A/N: I am two chapters away from completing this. The violence portion is over, thank goodness. Even I'm glad that's over with. Got some Latin in here. Going to briefly touch on why Gold betrayed Emma in the finale. Personally, I think he knew the kid was going to be fine and wanted Emma to begin relying on herself.
She was so broken as she laid there in the middle of the road. He felt the humanity coursing through him as he looked at her fallen form. He had to get her out of Storybrooke before Regina learned she was still alive. Huddling over her, his breath came out in a sharp gasp. The fear in her eyes was present as she looked up at him. For once, the predatory instinct didn't take over him at the sight of fear.
"Wrap your arms around me" he whispered as his hands reached for her body.
Grimacing from the pain, the girl shook her head and tried to inch away from him, tears streaming from her eyes. Regret coursed over him.
"Don't touch me" she managed to gurgle, blood dripping from her mouth.
"Emma" he said more firmly, "Put your arms around me"
Arms rising on their own accord to circle around his neck, he gently lifted her off the ground. Hands briefly roaming over her body, he noticed how much weight she lost in the last few weeks. How had he not noticed this before? Laying her in the backseat of the car, his hands trembled as he wiped the bloodstained hair off her face.
"I'm so sorry Emma" he whispered.
He briefly assessed the injury on the side of her head. There was a strong likelihood she wasn't going to remember anything about this place. She was never going to trust him again. That would most certainly be ingrained in her forever. He had thought she could do this alone. Obviously, she couldn't. Closing his eyes, he caught a glimpse of the woman she was to become. Hard, jaded, alone, and miserable. And it was all going to be his fault. He had thought her desire to find her parents would be a strong enough motive to help her defeat the curse. He had been wrong. Eyes still closed, another faced drifted into his mind. A younger face. A boy's face. Her son's face. He would be the key behind her driving force. Yes, the little savior was going to come back. And with Regina thinking she was dead, she would quickly gain the upper hand.
As if knowing he was near her, Emma began squirming in another attempt to get him away from her. Her injury needed attention and he couldn't risk her moving too much. Gently, but firmly, he grabbed her shoulders and forced her to remain still. Opening her eyes slightly, she flinched at the sight of him, her hands clumsily trying to shove him away.
"What did I tell you?" he clutched her face, barely recognizing his own shaking voice, "Princess's don't cry"
"I hate you" she whispered before drifting back off.
"Yes, yes, I know" he whispered to her sleeping form. Feeling another strange emotion, he reached out and gently stroked her face.
Head thumping with a dull pain, I open my eyes, taking in the sunlight all around me. I wasn't in the woods anymore. Struggling to pull myself up to a sitting position, I looked around the room. I was in an unfamiliar place, again. But this time, I was on a bed. Dressed in a long white nightshirt, I notice that most of the scratches and bruises I received had been attended to. Raising my head, I touched the bandage. For a brief moment, Chess's irritating giggle rings in my ears.
"You're awake" I heard a voice next to me, "Good. You've been asleep for over twelve hours"
"You" I tried to glare at Mr. Gold. He was sitting in a chair next to my bed, his hangs wringing nervously, "Why? Why did you do this to me?"
"Eighteen years ago, everyone was placed under a powerful curse" he looks so uncomfortable, which is a rare sight. "A curse I created. You were the key to break it. When you broke it, I could bring magic back into this world. For your protection, your parents had a special wardrobe to protect you from the curse, sending you into this world"
"You're not making any sense" I try to say, but even I can hear my words slurring slightly from the pain in my head.
"I made the curse with True Love. Do you remember that locket you stole?"
That little gold and pink sparkly locket I had used as my nightlight? "I lost that years ago"
"Yes" his entire face is twisted in emotion, and I'm not sure what to make of it, "I made it with strands of your parent's hair. You are the very definition of magic. You've never needed to rely on a potion ever. You simply need faith in your own abilities"
"Why was the curse made?" this is all so very disturbing and I wonder if I am still dreaming.
"An evil queen was very angry with your mother and wanted to destroy her happiness. In the process, she took everyone here. She took everyone to a land without magic to defend themselves from her wrath. Time has been frozen here"
"Regina" I whisper and he nods. "Why did you do it?"
"I lost something very precious to me a long time ago" his face grows haunted, his voice thick with emotion "My son was stolen from me. He was brought here. I thought that with the curse, I could find him. Once I released magic back into this world, I would make it so that I never lost him again"
He stops for a minute before pointing at me. "The prophecy originally said you would return on your 28th birthday, but I, I just didn't want to wait that long. I had thought if I prepared you for the battle, you could set things into motion that much quicker"
"Why didn't you explain this to me?"
"Would you have believed me!" he voice grows desperate, "Would you have run willingly into a battle that you might not have survived? I know I wouldn't have!"
I have never seen him this emotional before and I don't know what to make of it. For a moment, he seems human. That moment is quickly gone, however, and his expression becomes unreadable again.
"Why did you do this to me? Me trusting you almost got me killed. Why?" I ask him, my mouth going dry. I can no longer cry.
"You were failing miserably" he says boldly, a hint of his former self coming through, "Why waste my time with something that has failed"
"Why did you save me?" I can clearly see Chess struggling to get away from him.
"I had been going about this the wrong way" he said with a slight, honest shrug, "It's not often that I make mistakes, but when I do, they are often astronomical" He turns to face me again. "I had forgotten how young you really were. To be asking you to go up against such an opponent was wrong. I had thought trying to find your parents would give you enough reason. But that wasn't the case"
"And why are you telling me this now?" I ask grimly, "Are you planning on killing me because I failed to live up to your expectations?" I can't help but snap at him.
"No" he looks me straight in the eye, "You're going to leave this place. And you're not coming back until you're ready"
"I'm never coming back here" I mumble, Mary Margaret's face coming into view. Mother…
"Not even to see your dear old mom?" he quirks an eyebrow at me.
This hits a sore spot. "I hate you"
He chuckles slightly as he pats the bed. "I know. Now come here. I need to look at your head wound"
"Are you sure this is what you want?" I suddenly remember that night I spent with him and I instantly recoil away from his outstretched hands. Teeth clenched, I smack his hands away from me.
"You stay away from me!" I say passionately.
"I'm not trying to touch you!" he says gruffly, clearly annoyed, "I'm trying to help you"
"I swear I will never trust you again!"
"Yes you will" he smiles at me, but it's not a kind smile, "You won't have a choice"
"There's something else you're not telling me!"
"You know me far too well, little dearie" he now moves from the chair and is sitting on the bed next to me. He is back to his normal self now, having shaken off whatever emotion he'd had previously.
"Don't call me that ever again" I wince as he puts a hand on my head. I want to be angry, but it hurts too much. For a brief minute, I see a faint purple glow. "How do you still have magic here?"
"I have enough magic for one, maybe two more spells" I hear him say gently.
"I won't ever come back" my mind is growing hazy as the last of my pain subsides. I can't help but lean into him. Suddenly, my eyes snap back open. "You killed Ms. Jenna didn't you!"
He cups my cheek as he stares back down at me. "Emma, I needed you to trust no one but me. Why, even here, you trusted me far more than others. Even more than your precious Graham, or your dear mother"
"That's not true!" Ms. Jenna gone forever because of this bastard.
"Really Emma?" he gives me a questioning look, "You even said so yourself that you felt that you didn't need to put on a show around me. You were willing to show me all of your faces, not the one of the shy, vulnerable girl everyone knew. You showed me who you truly are"
"You're not even sorry for all the things you've done to me, are you?" I feel like such a fool for having confided into this imp for the better part of my life.
"I found you because you were the most desperate soul out there" I can hear him scoffing as I unconsciously lean back into him.
"Were you ever my friend?" my mind is beginning to jump to several different times of my life where he saved me at one point or another.
"Friend?" he gives another soft laugh as he strokes my hair, "I needed you to trust me. To a lonely child, being a friend was all it took"
I hate this man! I hate him! The most miserable things that have happened to me were of his doing! I have no tears left to cry as adrenaline sings through my body, heart thumping wildly. Closing my eyes, I remember that dark place Chess had taken me to. I can faintly hear my panicked screams echoing as I ran.
"Scream princess!" Chess's crazed smile suddenly dances before my eyes.
"Shush Emma" Gold, Rumpelstilskin, hugs me to his body, seemingly reading my mind "He can't hurt you. I took care of him. He will never hurt you again"
Closing my eyes, I allow him to pull me into a tighter embrace as several different memories come to mind. The foster mother and father who had beaten me when I was eight. I hadn't thought of them in years. All dead. Mr. Allen, Chess, also gone. Anyone who had hurt me was gone forever. I feel myself begin trembling as several different emotions fly through my body. This man was the very reason for my misery. No, that wasn't true. Regina was. He was the reason that lunatic had ever abducted me in the first place. But, he was also the reason I was alive now. Always, he's been cruel to me, but as always, he's been there for me. The only one I could truly rely on. I am so confused. I hate him, I hate him-
"I hate you!" I hear myself cry out, fresh tears streaming down my face. Raising my hand, I hit him with as much force as I can muster.
Hand making contact with his face, he gives a low grunt of pain as he disentangles himself from me. In a bit of a frenzy, I begin hitting him with a rage I hadn't known I had been suppressing.
"I hate you! I hate you!" I flail my arms at him.
"Emma, enough!" catching my wrists before it hits him again, he stops me.
Feeling more rage bubbling over, I yank my wrists away from him. I am so weak I have barely put a scratch on him. Using both hands, I push him, trying to knock him as far away from me as I can. He falls back on the bed, catching my wrists and pulling me with him. It takes a moment for me to register that I am now straddling him. For a few seconds I can do nothing but blink stupidly.
"The hell?" I hear myself whisper.
Free hand entangling roughly in my hair, he suddenly yanks me down for a kiss. Before I can protest, my body begins responding and my hips begin grinding into him. One hand grasping my waist to hold me in place, he eagerly grinds back into me. I kiss him back, silently hating myself for it. I hate him! Hand balled up in a fist, I hit him in the chest. He makes a pained grunt in my mouth, but doesn't stop. His hand has left my hair and now begins exploring under my nightshirt. I want to stop him, but at the same time, I so desperately want to feel something other than pain and loneliness. Flushing, I feel a familiar, heated feeling beginning to pool in my lower body.
"You can stop now if you want" his voice is barely above a whisper. His hands haven't stopped moving underneath my nightshirt. Fingers tracing lightly against my inner thigh, and they go higher and higher.
"Oh!" I lurch forward as he begins caressing my clit.
Hands entangled in the bed sheets, I can't do anything but moan for a few seconds. One hand gently cupping my breast, he pushes me back into an upright position. My breath is coming in and out so ragged that it's almost painful. His hand drops from my breast and grasps my waist. In a startled yelp, I find myself flat on my back. Leaning down to kiss me again, his fingers hasn't left my clit, movements becoming faster and faster. Moaning, I arch my hips in an attempt to give him better access.
His fingers had me so distracted that I hadn't even noticed him fumbling with his pants until he entered me. Squeezing my eyes shut, I tense slightly at the uncomfortable feeling. Rolling my hips, he remains still and gives me a moment to adjust.
"Emma" he whispers in my ear. Hand entwining in mine, he begins moving.
Hooking one arm under my leg, he lifts it over his shoulder as his movements become faster and faster. Wrapping my free arm around him, I can't help but moan. I don't care how I'll feel later. Right now, I just want to feel. I arch into him and he releases my hand to wrap his arm under my back, pressing me even closer into him. His breath comes out in strangled grunts, and he snakes a hand down and begins stroking my clit again. My moans are becoming louder and louder and I throw my head back, biting my lip to try and quiet myself.
"Come Emma" he says while gently nipping my ear lobe
"Oh shiitttt!" I scream out as my body begins contracting on its own.
Muttering something inarticulate in my ear, his thrusts have become much faster. Mouth capturing mine, he thrusts sporadically a few more times before freezing completely. I wrap my arms around him as his entire body tenses for few minutes. I feel my eyes becoming heavy. Both of his hands raise up to cup my cheeks and he continues to kiss me, only this time, very gently.
"Emma" he says my name again, his eyes shining with an unknown emotion.
I'm fading in and out of consciousness. His hands are still running all over me and he is murmuring words I don't understand. I almost don't catch the world oblivio. Forget! It means to forget!
"Rumpelstilskin no!" wide awake, I feel myself begin to panic as I try pushing him off me.
Pressing his full weight on me, his grin has gone wolfish again. Pinning me down with one hand on my shoulder, he uses his other hand to hold face still. Leaning over as if to kiss me again, he pauses so that our noses are almost touching.
"Dormite" he commands, hand firmly on my face so I can't look away, "Sleep, little Emma"
Eyes rolling towards the ceiling, my world goes dark again.