A Tangled Web
Chapter Nine: Gathering the Army
The earthquake had finally stopped. Emma and the others emerged from the cabin, looking around in trepidation. The damage was not as bad as expected, with only a few trees uprooted. The cabin itself was intact, not a single window broken or a nail out of place.
Emma and the others squinted in the bright sunlight, looking around. Everything appeared to be normal, apart from a few trees that had been uprooted by the aftershocks. "We should head back to town, see if anyone needs help."
Rumplestiltskin grinned at her. "By all means, dearie. You go do your little Sheriff duties, and I'll just stay here, safe from the prying eyes of our loverly Queen. She's not going to be too happy that the Curse is almost broken, and I dread to think of what she'd do if she saw you. Why, it gives me the shivers!" He mock-shuddered, cackling, and Red rolled her eyes and slapped him upside the head.
"Rumple, shut up. Emma, if you need, I can go with you. I'm pretty good at being silent when I have to be, and my wolf skills could come in handy for finding people."
Rumple glared at her. "And if Regina finds you, what then? She'll make a fur coat out of you, love. Not to mention that you've got cu…children to look after."
"Belle can watch the twins while I'm gone. I've been in dangerous situations before, Rumplestiltskin. I'm an Alpha werewolf, I can handle myself."
Rumplestiltskin shook his head. "Not this dangerous, Red. Werewolf or no, you are still my wife, and the last thing I want is for Regina to have any opportunity to hurt you, which she will take. Think about it. She knows how much I love you, and how devastated I would be if something were to happen." He stroked her face, speaking in a soft and serious tone. "Please, stay here."
Red sighed, and then kissed him. "Rumple…I can't. Emma's going to need help, and I'm the most capable one."
"What about the prince and princess? They're not exactly helpless!" Rumple protested, looking over at James and Snow. "Why not make it a loverly family vacation? Go off, find the survivors, thwart the evil queen, and all that rigmarole. Hell, you can take the little prince with you! Just so long as my Red stays. Here."
James sighed, seeing the determination on Red's face. "Rumplestiltskin, you married a woman who is even more stubborn than you. She's not going to give in, so you might as well let her go. I'll watch over her, I've done it before."
Rumple was about to protest again when Henry spoke up. "Why not just hide her from Regina? Aren't you supposed to be the most powerful sorcerer that ever lived?"
Red laughed, looking over at her rather contrite husband. "He's right, you know. Leave it to a child to come up with the simplest solution. Cloak us, Rumple."
"Very well. Emma, this is going to feel a bit…odd." He waved his hand, speaking in a strange language, and Emma felt as if something cold and wet was being poured over her. She shivered, and then blinked. The world looked hazy, as if she was standing in her own personal fog. She blinked again, and her vision cleared. Rumple grinned at her. "There. Now, this will only last a few hours, so you two had better be quick, and silent. Regina won't be able to see you, but she can still hear you. Now go, before I change my mind and lock Red in the cabin!" He watched the two women run off, and then sighed deeply. "If they don't come back in three hours, I am going after them. And if I find Regina, so much the better."
Red and Emma made their way carefully through the wrecked streets, Red's ears straining to pick up any sounds. After a while, she nudged Emma in the ribs, pointing towards the school, which was mostly intact. Emma nodded, and they ran over, picking their way through the rubble. The doors had fallen off, and the front walls had crumbled, but the interior looked safe enough. "You hear something, Ruby?"
Red considered correcting Emma for a brief moment. "Yeah. Breathing. It's coming from the left. Three people, maybe more. Come on." They entered the building, Red's senses strained. "This way." She led Emma down the hall, stopping in front of what used to be a classroom, calling out quietly. "Hello? Is anyone there?"
The relieved voice of Sister Astrid answered her. "Yes! I'm here! Who's there?"
"Re…Ruby and Emma, Sister. Who else is with you?"
Astrid coughed. "Uhh…Mr. Booth, Leroy, Archie… and Ava and Nicholas."
Emma spoke up. "Is anyone hurt?" Astrid relayed the question, then replied.
"No, but Mr. Booth's leg is giving him trouble. He might need help walking out. Ruby, where are you? I can hear you, but I can't see you. Have I gone blind? !"
Emma sighed. "It's a very long story, Sister. We're here, trust me." She came forward, taking Astrid's hand in hers. "You can feel me, right?" Astrid nodded, eyes wide. "Good." Emma turned to August, and he stared right back at her. "You can see me, can't you?" August smirked, nodding.
"Yes. He does good work. Now, I assume you came to rescue us?" Emma rolled her eyes and nodded, and August grinned. "Wonderful. Could you perhaps get on with it?" Emma bit back a caustic reply and helped him stand, supporting his weight. Red helped the others stand, then turned to Emma. "Take them out the back. I'll catch up with you in a bit." Emma gave her a look, and Red sighed. "I have to make sure Granny's OK."
"You realize your husband is most likely going to be rather irked?" Red nodded, and Emma heaved a sigh. "Fine. Guys, follow me, and keep quiet!"
Rumplestiltskin was wearing a hole in the ground from pacing back and forth. Belle and Snow watched, concerned. Belle opened her mouth. "Rumple..." she fell silent when he turned and glared at her, never stopping his relentless pacing. Snow sighed, then looked towards the horizon and grinned in relief. She nudged Belle, pointing, and Belle sighed. "They're back."
Rumple stopped, then spun on his heel, relief on his face. But the smile slowly faded as he realized that someone was missing from the party. "Sheriff? Where. Is. Red?" If the Queen had captured her…
Emma sighed. "She went to go check on her Granny. She said she'd be back soon." Rumple growled in frustration.
"Damn it! Fine. Get everyone inside, there's another storm coming."
Emma looked at him. "What about you?"
"I'm not going anywhere until my Red is back safely. I'll keep vigil, Sheriff. Get inside." Emma nodded before leading everyone into the cabin. Rumple stared into the dense forest, trying to catch a glimpse of movement. It seemed as though hours had passed when he finally caught sight of two people running towards him. "Red!" As they neared, Rumplestiltskin noticed that something was wrong. Red seemed to be limping, and her face was pale. Her Granny was holding her up as best as she could, and somehow the two of them managed to make it all the way without falling. Rumple ran forward, taking Red from her Granny and motioning the older woman inside. "Red…baby…look at me. What happened?" He felt something wet on his hands, and looked down, eyes going wide in horror at the gash in her side. "Oh gods…Red…."
Red smiled weakly. "Rumple, I'm fine. I was climbing through the window of the Inn and I got stuck for a moment. It's not as bad as it looks, trust me. But it still hurts like a bitch." Rumple frowned, and Red looked into his eyes. "I swear, I'm fine. Nothing that a good bandage won't take care of." She kissed him, then whispered in his ear. "Or the skilled hands of my Imp."
Rumple giggled. "All good things come to those who wait, my wild one. We've got a bit of strategizing to…" his eyes went wide when he felt Red's hands on his crotch, slowly caressing him through the tight leather. Red looked at him, an innocent smile on her face.
"You were saying?"
Rumple moaned, then kissed her before teleporting them both to his bedroom.
Strategizing could wait.
