A BAT IN STORYBROOKE:

Chapter 5

"You saw what?"

It was around 1pm at the sheriff's station that Emma said this. Leroy and Sleepy had just told her about the strange appearance they saw last night that caused Sleepy's truck to crash into a tree.

"I told you, Emma," Leroy agitatedly groaned, "that we saw a scary pedestrian with a scary bat face that made a scary jump in front of Sleepy's truck and scared the shit out of us and caused us to crash into a tree before disappearing, just like that!"

Emma leaned on her chair, with a thoughtful look on her face. Sure, even after spending at least 3 years in Storybrooke, the numerous amounts of strange occurences like evil fairytale characters who were supposed to be good in the stories she read as a little girl, wicked witches, ice manipulators, demon like creatures that fed on darkness, and authors who wanted to change the roles of villains with those of heroes, Emma was still surprised by the what Leroy told her. After all, she practically spent 28 years of her life in the modern world, out of the Dark Curse, and away from the actual existence of fairytales and magic.

"What's going on? Did I miss the action?"

Hook came in, looking with confusion at the nervous faces of Leroy and Sleepy and the concerned one of Emma.

"A public menace report, Killian. Leroy says that they saw a menace in the outskirts of Storybrooke."

"What kind of menace?"

"A 'bat-headed' menace, according to Leroy."

A 'bat-headed' menace. The words froze Killian, sending bangs in his head. It couldn't be, he thought. It couldn't be…

"Killian, are you OK?" Emma's voice sent him back to Earth.

"Sorry, love. I'm just as surprised as you are. I've never heard about a 'bat-headed' menace before," Killian quickly lied. He turned to Leroy: "Exactly where did you see the menace?"

"On the road," Leroy answered. "Not two far from where we saw Elsa the first time she came to Storybrooke."

Emma got up from her desk and grabbed her jacket. "I'll go investigate. Killian, will you go check on Henry a little bit earlier? I want to make sure that he doesn't get hurt if the "menace" is very dangerous."

"Sure, love."

They split up and left the station. However, while Emma was following the dwarves to where the attack occurred, Killian dashed all the way to Mr. Gold's pawnshop, where he pushed the door open with a BANG!

"Crocodile! I need to…what is going on here?"

He was witnessing a frantic Belle trying to calm down Mr. Gold, who was turning his shop upside down and searching throughout every single book he had like an insane prisoner trying to escape his cell.

Belle turned towards Killian with a surprised look on her face. "Oh, hello, Killian. What brings you here?

"I need to talk to your husband."

"In case you haven't noticed, I'm busy right now!" Rumple grumbled as he skimmed through another stack of books.

"He's just a bit nervous because he's going to be a parent again," Belle gently told Killian.

"Am not!"

"What? Belle, are you pregnant?" Killian said in surprise.

"Yes."

"Congratulations, dear. I'm sure Henry will be glad to hear that he's going to have a new relative. You should hear him when he does the joke of 'being-twelve-years-older-than-my-own uncle.'" Killian and Belle chuckled at the mere thought.

"Well, unfortunately, he might not be pleased when he finds out that his future relative will be another speck of dust for our town's peace," Mr. Gold retorted as he finally found what he was looking for: a giant manuscript with a yin-yang symbol on the cover.

"I'm surprised you aren't happy about having a new child, crocodile. Has the death of Baelfire really let you that down?"

"Um, actually, he's actually nervous because our child was conceived in my womb while Rumple was still the Dark One," Belle hesitantly said.

Killian's brief sympathy faded. "What's wrong about being born from the Dark One? Aside from being related to the parental darkness, of course."

Rumple opened on a page, which he showed to the pirate and his wife. It depicted an illustration of a dark figure holding a baby entrapped in a circle of black flames. "This is the problem: The Dark One is an immortal being, and like other immortals, should it conceive with a mortal, a demigod will be born. Usually, a demigod isn't very great news because it's more powerful than those who surround him or her. And the worst demigods in all the realms are those born from evil immortals."

Belle stammered as she realized what he meant: "And if our child is born from the Dark One…"

"It will be born with evil potential that's ten times worse than any other villain that has walked on any realm, including the savior Swan when she briefly became the Dark One."

Killian shuddered at the thought of the past six weeks having to protect Storybrooke from an evil Emma while trying to save her at the same time from the darkness of the Dark One that was within her. Seeing her turning into a villain would always haunt him. But if the crocodile's child would be ten times worse than even Emma…

"Enough of this," Mr. Gold cut in. "Why are you here, Hook."

"Remember my 'old association?' Fitzgerald?" Killian asked.

Mr. Gold and Belle looked at him with curiosity. "You mean the peg-legged Batrishan with the crippled wing who was raised by humans in Aldorada and has vowed to get revenge on you for 'ruining his life?'" Mr. Gold did air quotes as he said the last three words of his sentence.

Killian nodded. "Yes, and from what I've heard, he might be in Storybrooke right now. I need to know if Fitzgerald is really here so that I can deal with him without Emma knowing it."

"Why won't you tell her?" Belle asked. "She's good at tracking people and she could easily get to him with her magic."

"I don't want her to be involved. Fitzgerald swore that he'd kill me if it's the last thing he does, even if he has to kill those that I care for. You can't imagine how he gloated in front of my face when he watched Milah die."

"He's right, Belle, and I can say that from experience. Plus, much to your misfortune, Hook, Fitzgerald has prepared for the day he'd get to kill you and believe me, you won't be able to fight him through sword fighting just like you did during your last two confrontations."

"Is there any chance that Emma won't be able to track him?" Killian asked nervously.

"She has zero chances of finding the Batrishan. For centuries, not even the greatest mortal hunters or the best sorcerers, like I once was, were able to find him. He is like an unwanted thread of silk in a patch of thousands of silky threads."

"Well, that's a relief," Killian sighed in relief as he quickly hurried out of the store. "Thanks again, crocodile! And congratulations on your new child with Belle, despite its possible darkness!"

"Uh…OK," the couple said in unison as they silently watched the pirate run out into the street.

"So who is this Fitzgerald exactly, Rumple?" Belle asked her husband.

Rumple glanced at his wife. "He's a messed up creature who has history with the pirate long before I even became the Dark One.

If Killian or the Golds had noticed at all, they would have realized that Fitzgerald was spying on them with a telescope from inside the Storybrooke clocktower.

Personally, Fitzgerald respected Rumplestiltskin, especially ever since the latter crushed Milah's heart in front of the codfish, breaking both his heart and hand. However, if Killian was allies with the Dark One, then there would be a problem with obtaining his revenge. Fidget needed to get to Killian without involving the Dark One. But how?

"Henry, why can't we wait until school's over to search up on Fidget the Bat?"

The voice of a little girl mentioning his name caught his attention. "Say what now?" he asked himself. Quietly and without making a noise, he peeked through the opening of the clocktower and look down to the sidewalk. He saw a teenage boy accompanied by a girl much younger than him approaching the door of the library beneath the tower where he was hiding. Fidget started to become suspicious, especially when the scent of the children reached his nose.

Impossible! The girl had the scent of a demigod!

"Because, Rosie, if my mom's boyfriend is in trouble, like you predicted than we got to do something about it!" the boy exclaimed.

The boy's mother's boyfriend in trouble? The girl predicting it? Fidget thought with confusion until the scent of the boy reached his nose.

GREAT ASHIVA! The Batrishan jumped at the realization. THE SCENT OF RUMPLESTILTSKIN'S BLOOD WAS COVERING HALF OF THE BOY'S SCENT! HE MUST BE THE DARK ONE'S RELATIVE!

Fidget bit his clawed hands at the thought of dealing with a relative of the Dark One, especially one as dangerous as Rumplestiltskin.

But then… he stopped biting his hands…and his nervous face was replaced with a malicious, fanged smile that would scare all children. Chuckling with evil glee, Fidget flew down the tower as quietly and as fast as he could.

For he had a plan.