For any of those who care, I wanted to give you all a little update on me, the fanfiction writer who seems to be disappearing from all social media known to mankind lately. College has started (I'm in my second week), so things have been really crazy trying to get everything together and adjust to my new schedule; but let me tell you, college was probably the second best decision I have ever made (after choosing writing as my dream profession). I am having so much fun. I want to go seven days a week. I want to live there. Am I crazy? Yes. Should I love school this much? I don't know. But do I? Absolutely.
ALSO. I started a blog. Yep, I did :) It's called "The Aspirations of A Writer". It's on weebly. Please go and check it out and show you're support. My following is definitely not growing as fast as I would like. I'm hoping that you all can change that.
DOUBLE ALSO. I've got a new book idea, a fantasy fiction story. Not a fanfiction. Something possibly, eventually, publishable; and something that is still in the very early stages. BUT. I did make a trailer for it, and if any of you would like to see it, look up "Greywolfe Book Trailer" on Youtube. Let me know what you think!
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"Hey."
"Where the hell have you been?" The uncharacteristic swearing made his skin prickle. Belle never swore. Never. But this wasn't Belle. Belle was calm and collected and rational. This woman – whoever she was – was pacing back and forth, waving her hands about, muttering under her breath, and swearing at him. And when he got a good look at her face, he could see that her eyes were red and tears were staining her cheeks.
Rumpelstiltskin cautiously approached her, as if he was approaching a doe in the wild. The great and powerful Rumpelstiltskin, for all of his wisdom in the ways of magic, still didn't understand the ways of women, and seeing her like this made him desperate to help, but also terrified that she was going to bite his head off if he made one wrong move. So, he decided to stand where he was and hold his hands out in some sort of 'I surrender' gesture with the hope that that would appease her.
"I apologize, sweetheart. I thought I knew how to get Rose back."
Belle looked at him sideways and sniffled. "You think Regina took her, don't you?" Her voice didn't sound nearly as hostile this time around, and so he took a couple more steps towards her.
"Yes, I did."
"And were you right?"
He shook his head, feeling guilty at the lie, but feeling it necessary, considering the circumstances. "No. I don't know who took Rose. But Sheriff Swan has promised to do everything that she possibly can. Do you remember anything about whoever came here that could help her?"
Belle's eyes suddenly filled with more tears, her lip quivered, and a sob tore from her throat. "No. He or she came up from behind me and hit me on the head. I," she began to stutter frantically, "I can't remember anything. I just – I don't – I don't know."
"Shhh," Rumpelstiltskin tried to calm her as he took the final steps towards her, grabbed her by the elbows and pulled her into his chest. She tucked her head into the crevice between his neck and his shoulder, and he held her tightly, and she just cried. He wondered at how she could still have more tears to cry, but they came, and they came, and they came, until she was complaining of a sore throat and a headache and burning eyes, and he led her over to the sofa and they sat down together. She curled herself up on his lap and weaved her fingers through the hair at the nape of his neck.
"I can't believe I lost our baby," she whimpered and his heart fell. Was she really going there?
He took her chin in his fingers and forced her to look him in the eyes. "You will not blame yourself, Belle. Do you understand me? There was nothing you could do. Jefferson and I knew that someone might do something like this, and we knew that we needed to watch you, and we both left you here, alone, with the baby. If it's anyone's fault, it's ours. But not yours. Okay?"
"She's my daughter, Rum. It most definitely is my fault."
He could barely focus on the conversation at hand. She had just – unconsciously – called him by a name that he had never expected to hear again. He wanted to ask her about it so badly, but now wasn't the time. He couldn't say anything to comfort her. He knew that. Rumpelstiltskin just wrapped his arms tighter around her and held her and kissed her temple. "We'll find her. I swear. Or I'm not Rumpelstiltskin."
Belle actually snorted in slight amusement. "A day ago that would have been the most uncomforting thing to say ever."
"But now?"
She shrugged. "I don't know what to think or believe anymore. In fact, I could almost just believe this fairytale idea of yours. Maybe that's just the exhaustion talking though."
It was something. It was definitely something. He wanted to smile, but he couldn't. "You should get some sleep, sweetheart," he whispered into her ear and then kissed her cheek.
"As if I could at a time like this. I can't sleep when Rose is out there somewhere with God knows who. I'll just sit here with you."
Rumpelstiltskin nodded in acknowledgment. "Alright." He brushed her hair away from her face. "I love you."
"I love you too. More than you'll ever know."
"Oh, trust me, I think I know."
"I don't have a clue what I would do without you." She nuzzled his neck with her nose.
He smiled sadly. "Nor I, you."
Belle raised her head and looked at him. And then she kissed him. But it didn't, not even for one minute, dull the pain that they were feeling in that moment, because their little baby girl was missing, and neither one had a clue of what to do about it.
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"And that's pretty much the gist of it," Jefferson concluded with a grin that was simply maddening. He had been dreaming of this moment for more years than he could count. Now, he was finally just finishing explaining to the Savior everything that had happened to everyone and how they had been transported to this world – And she believed him. She actually believed every freaking word he said.
Granted, she looked sick to her stomach.
Emma put one hand on her desk to steady herself and then she concentrated on her breathing. Jefferson took a step closer to her, which – as was per Jefferson's custom – was closer than Emma would have liked. She remembered that from when he had kidnapped Mary Margaret and had asked Emma herself to make a magic hat that would act as a portal. Then. In the middle of his elaborate speech about something or other, he had placed his chin on the top of her head. His closeness now was very reminiscent of that, and she made a move to get away from him, but he failed to take the hint, and he just kept following after her.
"What are you thinking?" He questioned.
"Not sure. Magic hats really exist?"
That wasn't exactly the first question he was expecting, but he nodded his head all the same. "As real as you and me."
"And you...you're the," she winced as she forced the words to leave her mouth, "The Mad Hatter."
He spread his arms out wide. "The one and only." Then, he leaned in closer and grinned a devilish grin. "Does that turn you on?"
Emma scoffed and actually pushed him away from her. "Now's definitely not the time to be flirting with me, Jefferson."
"When is the 'time', exactly?" He wagged his eyebrows at her and she rolled her eyes.
"Be serious. There's a baby missing and Regina – the Evil Queen or whatever – is responsible. And I have no idea what I'm supposed to do next."
Jefferson nodded his head. "Fair enough. But don't you have the bug Rumple used? Can't you just use that to prove what she did?"
Emma shrugged. "I don't know. Gold said that having me believe was an advantage, and that as long as Regina didn't know, we had the upper hand. Besides, the fact that she's the Evil Queen makes me a bit apprehensive about accusing her of stealing a baby."
"Just a bit?"
"Yeah, just a bit," she responded sarcastically, to which Jefferson smiled once again.
"I guess you have a curse to break then."
Emma closed her eyes and pinched her nose. "Until Gold – Rumple – Dark One –something – finds out how exactly how I'm supposed to break this curse, there's nothing I can do."
"Just kiss your True Love. Everyone knows the best way to break a curse is True Love's kiss."
She scoffed and placed her hands on her hips. "Just one problem. True Love doesn't exist in my life. Never has, never will. Otherwise, I would've tried that already."
"Just because you've never had it, doesn't mean it's not possible."
"Oh, okay. So do you have anyone in mind? You, perhaps?"
He smirked. "You know, that's not that bad of an idea." He stepped into her little bubble of personal space yet again, and before she knew it, she was backed up against a wall. Her hand went to her holster, but her gun wasn't there. She looked over Jefferson's shoulder and saw it laying there on her desk. Perfect. "What are you thinking, Savior?"
"I'm thinking you shouldn't call me that again."
He chuckled and then stepped away.
"What?"
"Nothing."
Emma grit her teeth in annoyance. "What?" She asked a bit more forcefully.
He shrugged. "I just knew it, is all."
"Knew what?"
"That you're interested."
"Interested? In you? You're psychotic."
Jefferson smiled. "They don't call me the Mad Hatter for nothing. But if you're not even the least bit interested," he leaned forward and whispered conspiratorially, "Then why do you have goosebumps on your neck?"
Emma felt her cheeks go red and she quickly turned her back to him and walked over to her desk. She grabbed her gun and placed it in her holster, instantly feeling more comfortable having it by her side. "If you're finished, I should get going. I need to stop by Gold's and check on Belle."
"Well, that's a bit problematic. Belle's up at my place, and Gold's there too. So, if you would be so kind as to give me a ride. I don't feel like walking all the way back."
She looked him up and down. "The exercise would do you good." She grabbed her car keys and headed for the door.
"Oh, c'mon," he chided humorously. "I know you're not that heartless." But she was already gone. Smirking, he stepped out and followed after her, getting into the car, her complaints were music to his ears.
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"I need you to listen to me, and I need you to listen to me very carefully," Regina spoke into her end of the phone. "I had an unpleasant visitor today, someone with the potential to completely ruin this entire thing."
"Would you like me to get rid of him?" The voice from the other end of the line came.
Regina scoffed bitterly. "Oh, God, no. You can't get rid of this one, trust me. He's like a rash that won't go away. I just needed to make sure that she's safe."
"She's fine, Madame Mayor. She won't stop screaming, though."
"Well then, get her to shut up."
"What do you propose I do? She's a baby."
Regina shrugged. "Look, this isn't really my problem. I just need you to keep her secure. I've lost her three times now. I am not going to do it again. And if I do, it's going to be entirely on you."
"You can trust me, Mayor."
"I know I can, Sidney," she smiled silkily. Honestly, this stupid Mirror was such an idiot. But she had liked him better when he was a mirror. At least then, he served some purpose other than showing off his stupidity. Which reminded her. Why the hell had she given the responsibility of watching Rose to Sydney? Well, she wasn't exactly able to just hire whoever she wanted to kidnap and hide a baby away. Unlike when she had been Queen. Then, she had been able to do anything.
"Madame Mayor? Regina?" Sydney asked, wondering if the call had been disconnected.
She sighed. "Sydney, the point of this conversation is to tell you to watch your back. Mr. Gold isn't going to back down from this, and he's not going to stop until he gets what he wants. But the unfortunate thing is he isn't the kind of man you can just dispose of. We have to cover our steps."
Sydney agreed. "Yes, Madame Mayor. I will get to work on it immediately."
"Make it good, Sydney. Make it so that Garrett Stone spends the rest of his miserable life behind bars. He can rot for all I care; so long as everyone thinks he kidnapped the child."
"Your wish is my command."
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Just as a reminder. I started a blog. Yep, I did :) It's called "The Aspirations of A Writer". It's on weebly. Please go and check it out and show you're support. My following is definitely not growing as fast as I would like. I'm hoping that you all can change that.
And don't forget to look up "Greywolfe Book Trailer" on Youtube, and let me know what you think! You will not be disappointed. I'm super proud of it :)