in a dark castle." Maurice went on to share the story of how the inventor's beautiful daughter offered to take her father's place as a prisoner of the beast that lived in the castle.
And how the beast and the beauty fell in love and broke the terrible curse that was on the beast.
Elspeth pronounced this was the best story ever. Ruel-Miranda stood watching with mixed feelings. She knew this child was not really a child but rather was the odd manifestation of a near-demonic entity. She wasn't quite sure what the story was but there was no guise that she couldn't see though in time. The entity was buried very deep, very deep indeed. But it was still there.
But this child looked so much like her own Belle. She remembered how she had loved the infant and it had hurt so much to leave her. Only her fear for her own life had pulled her away from the child . . . and the man. At first she used her re-emerging powers to check on the child but it had become so painful, as if she was looking in through a window at some happy event from which she was excluded. Elspeth almost seemed like a Second Chance to her.
"I guess we should get a bath for our little miss," she said after the story. "It will be time for bed soon."
"Not sleepy," Elspeth protested even while yawning.
"You've had a very busy day," Maurice told the child. "You get your bath and go on to bed and maybe we can do something special tomorrow."
"What?" Elspeth asked perhaps a tad suspiciously.
"Oh I don't know. What sounds good to you?" Maurice answered.
"Miss Zelena lets me watch 'toons and we go for a walk and we make cookies," Elspeth shared some of daily activities.
"We hope we'll meet back up with your father. Maybe we can go for a walk and see what The House looks like if the fire department will allow us to get close," Maurice suggested.
"If they won't, we can go shopping," Ruel-Miranda told them.
"I like shopping," Elspeth said with a grin.
"Good girl," Ruel-Miranda told her and led her off to her bath.
+ + + + + Descending
"I'll be all right without that dreadful collar?" Belle asked Gold as they walked toward Number Nine, Carolina Lane.
"I think your importance to me is well known in Undertown," Gold replied. "You should be fine. If someone tries to molest you, you have my permission to fry them."
They entered the small anteroom, were greeted by the ever-present ever-obsequious rat creature and headed down the stairs.
"What is going on with Omaha?" Belle asked him.
"He's not human, we've been over that. He may look human but he's still mostly a sad Bocan inside. I suspect you fed him enough energy to make him solid and he took on the appearance of one of dead soldiers. I'm curious as to what Bocan powers he may still possess. Fear is their primary tool but he doesn't project that aura of fear anymore."
"Is it possible he doesn't have any powers?" Belle asked as they began walking along the streets having finished descending the stairs.
"Sure, but I suspect we'll find strength, possibly super human strength. I don't know what else. He seems to have bonded with Elspeth," Gold looked at Belle, "Hey, that's your Empathy gift working through me. What do you think?"
"I think that it is my Empathy gift working through you and I think that he has bonded with Elspeth," Belle agreed. "Like she saved him, no, more like she befriended him."
"I get that. It's nice to have a friend," he smiled warmly at her, "Very nice."
They were getting near the Villains' Club.
"You know we're going to have to talk to my father. Tell him more about you . . . and me . . . and us," Belle told him.
"I think he already suspects I'm . . . different," and Gold waved his green-gold fingers with their blackened nails at his little princess. "I suspect Ruel will be filling him on me. That's going to be interesting."
++ + + + A Conversation
Maurice approached Ruel-Miranda after they had gotten Elspeth off to sleep in the spare bedroom. Ruel-Miranda had Omaha and Maurice push one of the sofas into the hall outside of Elspeth's room and Omaha settled down on this.
This left Maurice and Ruel-Miranda sitting in the living room together.
"You know I have some questions," Maurice began.
"I would imagine you do," Miranda agreed.
"I think I'm taking this all very well," Maurice told her. "I mean, I step into another dimension, find my daughter, find my daughter has these amazing powers and abilities, find my daughter is enamored of a green-skinned imp whom, I suspect, also has amazing powers and I find my long dead wife is actually alive and, oh yes, she has amazing powers."
"Perhaps now isn't the time to examine your own abilities," Ruel-Miranda said softly.
"What?!"
"Avonleigh is a sleeping hotbed of enormous talent. Your people, many of them have amazing abilities and talents. They are just beginning to awaken now that the Hundred Generation Curse is fading. That means you too are ready to demonstrate some 'amazing powers.'"
Maurice shook his head, "I don't think so. I mean I couldn't begin to do some of the things that I saw you three doing this afternoon. "
Ruel-Miranda smiled indulgently at him. "When I, with many of my sisters, left the safety of our . . . dimension to look for the man who might be able to sire The Light One . . . I never thought that I would be the one chosen. But I knew, I knew as soon as I met you." Ruel-Miranda stopped talking a moment and when she looked back at Maurice she had tears in her eyes, "I have so many regrets, Moe. I thought I was saving my people by making the choices I made, but now I wonder. Could I have saved them if I had made different choices? If I had told you who . . . what I was?"
"Miranda, you made the best decision you could at the time," Maurice comforted her.
"Perhaps, but if I had been there, I could have helped Belle as she began to manifest her powers. I could have explained what was happening, that it wasn't an illness. I guess I never expected Empathy. I thought our daughter would be a telekinetic or something flamboyant like a pyrokinetic, something overtly powerful. Empathy is so rare. I had no idea of how powerful it would be."
"Speaking of flamboyant," Maurice began. "Tell me about this Rumple Gold character that she is in love with. I believe you two have abit of history."
Ruel-Miranda closed her eyes. "Another decision that I have lived to regret. He's a scion of a demon father and a human mother. We discounted him for awhile. Of course our powers were only really just beginning to return and, at first, we could only detect him when he used his own abilities. At the beginning, we thought he was just one of many, nothing remarkable, but as he grew older, he got more and more powerful. He first mastered fire energies, then air, then earth and finally water. We had not seen an Elemental Master in . . . well, since before the Curse."
"Did you try to kill him?" Maurice asked insightfully.
"We tried but we obviously weren't successful and . . . um . . . things just kind of went downhill after that. He doesn't trust my kind."
Maurice had to smile, "Well, Miranda, I kinda understand the guy." Then he asked soberly, "Will he be good to our daughter, do you think?"
Ruel-Miranda nodded. "They have True Love. And with her Empathic talents, he can't lie to her or deceive her - she will know."
"What about us?" Maurice asked.
She sat quietly for a while before answering, "I think I may need to let someone else start making decisions. What do you think we should do?"
"I was stunned finding you alive. I had some anger that I had been deceived. I understand now why you did what you did. But I am still hurt that you couldn't trust me," Maurice began. "Why don't we just take it a day at a time and see how things go."
"We have plenty of time, Moe. A day at a time sounds like a good place to start." Then she stood and held out her hand to him, "Why don't we take one more step tonight?"
It took Maurice a moment to grasp what she was offering but, when he did, he had to smile and accept her offer.
+ + + + + A New Agreement
"You know my dad heard that rat-guard refer to me as your 'concubine,'" Belle told him as they neared the Villains' Club.
"Yeah, I figure I'm going to have to answer for that," Gold admitted.
"Is that how these people think of me, as your tart du jour?" she asked him. They were about to go into the Club.
He stopped and turned to her. "Given what they lived with when my father was in charge . . . yes. The idea that The Master would have only one female, forever and ever . . . that's a new concept for them. They assume you're some lightskirt that has temporarily attracted my attention and they don't understand there's more to our relationship." He turned and started to walk on.
Belle stood for a moment. Part of her wanted to ask him to comment on exactly what kind of relationship they did have. The next moment she was walking after him muttering, "Lightskirt?"
The bar became silent as Gold entered. He waited, holding out his hand to Belle and led her through to the same dais he'd sat upon before he'd taken over leadership of the Underworld denizens. Hook was already there (Cora, as per his request, was conspicuously absent). Also sitting apart were a clowder of Bocans. Rashnack, the vaguely blue-tinged leader was sitting at one end of the dais apart from the contingent of his own kind. His dark brooding presence kept bar staff and bar patrons alike away from him. Gold stopped a brief moment and whispered something to Rashnack. The Bocan's eyes whirled and he nodded. At Rashnack's signal one of the smaller Bocans came over and after communicating briefly with Rashnack, the smaller one drifted off and out of the Villains Club.
"How is with you?" Gold asked his Lieutenant Hook.
"Not good. Gold, that Bocan Commander had us completely duped. He had me thinking that he was rotating his people like they were doing shifts and I had no idea he had taken any out of Undertown . . ."Hook was hurriedly trying to explain his role in the recent attempted coup.
"Rashnack has explained the plan to me," Gold told him waving him off. "We're going to come to a different agreement tonight. I'd like you to sit in."
Hook, relieved that he wasn't being held a part of the plot, sat down at the opposite far corner of the table from Rashnack.
"Why don't we get something to drink," Gold suggested and waved one of the barmaid overs. He ordered his usual Johnny Walker Blue and got Belle a red wine. Belle was grateful not to have to sit on the filthy floor on this occasion.
The place was as dark as she remembered it . . . and as smelly . . . and as dirty. Belle, sitting next to Gold (rather than on the floor or on his lap) was able to get a better feel for the place. The patronage was a selection of throw-aways. There were the truly desperate, the resigned, the bitter, the clueless, the devious, those who thought they could get away with anything, those who knew better and those that knew nothing. The waitstaff consisted of females endowed with generous charms who were doing their best to attract the attention of some rich patron. Even with her sitting next to Gold, they fawned over him. Hook, also received his fair share of attention.
"I wonder if these women have health insurance or any other type of benefits with their jobs," she said aloud.
"Wha . . ?" Gold had dimly heard her question.
"Well, it would seem to me that making sure your people weren't living hand to mouth might be a place to start as their new leader."
Gold gaped at her. "You want to do welfare work with these people. They're all cheaters or too lazy to do honest work."
"I'm just thinking of some of the programs we have in Avonleigh. We've had them a long time and worked out a lot of the loopholes and such," Belle explained. "I was thinking that you're in a position to make some real changes for your people."
"Tell you what," Gold began. "when things settle down, I'll have you come down here and . . . and take a look, see where you want to start." He shook his head. That Empathy talent could be a bitch sometime. If you understood people, you might end up wanting to help them.
The large Bocan had overheard the interchange, "Yooourrr laaadyyy issss verrry kiiiinnnd."
"Yeah, well, yeah," Gold agreed.
"Weee throoow ourrrrssssellllvessss onnnn yooourrr merrrccccy, Masssterrr," Rashnack began.
Gold regarded the Bocan. This one was clever, very clever. "Your Commander had asked for autonomy. Is that what you want?" he asked.
Rashnack shook his head. "Ssssomme dooo. Mooosssst doooon't. Mooossst ooffff mmmyyyy peeeoplllle lllike yooouu. Theeeyyy liiike wooorkinnnng ffforrr yooou."
"So what do you want to do?" Gold was curious as to what this clever Bocan would suggest.
"Ththththeee poooowerrrr of choooicccce," the Bocan replied.
"Those who chose not serve would have to subject themselves to some restrictions," Gold told the Bocan leader. "I do not want them wandering the upper kingdoms preying upon hapless victims. I don't want them wandering down here, sucking souls and life-forces from my other people here.
Rashnack wavered. "IIII uuuunnnderrrrssstaaannd," he finally said.
"For those who violate this, for those who are caught outside the confines of your allowed space, punishment will be harsh and absolute," Gold continued. The Bocans were very, very powerful in his estimation. He couldn't afford to have them wandering about, free-lancing terror and mayhem. "If at any time they want to come back into my service, they must make an appeal and I will personally review their application," he added. In a low voice he added, "I could eradicate all of your kind, you know that. "
Rashnack drew himself up, an enormous shadow filling up the side of the room. The bar became suddenly quiet and everyone's attention was pulled to the dark menacing figure.
"IIIIt iiissss aaagrrrreeeeed," he said and shrank back down.
"I like you Rashnack. I hope I don't live to regret my generosity to your people. There will be no second chances."
Rashnack simply gazed at him, the red eyes twinkling. So damn hard to read a Bocan.
Belle leaned in. "He likes you. He thinks you're fair. He thinks if there is a problem you will listen to all sides before making a decision," she spoke quietly so only Gold could hear.
"What is the first thing you remember, Rashnack?" Belle peered around Gold to address the Bocan.
The eyes winked in and out. "Ssssuuummmmmerrrr."
"Sumeria?" Belle sat back.
The eyes blanked out a moment and then reappeared burning bright and steady, "IIIII ammmm verrrry olllld, Mmmiiissss Beelllle," he replied. "IIIII haaavvvve llleearrrrnned allllooot."
"I see," she answered him. "You know it would be most interesting to have a long chat with you sometimes and get your sense of all the history you've known first hand."
The Bocan's eyes blinked on and off and he turned his gaze towards Gold.
"Yeah, I know," Gold told him. "Belle," he turned to her. "The Bocans tend to keep to themselves. They're really no more comfortable around us than we are around them."
"Really?" Belle was fascinated by this bit of news. Before she could ask any more questions the smaller Bocan that had been sent out returned, conferred briefly with Rashnack and then Rashnack turned to Gold. "Herrre. IIIIt'sss abooovvve Beeee aaannnd Jayyyy Deeeepaarrrtmmmennnnt SSSStoorrre ooonnn LLLLeeexinnngtooonnn."
"I know where it is then. Thanks. Oh before I go, our contract," and Gold pulled from his pocket the documents detailing the duties and responsibilities of the Bocan as well as the restrictions to be placed on those that did not wish to serve him.
To Belle's delight, Rashnack was able to produce a feathered pen with a flourish and after apparently reading over the document, signed it. Gold then affixed his signature and Hook signed as a witness.
The Bocans then exited, drifting towards the exit to a collective sigh of relief.
"They're damn difficult to deal with," Hook told Gold. "They give me the creeps."
"They're really more sad than scary," Belle told him. "Now that I've got a chance to get to know them. Some are angry, like the Commander and I think those are the ones that want autonomy. "
"Perhaps," Gold said. "Well, my dear," he finished his drink. "We have a walk ahead of us."
"Where are we going?" Belle knew they wouldn't be able to spend the night at The House and she knew that Gold wouldn't want to spend the night in her mother's apartment.
"Well, I thought that since Ruel had a place in Asheville, that it was very likely my father did too. Rashnack confirmed it and I now have a key. No telling what we're going to find."
Thanks to my wonderful, faithful reviewers: RaFire, thedoctorsgirl42, DruidKitty, cynicsquest, emospritelet, MyraValhallah, orthankg1, crazykat77, deweymay, Grace5231973, Aletta-Feather, jewel415, Chauchi, Robin4
Anne Andrews (Guest): stay tuned – I think you will like the direction I'm going to take Omaha.
Erik'sTrueAngel (Guest): Of course Elspeth is all right (Omaha is my own creation)
NEXT: Belle and Gold spend a night alone, they revisit The House; Gold and Belle get an invitation and (maybe) Omaha will show off his stuff.