A Tangled Web
Chapter Seven: Conversation and Coffee
It was a week after the fateful meeting in the Golds' home, and Emma was finding the idea of having parents that were physically only a few years older than her a bit confusing. Three days after her father had revealed himself, Mary Margaret had come running into their apartment and thrown her arms around Emma, sobbing in joy and crushing the breath from Emma's lungs. Between the sobs, Emma made out the words "So big, my darling girl!" After several moments, Emma got Mary Margaret calmed down enough to reveal that she was actually Snow White. "It was like a part of my brain just woke up! I remember who I am, and who you are! Oh, this is wonderful! James! Does James remember?"
"I do, Snow." Snow spun around; beaming at the sight of her husband standing in the apartment door, then ran to him. James took her into his arms, kissing her with every ounce of passion he could muster up. Emma found herself staring at the kitchen counter, feeling distinctly uneasy. After ten minutes it became clear that they weren't coming up for air any time soon, so she decided to discretely slip away for some coffee in the Diner.
However, her luck was against her. When she reached the diner, the first thing she noticed was that it was locked up tight, the shades drawn. The next thing she noticed, or rather heard, was a loud scream of pleasure, followed by what sounded like a wolf's howl. Morbid curiosity got the best of her, and she inched closer, peeking into the diner through a gap in the shades-and immediately jumped back, knocking over a trash can. 'OK, that was the last thing I ever wanted to see.' She just hoped Ruby bleached the table after.
She turned and was heading back down the street when the sound of the Diner's door opening made her stop, and Gold's amused and rather breathless voice came from behind her. "Ahh, Sheriff. What a pleasant surprise." Emma cursed under her breath, and turned, trying not to grin. It was obvious that Gold had dressed in a hurry. His tie was draped over his shoulders, and his shirt was half way open and untucked. Emma blinked in surprise. His skin looked odd, almost reptilian, and had a gold sheen that seemed too colorful to be a tan. Gold caught her gaze and glared at her, and she glared right back, unfazed. "Well, would you care to have some coffee?"
"As long as I don't get the same table you and Ruby were using." Emma grinned at him, and he chuckled, shaking his head.
"No, don't worry. Anyway, Ruby and I have wanted to talk to you for a few days now." Emma followed him into the Diner, grinning at a rather disheveled Ruby, who merely smirked at her. Gold chuckled. "Ruby love, pour us some coffee, will you? We've got business to discuss."
Emma stared at him, her voice serious. "Is this about the dream we've all been having? Because I had it last night and something changed. Right before Regina stabbed you, there was a gunshot. I couldn't see who fired the gun, though, and I woke up right after. But I also noticed that the dreamscape itself was familiar. It looked like the woods outside of town."
Gold frowned. "Did you see who got shot?" Emma shook her head, and he cursed. "Damn. Well, the only thing that will actually kill me is that infernal dagger, and it's in a safe place. Emma, you are going to have to start unlocking your power. It won't be easy, but I think you've got the potential to be quite powerful, and we're going to need that. See, since I've got my powers back, odds are good that Regina is going to get hers as well. Though one comfort is that even on my worst days I can whip her in magical ability. When the time comes, she will see the Dark One unleashed." He smiled maliciously, his hands curling into the tabletop. Emma gawped at him, completely lost.
"My…what? Power? What are you talking about?"
Gold laughed. "Your ability to tell if someone is lying, of course. What else would I be talking about? Now I know it hasn't been too reliable lately, but that's because you're not using it correctly. You're basing it all on how a person talks and acts around you, and that can easily be faked. You have to go deeper."
"How?"
Gold shrugged. "That I can't help you with, dearie. You have to discover these things for yourself. I can only do so much. I arranged for you to be brought here, after all." Emma's mouth dropped open even wider, and Gold smirked in triumph. "Oh yes. Who do you think gave Snow that book in the first place, and who do you think encouraged her to let Henry read it? I knew that it was only a matter of time before the lad figured out something wasn't right with this town, so I laid the pieces in front of him, and he put them together. I must say, you've got quite the clever boy there. Did you know I was also the one that arranged for Regina to adopt him?"
"What? !"
Gold cackled at the look of shock and disbelief on Emma's face. "Yep. You see, Emma, I have known for quite a long time just what was going to happen. I knew that in order for the curse to be broken, your son had to find you. In order for that to happen, he had to grow up in the town. So I figured letting him grow up with Regina would give him a chance to see how corrupt she was, which would lead to him wondering about Storybrooke, and therefore to finding you."
Emma shook her head in reluctant admiration. "You had everything all perfectly planned, didn't you?"
Gold took a sip of coffee before answering. "No, not really. I couldn't be sure that Henry wouldn't grow up to be like Regina. But luckily, he's more like his mother and maternal grandparents. Brave, smart, and very devious when he has to be. He reminds me of Baelfire, actually." He laughed at Emma's stunned face. "Oh, don't worry; I'm not Henry's father. I believe I would have remembered a night with you, Sheriff." He ducked the friendly swat Ruby aimed at him. "Sorry, love." Ruby rolled her eyes and resumed wiping the tables. Gold turned his attention back to Emma. "But whoever the father is, he's very close by. That much I do know." Emma blushed, and Gold giggled. "You look positively girly when you blush, Emma." He dodged the salt shaker she lobbed at him, catching it in one hand. "Sorry."
"You'd better be. I think this may be the strangest morning I've spent here, and I've spent some strange mornings. But now that you've talked, it's my turn. I've got some questions for you. First, why do you look like that?"
"You mean the gold skin and nails?" Emma nodded, and Gold sighed. "This is what I look like. Well, what Rumplestiltskin looks like. I don't know if you can hear it, but my voice is actually different. I'm doing my best to still speak in 'Gold's' accent, but the effort is quite frankly, becoming a bit pointless." He took a breath, and spoke in a higher pitched voice. "Much better. Now, what else do you want to ask me, dearie?"
"Umm….you said you were powerful, and Henry's told me that Rumplestiltskin was not to be trusted. How do I know you won't suddenly decide to betray us for your own gain?"
Ruby started forward, fury in her eyes, and Gold held up a hand. "It's alright, Red. Emma makes a point. I do have a reputation for being deceitful and devious. But you don't need to worry, Emma. I've never been in Regina's pocket, and I'm not about to start now. I may not like your parents much, since they're the ones that had me locked up, but they're infinitely better rulers than Regina could ever be. Which reminds me, I have a plan to unseat Regina once and for all."
"What is it?" Emma asked, and Rumplestiltskin grinned.
"Well, elections are coming up. For years, Regina hasn't had a single opponent for Mayor. But this year, things will be different. See, I propose to put up a candidate."
Ruby gaped at him. "Tomas, you're not going to run for mayor? !"
"Me, Red? Of course not." His grin grew wicked with glee.
"Mary Margaret is."
