A BAT IN STORYBROOKE:

Chapter 9

"What have you done with my grandson?" Mr. Gold growled when he saw Henry's heart in Fidget's hand.

"I pulled out his heart, isn't it obvious?" Fidget snorted.

"But…I thought Regina put a protection spell in Henry so that he wouldn't get his heart pulled out ever again," Belle said in disbelief.

"I've spent years learning how to use and outwit magic. You seriously think that a little spell from the Evil Queen will stop me?"

Rumple tried to grab the heart from Fidget's hand, but the latter was too quick for him and managed to kick him on the stomach with his peg leg, making Rumple fall to the ground and scream in pain as he held on to his stomach.

"RUMPLE!" Belle cried as she rushed to her husband. "Rumple! Talk to me!"

"So it's true, then," Fidget said in disbelief as the Golds turned to face him. "I almost didn't believe the rumors about the Dark One being gone, but turns out they were true. The crocodile that the codfish loathes so much is nothing but a softie without magic anymore."

"What do you want?" Rumple snapped in pain.

"You mean what I wanted. I wanted to strike a bargain with you, but since you're useless, I guess I'll just go ahead and crush the boy's heart…"

"WAIT!"

Fidget turned towards Belle, who interrupted him.

"If we promise to stay out of your way and say nothing about it to anybody, will you promise not to crush Henry's heart?"

"Ironically, that's almost the exact bargain I wanted to make, only I also want the Skull on that counter over there." He pointed towards one of the counters full of clocks minus a white skull with carved jewels on the bone. "I get both the skull and your complete neutrality and silence, and you can rest assured that your grandson doesn't get killed. Do we agree on the River Styx?"

"My husband and I agree on the River Styx," Belle said as she handed the skull over to Fidget who gave an evil grin to Rumplestiltskin.

" Nice wife you have here, ex-Dark One. Do make sure that she doesn't give bad nutrients to your future child," he said mockingly.

As Belle went back to her husband, Fidget summoned a magical sphere showing Henry with Killian on the JOLLY ROGER as the latter began to say: "Henry, I needed to talk to you about something. It concerns an old acquaintance of mine…). Bringing the heart of the boy close to his lips, he commanded: "Henry, excuse yourself from the codfish by telling him that you wanted to go check on our little friend and see if she's alright. Do otherwise and you know what happens."

The Golds stare in disbelief as Henry in the sphere said: "Hook? I'm sorry but I realized that I forgot to check up on Rosetta."

"Who?" Hook asked.

"Rosetta. She's a 3rd grader I have to tutor in Social Studies for Mary Margaret's class. She wasn't feeling well today and I thought I'd go check up on her and see if she's alright."

"That's very thoughtful of you, mate. I'll let your mother know about it."

"OK. Tell her I'll make sure I come home before dinnertime." The boy and the pirate made a few goodbyes before Henry left the ship and started muttering to his captor through the magic: "You didn't want him to tell me about you, didn't you?"

"Unless you want me to torment your little friend, I highly recommend you don't talk back at me. And while you're at it, make a stop at Granny's and make an order to go. Tell them you want a double order of what your little friend usually gets here plus a cup of dark coffee. Understood?"

Henry nodded as Fidget said: "Excellent" and summoned away the sphere, the skull, and the heart.

"How could you?" Rumple asked the Batrishan in disbelief. "Not only do you threaten my grandson but you also blackmail him with an innocent child who had nothing to do with it?"

Fidget said nothing as he made his way to the front door and opened it.

"Remember our bargain," he simply said as he flew away, leaving the Golds in dead silence.

Down in Fidget's underground lair, Rosetta trembled in her cage as her captor came back and installed the jeweled skull from Mr. Gold's shop and a jagged dagger on a table. She watched as he formed a circle on top of the skull with a knife and cracked it out. Jewels fell everywhere as Fidget took out a hand-sized vial full of crimson liquid from the skull.

"You got poison," Rosetta said as Fidget summoned a box and put the vial in it.

"Just one of the ingredients I need." He summoned the box away and used his magic to open Rosetta's cage. The little girl watched in terror as he pointed at the table and told her to come here. Fearing to live again the wrath he unleashed a few hours ago and what came after it, she obeyed him and got out of her cage, slowly walking towards the table.

"Sit," Fidget said, still pointing at the table.

"But…the table's too tall for me," Rosetta whispered.

Realizing she was right, the Batrishan grabbed her by the sides and pulled her up until she was sitting on the table and looking at Fidget's face from the same level.

"There are two reasons why I'm doing this," Fidget explained as he grabbed the dagger. "One: it's a punishing reminder of your recent behavior. So we're going to do a punishing process called the Prometheus Punishment." He then grabbed Rosetta's collar. "Can you guess why?"

"Because you're going to do it everyday?" Rosetta asked in shock. Her eyes widened when she saw that he was using the dagger to cut of the fabric from her collar, revealing her hollow neck. She quickly covered her neck with one hand as he held her cheek and started giving her cuts throughout the face and under her chin.

"Correct. Except I'll be doing it whenever I feel like it." He forced Rosetta's hand away from her neck and proceeded into placing some small cuts on it. "And the second reason is that I want a bloody appetizer before Henry brings our dinner here. Now stay put and let me eat in peace." He threw away the dagger and made chains appear on Rosetta in order to maintain her as he feasted on her blood. He pressed his lips on the little girl's forehead and kissed the bloody parts in a gentle, but creepy way, until he proceeded to the cheeks, which were bloodier than the forehead, and actually licked the blood off.

Rosetta winced in displeasure as the villain feasted on her blood. On the bright side, he didn't bite her and turn her into a Batrishan or a vampire of any sort.

It got creepier when Fidget forced to bend her back, leaning her chin in the process. This allowed Fidget to lean in and lick the bloody parts of her neck. This shocked Rosetta even more, especially when she felt herself shaking giddily.

"You're creepy," she said as he finished his final lick and pulled back, looking at the disgusted girl and chuckled in a teasing way.

"Indeed I am," he said.