Chapter 22

Gaston was frustrated and bored.

He wanted nothing more than to be sitting front and center at the ring already. To be surrounded by thousands of screaming spectators and sitting between Belle and Regina, two of the most beautiful women on the East coast, would make him the envy of every man. Tonight's boxers were modern day legends and he had been looking forward to telling his grandkids someday about how he had been there when the winning punch was thrown.

But by the time he would be done here with the old broad and her stupid briefcase the match would most likely be over. At least they could watch it on the big screen here in the security room. They didn't get HBO but there were several security cameras all over that convention center. He would see the fight one way or another.

In the meantime, however, he still had to deal with the cryptkeeper's mother. There was no reason why that the pathetic lap-dog Sidney couldn't have taken care of Mrs. Lucas himself. He had far more important things to deal with!

If only Regina had allowed him to take down Gold himself he wouldn't feel so bad about missing the fight of the century! Instead he had to send in the hired muscle to bring the ex-convict into the Dark Room, so named because of its lack of cameras. He would have loved to have been the one to turn that bastard's smug face into hamburger meat.

Tiny could certainly get the job done, but it just wasn't the same.

"This is the outer door of the vault, Mrs. Lucas," said Sidney, pointing to the large screen. They watched as two armed security guards checked Kurt and Greg's security clearance. Once satisfied, one of the guards inputted a six digit code into the keypad and the twelve inch thick metal slid open to reveal another set of impregnable doors. "The second set of doors can only be opened from this room. Our system is foolproof."

The image on the main screen changed once again to show an interior shot of the vault. Greg pushed the cart into the center of the room, next to three other similar ones. Kurt carefully placed Mrs. Lucas's briefcase on top of one of them and nodded up to the camera.

"You're package is now safe and secure," said Gaston as he furtively checked the time. He might just get a chance to see the fight after all! "Does that satisfy you, Mrs. Lucas?"

"Very…very satisfied," she stammered.

Pulling his gaze away from his watch, he studied the older woman carefully and was taken aback by how pale she had become! Sweat glistened on her forehead and she kept flexing her left arm as though she had a cramped muscle.

"Mrs. Lucas? Ma'am, are you all right?"

"I'm fine," she replied weakly. She clutched at a gold chain around her neck and fingered the dozen rings that hung from it. "Please, just…give me a moment."

"Who is that?" asked one of the technicians suddenly, pointing to one of the smaller screens.

"Who?" he asked, glad for the brief distraction from the gasping senior. Old people simply creeped him out.

"There's a red haired man with glasses wandering down the corridor and getting inside the elevator. He's not authorized to be there."

"Well then send a security team to…"

"Ugh!"

A sickening thud echoed across the room. Every eye turned to see Mrs. Lucas collapse to the floor in a heap.

"Oh my God!" cried Sidney. "I think she's having a heart attack! Somebody call 911!"

Gaston glanced up at the monitors but the screen the technician had been talking about showed nothing but an empty corridor and equally empty elevator. The watcher must have been seeing things because there was certainly no one there now.

~8~8~8~

Archie looked around the state of the art elevator in awe. It had only one destination listed; the vault. Unfortunately, there was no way he could access it without a pass card and fingerprint identification.

Luckily, there was another way down.

If Emma was successful, he should currently be invisible to all of the cameras in the area. Knowing that no one could see him right now brought him some degree of comfort as he removed his jacket and tie. His fingers faltered on the buttons of his dress shirt, however, when he realized that while security could not see him, Emma and Neal could! He wasn't stripping down completely but the thought of being watched still left him feeling self-conscious.

He would just have to finish undressing on the roof.

Reaching up on to the tips of his toes, he pushed on one of the lighted ceiling panels to reveal an opening into the elevator shaft. He bent down to collect his briefcase, umbrella and jacket then stretched up to toss them through the gap.

He then let out a very un-manly scream while jumping into the corner of the elevator. A face smiled down at him from above.

"You didn't think I was really going to sit this one out, did you?" asked Mr. Gold innocently.

Archie clutched his chest as his heartbeat tried to return to its normal rhythm. "What? You didn't trust me?"

"I do now." Gold snapped his fingers and Archie quickly handed him his things then pulled himself up into the dimly lit elevator shaft.

Mr. Gold was dressed in a black short sleeved shirt and matching pants. It was the first time Archie had ever seen his old friend in something other than one of his signature ties and he found the overall effect somewhat unnerving. He looked almost normal!

They quickly opened the briefcase and withdrew the harnessing equipment from the secret compartment inside. Archie finished undressing to reveal similar black clothes while Gold configured the equipment to fit onto their bodies. He noticed his friend's cane was nowhere in sight. "How did you get here?"

"You would be simply amazed by the sheer number of people in the world that owe me a favor or two. Someone has just cleared their books."

"But how did you get into the shaft without being seen?"

"I took a leisurely crawl through an air vent, thanks to an old acquaintance."

"And why aren't you in one of your suits?" he asked, genuinely curious. "You're never seen in public without one."

Gold looked up, scandalized. "Do you honestly think I would wear a five thousand dollar suit to crawl through dust and God knows what else? Be reasonable! I had this on underneath."

They continued to prep for their descent in silence, speaking only once they were ready and waiting for the signal.

"What about your son and the whole argument over Belle then?" asked Archie. "What was all that about?"

Gold laughed derisively. "Do you honestly believe that I could be flagged by security unless it was exactly what I wanted?"

"Oh come on!" he exclaimed. "There's no way you could have planned all this! What are you playing at?"

"You should know by now, Hopper, that I never do anything without good reason. It'll all be clear soon."

Archie knew he shouldn't be upset but it was hard not to be when you've been used. "Why didn't you just tell me? I mean, why put me through all this anxiety if you were going to come anyway?"

Gold flashed him one of his famous half smiles. "Your confidence needed a boost, Hopper. So we gave you one."

~8~8~8~

Belle Gold sat at the bar and sipped at her third glass of white wine dejectedly.

He was gone; truly gone this time. He was gone forever and was never coming back.

She really had no right to be angry. After all, she was the one who had sent him the divorce papers. She was the one who given up on them and put an end to their long and happy marriage. And for what? Because she was lonely? Because she was so angry by one little lie that she couldn't stand by her man at his darkest hour?

He had been incarcerated and yet she claimed her life was the one to have been ruined! So what if she had to sell everything? They were merely possessions; nothing that couldn't have been replaced. So what if she had to find a new career? Most people changed careers four or five times during their life anyway! So what if she had lost some friends? They obviously had never cared about her in the first place, just what her position in life could do for them.

That was the problem with people. They always wanted something from her.

But not Danny. All he had ever wanted of her was loyalty. Loyalty he had been missing his entire life! It seemed everyone eventually betrayed him; Milah, Zoso, Mother Superior, Regina, if he was to be believed, and now her, his own wife.

All he had ever wanted was to see her happy; to see her smile. To the rest of the world he was a hardened businessman and thief. But to her, he was a kind and gentle man, a devoted father and loyal friend. He may come off as a sophisticated, affluent capitalist but in reality his needs were quite simple. Deep down, all he ever wanted was to have a loving family living a normal life.

And with a single signature on a legal document, she had taken that away from him too.

She had asked him to leave and so he did. And now he was gone.

She signaled the bartender for another refill. "I'll take the rest of the bottle, William."

"I think you've had enough, Miss French," said Mr. Smee as he tried to take away her glass.

"It's Gold!" she exclaimed loudly, making the short bartender scurry away in fear. "Why can't anyone remember that?"

"Belle? What are you doing?" demanded Regina crossly. "You are supposed to be sitting at the table. And why are you drinking white wine? We always drink red!"

"I just felt like having a drink…or two…or three," she slurred. "Besides, you're the one who's late."

"Yes, well, it couldn't be helped. Something came up." Regina checked the time on her diamond encrusted watch and frowned. "We'll have to wait to eat until after the match. We need to be down at the ring in a few minutes."

"Fine with me," Belle replied as she downed the rest of her drink. "I'm not very hungry tonight anyway."

She slung her purse around her shoulder and got up unsteadily on her high heels. The sooner this ridiculous boxing match started the sooner it would be over. Then she could escape to her room and have a good cry.

It was high time she took stock of her life and decided what really mattered.

~8~8~8~

Gaston watched helplessly as the cold and clammy Mrs. Lucas lay unconscious on the metal flooring. Try as he might, he couldn't seem to recall any of his first aid training!

The only reason he had even received his certification was because of the one-on-one resuscitation he had had with Jacqueline, his CPR instructor. Jack, as he had fondly called her as he had fondled her, had not minded one bit that his hands were not on the correct part of her chest or that his tongue had come into play while giving her the kiss of life. He had particularly enjoyed her creative use with the wraps and knots afterwards in the storage room and the special medicinal cakes they had shared once their lust had been sated. Jack was definitely a naughty girl, the complete opposite of his boring girlfriend Belle.

But now there was an old broad dying right in front of his eyes and all he could think was how he was so not putting his perfect lips on her ancient ones.

After what seemed liked hours, which in reality was only minutes, a security guard called in to inform them that two paramedics had arrived at the cage door. He gave them authorization to enter and could hear them racing down the hallway.

"Did someone call for an ambulance?" asked a male voice from the doorway.

"Yes, in here!" cried Sidney. "I believe she's having a heart attack!"

They went immediately to her side and began checking her vitals. The taller of the two, a slightly scruffy faced man with perfect windswept hair like he had just come off a motorcycle, a look that Gaston had always wanted but could never fully achieve, quickly began chest compressions.

At least his hair was far nicer than the second man, who was short, almost completely bald and decidedly grumpy looking. He was kneeling on Mrs. Lucas's other side, keeping her head tilt back to open up her breathing passageway, and shouted, "Come on, sister! Breathe, damn it!"

After just few minutes, the taller man terminated the CPR and shook his head at his partner. He wiped his brow with the back of his hand and turned to the casino employees. "I'm sorry. We've lost her. There was nothing we could do."

The bald man callously tossed a gray blanket over the body and together they hoisted it up onto the gurney. Gaston watched aloofly as the paramedics collected their equipment and wheeled it out into the hall.

"I told you we should have run faster," he heard the shorter man say.

This was the worst thing that could ever have happened! He was not looking forward to telling Regina that a guest had died right in their security room, under his watch no less.

Now he definitely wouldn't get to see the fight!

~8~8~8~

"All right," said Neal in the hotel room. "August and Leroy are leaving with Granny now."

"She was wonderful!" exclaimed Emma. "Even I believed she was having a heart attack."

"She may not have had an actual heart attack but I could tell her Angina was acting up. She gets chest pains and some numbness whenever she overexerts herself or gets excited. Did you see how fast that bastard Gaston was walking? She practically had to run to keep up with him."

"Well, the distraction certainly worked," continued Emma. "I managed to switch the camera feeds without anyone noticing. Security is now watching nothing but recordings so they are relatively blind. We're good to go."

"Contact Henry. It's about time our son got out of that cart."