Once Upon A Time: The Devil's Next Step, Part Twelve
By Rebekkalee Mouri-Hibiki
Emma pulled into the police department parking lot, parking the cruiser in its place. She shut the engine off and got out quickly. She wanted to go to the comfort of her beetle, one of the last bastions of familiarity left in her life. Everything around her was becoming so unfamiliar all of a sudden, the events of the day making her wonder just what was happening to her.
She thought about what had happened back at Marco's, how she was overcome with the vision that revealed to her what August had done. It had been downright cruel to lead Mr. Gold on like that, exploiting one of his weaknesses in such a way. She would have been really shocked and confused if she hadn't already read about the dagger in the storybook, a tale she was sure August had added one of the times she thought it was safely tucked away in the sheriff's office. She remembered how desperate August seemed in the vision, probably because he was desperate to save his own life.
Her mind then went to the fact she had the vision in the first place. She had never been able to do anything like that before, making her certain it had something to do with Mr. Gold's blood running through her veins. It must have been reacting with the bit of his power she already had. It made her wonder if it would make that dark sliver grow, a chill running through her at the thought of what it could bring.
She shook it off, walking into the police station quickly. She walked through to her office, sitting down in the chair to think and try to come up with some answers on her own. She suddenly felt like someone was watching her, able to feel their eyes on her. She tried to ignore it but it didn't work.
A thought crossed her mind and stood up before going to the filing cabinet. She opened the drawer second to the bottom, pulling out the case that contained Graham's binoculars. She hadn't had a reason to use them after he had shown them to her but now she did. She got them out, recalling just exactly where Jefferson's house was in relation to the station.
She walked to the window, parting the blinds just enough to jam the binoculars between them. She focused them in direction of Jefferson's house and adjusted them until she could see there was a telescope pointed right at the station. She frowned, recalling that she had whacked Jefferson with one just like it when he had held her captive. What bothered her even more was the fact it was moving, like someone had just walked away from it in a hurry and pushed it as they went.
Her stomach flipped as a wave a nausea washed over her. She pulled the binoculars out of the blinds, the nausea increasing with each passing second. She felt unsafe and exposed. If he was watching her again he was probably up to something and she was not sure if she wanted to know what.
Her mind then went to Belle's story and what Henry had told her. Just from that, she knew he was still around lurking in the shadows. She was still unsure of whose side he was on though. If it was Regina's, she was going to be in quite a bit of danger.
Her knees shook and she reached for the desk. The same feeling that had washed over her at Marco's was coming over her again. Her knees buckled and she hit the floor, her mind overwhelmed again with an unbidden vision. She watched as Mary-Margret kicked Jefferson out of the second floor window, sending him to the ground.
He hit it before he rolled over and crawled off into the bushes, obviously not as hurt as most people would have been. He vanished behind them, the vision then showed her he had passed out shortly after becoming hidden. It explained why they hadn't seen him when they looked out the window or when they went to go get the car. She really felt like she was going to throw up when she came to the realization that Jefferson had probably never stopped watching her at all.
She grabbed the wastebasket from next to the desk and did just that as the vision cleared. When she finished, she opened her eyes and leaned sideways on the desk, placing her face on the cold metal. Tears began to stream down her face, the feeling that nothing would ever be the same again coming over her in crashing waves. The phone on the desk rang and she reached for it, picking the receiver up and bringing it to her ear. She took a deep breath, " Sheriff's Office. Sheriff Swan speaking. "
" Oh thank God, " It was Mary-Margret. " I've been trying to call you on your cell phone. "
" Sorry, " Emma tried to sound as normal as possible. Mary-Margret already sounded worried out of her mind. She sighed, " The battery died. I think I forgot to charge it. "
" Oh, " Mary-Margret said. " I tried to call you because I had a staff meeting after school. We just got out and I still have to go to the store. "
" Okay, " Emma said. " I have some things to do here. "
" Are you going to be home for dinner? " Mary-Margret's tone was slightly pointed, like she expected only one answer.
Emma nodded, " Of course. I promised. I'm almost done anyway. "
" Good, " Mary-Margret sounded relieved. " I'll see you at home then? "
" Yeah, " Emma replied.
" Alright, " Mary-Margret said. " I better let you go. Talk to you later. "
" Yeah, " Emma said and hung up the phone. Her legs were starting to get the feeling back in them so she thought she'd attempt to stand. She reached up and put her hands on the edge of the desk, hoisting herself up. She stood there for a long moment, her head still swimming from what had happened.
She looked at the phone again, wanting to call Mr. Gold and ask him what was happening with the visions and the being drawn to him when he was hurt. She needed answers and he could probably offer more insight than she could muster on her own. She picked the receiver up, realizing she didn't know the number for the summer house off the top of her head. She frowned, the thought of waiting not pleasing her at all.
She placed the receiver back in the cradle, deciding just to head home. She needed to charge her phone so she could get in touch with him. She had to warn him she was probably being watched by Jefferson and he had most likely been watching her the entire time her relationship with him progressed. A thought came to her, one that seemed possible in an outside sort of way.
Had he released Belle as a way to get Mr. Gold away from her or was it for some other reason than she hadn't even fathomed? She became even more unsure of Jefferson's motives for releasing Belle as all the possibilities rushed through her mind. At first she thought it was because he still worked for Regina and he was doing something else since the apple trick had failed. Now, it only seemed to be one possibility of many.
Another idea came to her mind, one that seemed feasible as well. If Jefferson was trying to harm Regina, sicking an angered Mr. Gold on her would be one way to do it. From what she could ascertain, he had fallen quite hard and fast for Belle. She could only imagine what it had been like to finally find love after so long only to have it ripped away by Regina's evil.
Well, she didn't have to imagine too hard. She had felt it herself when Graham died then when she got to the hospital and saw Henry's lifeless body on that gurney. The anguish was like nothing she had ever felt before as she looked upon him, not moving or breathing. She reasoned that Mr. Gold's pain had been compounded by the story Regina had told him and the fact he never got to say goodbye when he believed Belle was dead.
Her story had also more than likely made him feel guilty, making Belle's supposed demise look like it was completely his fault. In a way, she had felt some guilt for letting Henry even lay his hands on the turnover. It was her bullheaded denial of the curse that had forced the situation to occur. She sighed, deciding there was nothing she could do to change the past.
She needed to focus on the future and just what was going on with Belle. She still needed to figure out why she was acting the way she was acting and how much of it was Regina-induced. She felt kind of bad leaving Mr. Gold to deal with it all by himself after they had discovered so much but he had assured her everything would be fine. He wasn't really alone, not with Frederick around.
She still wanted to talk to him though. She needed to know if he was aware of what happened in the study and if he had done anything about it. She hated to think Belle had been responsible but there weren't that many other possibilities. She grabbed her keys and her jacket, knowing the only way she'd get any answers to those questions would to go home and plug her phone in so she could use it.
Mary-Margret wouldn't be back for a while and she hoped it would be long enough to take care of the things she needed to do before she could relax. She couldn't be distracted and jumpy at dinner. It would beget too many questions and she didn't feel like answering any.
She switched off the lights and closed the door before heading out to the parking lot...
Mr. Gold sat on the couch in the living room, looking down into a glass of whiskey. The bottle sat on the end table, the cap off and ready to be poured once the glass in his hand was empty. He couldn't get his mind off of Belle and her strange behavior. Her emotions had never been so erratic before and she was doing foolhardy, poorly thought out things.
He frowned, taking another drink. Belle had kissed him in hopes he would change, as she had back in The Enchanted Forest. He recalled how it felt to feel the hold of the Dark One's Curse weaken, his unquiet soul beginning to settle as he returned to normal. For brief moment, he wanted it to be true that something other than the dagger could break the horrible curse that had taken so much from him.
It had not worked though, only reminding him nothing could break it except if someone took it and his life from him. In a way, he had been grateful for it though. If it had worked, it would have caused him to sacrifice Baelfire once again but this time for the love of a woman and not power. He couldn't bear the thought of abandoning him twice... abandoning him the first time had been hard enough.
He was glad nothing happened the second time. The fate of Storybrooke would have been ruined if it had. Belle just couldn't seem to understand Emma's importance in everything and he was getting tired of trying to impress it upon her. He also thought about how she tried to hurt Emma, running the risk of possibly even killing her.
He couldn't think of a good reason for it except for outright jealousy. If Emma died, there was no telling what would happen. Fate would be derailed and it could have disastrous ramifications, much like when the curse had been in place. Who would benefit and who would suffer was a mystery he didn't want to solve.
He had thought they were being careful enough around her but it seemed he was wrong. Belle's behavior led him to believe she knew more than she was letting on or perhaps had seen more than he realized. It was quite possible that Regina had told her about the relationship and her suspicions of what they had been up to. He had been very careful not to let on to her anything had happened but she had already drawn her own conclusions of what Emma and he had engaged in.
He recalled her mention she had seen the way he had looked at Emma, implying there had been some romantic undertones to his glances. He had tried to assure her they were just close friends but it wasn't enough for her, making him feel like he needed to explain a bit more to quiet her fears. He now felt foolish for even telling her what he had, even the basics of the plan too much information. It wasn't much but it was enough to give Regina rough idea of what was going on.
He had done it to let Belle know he trusted her, to give her the comfort she looked like she needed at the time. He thought nothing of her curiosity then, only trying to make her feel comfortable in his home. She was in a delicate state and he didn't want to cause he too much stress. At that moment, he thought that he was failing.
He thought back to how he had connected with Emma that first time, when Belle had seen it. Only the gods knew what the scene must have looked like to her. Then again, he was fairly certain himself. With her limited understanding of magic, Belle most likely assumed it was something other than him gauging her power.
The kiss he had stolen from Emma in the kitchen came to mind, wondering if Belle had seen it and he just was not aware of it. It was beginning to look like she was feeling threatened, as if Emma had taken her place. It wasn't exactly the case though. What he had with Emma was something quite different and vastly deeper than love. They had so much in common, just having her around made him feel a little less alone.
He felt so lost in his darkness when she finally came to Storybrooke, thinking of her as an ever-growing glimmer of light. The more she discovered about him, the more her light grew. It was nibbling away at his dark prison and letting more light in with each passing moment. He knew it would happen, the vision from long ago telling him so.
She had brought out something in him, a need to be honest for once. At first, he would only allow her to have fleeting glimpses beneath the surface, like when he had spoke to her about children. The look on her face at the time let him know she wasn't quite for sure what to do with that tiny look. It was almost like he had broadsided her, catching her completely unaware.
He let himself show a couple of more times, retreating back when he felt her reactions were less than satisfactory. She seemed to pulling away from him when he would talk about personal things so he tried not to dump too much on her at once. It didn't keep her curiosity from growing though, that much he could sense. The night she questioned him in front of the fire was proof of that.
When she had rescued him, she tried to play it off as only being her duty. The way she explained it seemed to make it sound so at the time. He believed that she did not really care until she reached out to him, touching him between the shoulders on the bridge as he cried for Muriel. He had been weak, the thoughts of how his first wife had died nearly overcoming him.
That single touch let him know she did have some amount of compassion for him. That was when the game they had been playing began. He would show her a glimpse then retreat, making her want to know more. She started asking him more, causing their bond to grow.
He had evidence of that when she held him in the upper room as he spoke of Baelfire. He really hadn't told her much but it was enough to make her realize how important it was for her to take better care of herself. He could feel her growing closer to him in that brief moment just by the way she held him. She wouldn't have done it otherwise.
Even if she hadn't realized it at the time, the goal of it all was to gain her trust. For her to trust him would be vitally important if they were to do what fate had assigned to them. She would never realize her full potential without it. He was beginning to think he had lost it but it had merely been set back a few notches.
Again his mind returned to the fact that Belle had never shown up in anything he had seen after being told she was dead. He couldn't sense her and believed it to be so. Now, he realized it was because Regina was blocking him and Belle had been her prisoner all along. She had been imprisoned so much longer than he had been and could see it had affected her.
He leaned his head back and sighed. Whatever that was in the upstairs room, he knew he would have to face it eventually. It smelled, looked and talked like Belle but he could not be sure, not after finding the mirror and the attempt on Emma's life. It just wasn't the woman he knew... or thought he did.
He thought of the horrible things that could have happened during her imprisonment. He found himself wondering just how low Regina had stooped, punishing the girl for doing nothing but loving him. She seemed to think if she couldn't have love then no one should. It amazed him the lengths she would go to destroy everyone's happiness.
He drank the last of the whiskey in the glass and reached for the bottle when he sensed someone come into the room from the stairs. " What is it? " He asked without looking.
" I hate to bother you boss but Miss Belle asked to see you, " Frederick said.
" Oh? " Mr. Gold didn't turn around. " Tell her I'm not ready to speak to her yet. I want her to... "
" She sounds really sick, " Frederick cut him off. It was the first time he had interrupted Mr. Gold... ever.
Mr. Gold turned to face him, " What do you mean, sick? "
" Her voice is shaking pretty badly and I think I heard her gagging, " Frederick explained. He had a bit of fear on his face, probably afraid he was going to get reprimanded for the interruption.
Mr. Gold furrowed his brow, " And did it sound like she was faking? "
" It sounded pretty real to me, " Frederick offered.
Mr. Gold set the whiskey glass down, grabbing his cane from where he had left it propped against the couch. He got to his feet and walked to the stairs, " Perhaps we had better check on her. There's no telling what she was given to make her cooperate in that wretched place. "
" What do you want me to do, boss? " Frederick asked as Mr. Gold neared him.
" Stay back but stay close, " Mr. Gold replied. " I'll go into her room and find out what is happening with her. "
Emma drove to the hospital, hoping she had enough time to do what she needed before heading home. She decided to go and see if Sidney was still there or if he was gone. She remembered how he would do anything for Regina and she knew Regina would not let such a pliant, slippery lackey go to waste. She remembered how the hand mirror had shimmered before she broke it, enough to let her know Regina had someone in it.
She reached the hospital, pulling into the first parking place she saw. She shut the engine off and got out of the car. She walked to the building, things seeming normal but she knew they were far from it. It was like everyone in town had the same idea and were trying to still live in a normal manner in spite of everything that had happened.
She went to the nurses' desk. The nurse there looked up and smiled, " Sheriff Swan. How may I help you? "
" I need to see a patient, " Emma said. " Sidney Glass. "
The nurse blinked then typed something into her computer, " Oh yes. As you know, he's in the psychiatric ward. It's restricted access. Very restricted. Only a few people have the access code for that part of the hospital. "
" Well who do I talk to get access? " Emma arched an eyebrow as she leaned on the desk. " He is here under court order and it's vitally important to his case I see him. "
" I'll see who I can call, " The nurse said and picked up the telephone to her right. She dialed a three digit number and paused as she waited for someone to answer. " Yes, I need to know who is available to access the psychiatric ward. Yes, I see. It's Sheriff Swan. I see. I'll tell her. "
" Tell me what? " Emma asked.
The nurse hung up the phone, " A nurse from the ward will come up and take you there. All visitors have to be escorted. It's a new security policy. "
" A new one? " Emma asked. " Why? "
The nurse looked around then leaned closer to Emma, " There was... an incident a few days ago. Someone slipped into the ward and released a patient. She's still missing. "
Emma tried to look surprised, " Oooh. I see. Did the hospital report it to the sheriff's office? "
" I don't know what they did, " The nurse sighed. " I just know what I heard. "
Emma nodded once. She was pretty sure the hospital hadn't reported it though. Dispatch would have called her right away about something like that. " Right. I hope she's safe. "
" So do I. She's going to be a very sick woman if she doesn't get back here soon. I heard she was on a lot of heavy psychiatric drugs, " The nurse said.
Emma went cold. She had feared that was the case but Belle hadn't been exhibiting any signs of withdrawals yet. She knew that some medications could stay in the body for days. She silently hoped it was a lie, knowing it would be very unpretty once the drugs started coming out of Belle's system.
The nurse sat back suddenly, plastering on a fake smile. " Oh, Nurse Johnston. You're here. "
" I am, " Nurse Johnston was a short chubby woman that looked rather stern. She looked at Emma, " Are you ready Sheriff Swan? "
" Yeah, " Emma nodded. She followed Nurse Johnston through the hospital until they reached a door with a keypad. She glanced at Emma before putting her left hand up to block Emma's view of the pad and used her right to type in the code. " Don't trust me? " Emma scoffed.
" Security's been beefed up, " Nurse Johnston said flatly.
Emma blinked like she didn't know what she was talking about, " Oh really? "
" Yes, " Nurse Johnston opened the door. " Come along now. We can't leave this door open long. "
Emma went in before the nurse, a small set of stairs leading down to another nurses' desk. A pinched face woman with blonde curly hair sat there. She frowned, " Who are you? "
" She's the sheriff, " Nurse Johnston said before Emma could answer.
" Who are you here to see? " The severe nurse looked at list of patients on a clipboard
Emma wondered just how many people were locked away in the ward and how many of them would be a threat if they escaped. " Uh, Sidney Glass. "
The nurse opened a drawer and lifted out a ring of keys, " Nurse Johnston will show you the way. "
Nurse Johnston took the keys, " Stay close to me. "
Emma nodded, " Lead the way. "
Nurse Johnston walked through a doorway that led to a long corridor, Emma following her closely. They turned a corner and walked down another gray, bleak looking hallway. The only signs of life being an orderly that was mopping the floor. As they passed him, he looked at Emma with hallow distant eyes.
She shivered when they made eye contact, the man reminding her of what she had always imagined an ogre would look like, just not as tall. He made sort of grunt at her then went back to mopping. " He's harmless, " Nurse Johnston muttered. " And he doesn't talk. "
Emma nodded, " Whatever you say. "
A few moments later, they reached a door with a white sticker that had Sidney's name scrawled on. " We're here. Now, I could just open the hatch and you can look or we can go in. "
" I need to talk to him so I'd like to go in, " Emma said.
Nurse Johnston sighed, " Alright. "
Emma waited as she unlocked the door, stepping inside after she opened it. The cell was small, gray like the hallways and... empty. She blinked then looked at Nurse Johnston, trying to look surprised though she really wasn't. " So where is he? "
Nurse Johnston looked genuinely shocked, stammering for a moment then saying, " I don't know. Let's go back to the desk and find out. "
Emma followed her back to the severe looking nurse, stepping forward when they reached her. She jerked her thumb over her shoulder, " Sidney Glass is gone. "
The severe looking nurse looked shocked then turned to her computer. She typed a few things into it then stood up. She went to a filing cabinet and opened a drawer. She took out a file and opened the folder.
She rifled though the papers in it before pulling out an official looking document. " He was released by court order. "
" And you couldn't tell me this earlier? " Emma took the paper. The paper looked legitimate.
" I didn't know until now, " The severe looking nurse replied. She looked a little ashamed, " I was on duty when we had a little... incident here and I was suspended for a few days. This is my first day back. "
Emma looked at the paper again, finding it was signed by a judge she didn't know. He was probably one of Regina's minions and it was too late to do anything about it anyway. She thrust the paper back at the nurse. " Keep it. I'll find him on my own. "
" I'm so sorry I couldn't help you more, " The severe looking nurse said.
" Yeah, " Emma said. " So am I. "