2
Memories
Belle was eagerly awaiting the arrival of their guests knowing how happy it would make her husband to have a pleasant family holiday when he never did when he was younger or even during the curse. Nearly everyone in the town avoided him unless they wanted something from him.
And Rumple considered Henry family, almost like a grandson.
Carina squealed with laughter as she saw Bitty, their brown cat, jump into a basket on the floor with some pretty mohair yarn in it.
Rumple was getting a cup of coffee when he saw the kitten do so and groaned. "Bitty, not again! When are you gonna stay away from my yarn?"
Then he thought how ridiculous that sounded. Bitty was a cat, and cats loved yarn.
The kitten playfully batted at the colored balls for a moment, then settled down atop them, tucking his paws under him. He began to purr.
He was a uniform golden brown all over except for the darker "M" on his forehead. Rumple called it "M" for Mischief.
"Rumple, keeping a cat from yarn is like keeping you from spinning. You won't be able to do it."
"I think I've figured that out." He laughed ruefully. "Maybe he just needs his own yarn."
He snapped his fingers and sparkling purple ball of yarn appeared. "Here, Bitty. This you can play with . . . and it will roll itself up when you're finished and move itself for you to chase."
Belle laughed. "Unless he chases it somewhere he can't get it out again. We had a cat at our castle that used to do that and hid it in Papa's chamber. She nearly scared ten years off him when she raced across his bed and woke him up trying to find it. She was a black cat."
"I can imagine." Rumple coughed, having woken to kitten paws walking on him in the middle of the night.
He floated the yarn over to the kitten, who woke up and grabbed it with his paws, rolling over and biting it. When it fell on the floor, it began to move and unwind, and Bitty pounced on it, sending Carina into gales of laughter.
He smiled at Carina in her bouncy seat. "Think that's funny, do you, sweetie?" he cooed. "Silly kitty!"
He twitched a finger and the yarn began to spin.
Bitty growled and jumped on it again, and then kitten and yarn skidded across the kitchen floor.
Belle stood up and pulled back the curtain, sighing. "It shouldn't take this long for them to get here, should it?" She was constantly worried about herself or anyone in her family getting into accidents. New Yorkers seemed to be in such a hurry and drove so fast they could've outrun the Devil himself.
"Bae texted me ten minutes ago. They'd just left the airport," Rumple answered. "You know how traffic is in the city, dearie. Just relax. Bae's a careful driver. They'll get here soon."
"I know...that's why I would rather walk than drive but my gods Rumple, these people even walk in a hurry!"
Bitty "killed" the ball of yarn, then picked it up in his mouth and deposited it at his master's feet and sat down, looking pleased. "See, Papa, I killed it!" he seemed to be saying.
"Good boy!" praised the sorcerer and stroked the kitten. "That's the people of today, dearie. They're always in a hurry and they hardly ever take time to enjoy what's in front of them. You got used to people in sleepy Storybrooke. And in our old realm."
Bitty arched into his hand, purring loudly like a demented washing machine.
"We didn't have much, but we enjoyed what we had," she said softly. She'd been a princess most of her life but when the ogres started attacking she had to learn quickly how to survive as the townspeople did.
"Yes. I think people here have too much. That's why they don't appreciate it," Rumple murmured. He glanced at Carina and said quietly, "Not only that but these technological gadgets-phones, tablets, and what have you. Even small children know how to operate a phone before they can read! I don't want that for my daughter. I want her to grow up with real things-books and pencils and learn how to do things on her own, not rely on machines. Kids these days seem dependent on them. I overheard one ten-year-old wailing that if his mom didn't get him the iPhone he'd die. Because he needed it to play Minecraft-whatever that is!"
"I've heard talk about that at the library...it's a game where they make their own village I think and it's made to sound so simple. If they knew how difficult building a society actually was..."
"Yes. They ought to try doing it for real!" Rumple snorted. "I don't mind make believe, Belle, but I've noticed more and more of the younger generation don't seem to use the brains they were born with. There was a reporter downtown asking some college students the other day a few questions about American history and the answers he got were-well, they were shocking! He asked one young man when Independence Day was . . . and the boy answered in June! At first I thought he was kidding, but then I saw he was serious! How could he not know when the 4th of July was? Even I know that! And when the reporter asked why he didn't know the birthday of his own country he replied why should I? If I need to know something I'll look it up on Google!"
Belle shook her head in disgust. "I've seen so many inaccurate things posted on that site I can't even count them on my hands!"
They heard car doors close outside.
Bitty looked up, startled, poised to run under the table.
"Rumple, they're here!" Belle exclaimed and rushed around like a madwoman trying to tidy things up for their guests.
Soon enough they heard familiar knocking and Rhee calling, "Hey Grandpa, we're here!"
Rumple went to open the door, and his cat ran beneath his chair. Bitty was always leery around guests.
"Hi, Mr. Gold!" Henry exclaimed as soon as Rumple opened the door.
"Hey, Henry! Come on in," Rumple invited with a smile.
He hugged Rhee as she came through the door.
"How was your flight?" he asked Henry.
"It was good. I can't wait to go sightseeing here."
He didn't want to mention Archie's anxiety attack, hoping the doctor would bring it up himself but he seemed to be hanging back in the doorway, his hand gripping the handle of his umbrella tightly.
"We can take you around to see all the attractions," Rumple agreed. He looked over at Archie. "Dr. Hopper, come in. It's not polite to lurk in doorways." Then he said with his old impish grin, "I don't bite . . . much." Then he giggled. "That was a quip."
"Oh...ahhh...all right..."
He'd always been intimidated by the sorcerer even during the curse when Rumple was his landlord yet he never spoke ill of him or anyone else in the town even when they gave him cause to.
Bae came next with the bags. "Where shall I put these?"
"Upstairs, the third bedroom on the right."
Rumple led the way into the homey kitchen.
Belle brought out a snack tray, a pitcher of iced tea, the milk and several bottles of soda.
"I wasn't sure what you liked so...I made a bit of everything."
"It looks great! Thanks, Belle. Err . . . Mrs. Gold," Henry said. He sat down at the table.
Rhee got the paper plates and handed him one with a napkin, playing hostess like her grandma.
"Thank you for letting me stay here...I could go to a hotel if it's too much trouble," Archie said nervously.
"We wouldn't have offered you a room if we didn't want you to stay here," Rumple objected. "Besides, hotels in the city are always overpriced and some of them are not as clean as they should be. At least here you won't worry about catching some disease or bedbugs. Besides, Belle and I enjoy adult company once in awhile."
"Oh...I'm sorry. It's just that I'm...still getting used to all this." Archie was about to pour himself a glass of milk when Rhee snatched the carton away and poured it herself, waving a hand over the cup.
"My mama used to warm the milk to help reduce stress," she explained.
Rumple beamed at his granddaughter. She was showing great promise as a healer mage.
"Thank you, Rhiannon."
"You can call me Rhee. And those aren't Cinnabons, Henry, but Grandma makes them good!"
"I love Cinnabons, but Mrs. Gold, you can sure give 'em a run for the money!"
Carina stared up at the former cricket and held out her arms for him.
"I think she's trying to tell you something, Doctor," Belle said softly.
"Yeah...better show her some attention or she gets cranky," Bae teased.
"What..oh...she's adorable!" He reached into the carrier and picked her up. Carina giggled, trying to reach for his glasses.
"No, no, dearie. Don't do that..." Rumple chastised softly.
"It's all right, Mr. Gold."
The moment the baby's fingers touched the frames of Doctor Hopper's glasses they turned to chocolate, the lenses dropping on the plate in front of him. Henry gaped at her.
"Whoa!"
"I was afraid of that," Rumple said ruefully.
"Well...ahhh I did need new glasses anyway!" the former cricket chuckled.
"Our daughter has a fondness for making her own Godiva creations," Belle explained. "She's been like that since she was born...I guess you can blame it on Rumple's and my sweet tooth."
Bae laughed from his seat. "And you won't believe some of the things she's turned into chocolate! Can save you a bundle at the store if you're looking for a quick snack."
Rumple scowled at his son. "Baelfire!"
Bae threw up his hands in surrender. "I was only saying...oh never mind."
Rumple waved his hand and Archie's glasses were restored. "There! We've had to do that a lot."
Carina babbled and reached for a cookie. "Mmm!"
"Can she have one?" Archie asked.
"She can, but a small piece," Belle said. "She can gum it. It'll melt in her mouth."
Archie broke off a piece of a spinning wheel and Carina stuffed it in her mouth happily.
"How come she didn't turn the cookie to chocolate?" Henry wanted to know.
"She only does that sometimes," Rhee explained. "When she feels like it."
Holding the baby and drinking his glass of milk was relaxing for the therapist.
"Has she ever turned people to chocolate?"
"Umm . . .once she did," Rumple said quietly. "But that was because Jasper was going to shoot me and hurt her. He grabbed her from me and was trying to make me tell him the combination to my safe, and she was scared and she touched him while she was screaming . . .and he became a chocolate statue. We donated it to the homeless shelter anonymously. And he's still there." Then he added, "I couldn't turn him back, I tried but I think the magic decreed this was a proper punishment. And that's the only time she's ever done something like that. I think it has to do with her feeling threatened. The magic . . . especially when we're young . . . reacts to our emotional states. And if it's not controlled it will act to protect its wielder on its own. Whatever way it can."
"Did you do stuff like that too when you were little?" Henry asked her.
Rhee shrugged. "I dunno. Dad, did I?"
Bae considered while eating a rose cookie. "Well, not turn things to chocolate, but . . . you used to talk to the birds. They were everywhere in Castle SwanFlight, the windows were always open to catch a breeze and the birds knew and flew in and out. Nobody cared because the Lirs were swanmays. And birds would come perch on your cradle and sing to you in the morning. And you'd laugh and mimic them. Your mama always said that was the swan in you."
"Can you turn into a swan, Rhee? That would be so awesome!"
"Not yet. But on my thirteenth birthday, yeah I can." Rhee answered. "That's when a swanmay gets her wings." She smiled wistfully. "If my mama had lived, she would be able to fly with me."
"I once flew with your mother," Bae confessed.
"Dad, how?" Rhee gasped.
"It was over the Easter holiday...your mama turned me into a swan so that I could fly with her. It was one of the best days of my life..."
His daughter stared at him, her eyes wide. "But . . . the Law says a swanmay can only transform one who's her soulmate on certain times of the year . . . oh! Of course she could do it then. Because Easter is one of the High Holy Days. And Anghus Og would have granted her wish."
"He did," Bae's eyes were misty. "There was nothing she wanted more than for us to have just one day when she could take her soulmate with her on her flights. She'd waited so long to find one...I just never thought she would choose me."
"Sometimes the heart chooses," Rumple murmured, shooting a look at Belle.
"What was it like-flying?" Henry asked.
Bae thought back to that long ago day on the shores of Loch Eola . . .
Sorcha had been dressed in lavender and silver, the traditional colors of Easter. In both pagan and Christian tradition, Easter was the time of rebirth and new beginnings. In church, they had celebrated the Resurrection and the Savior, dressing in their best Sunday clothes to mingle with the townsfolk, as they had done since time began. Unlike many fae creatures, the swanmays did not believe in distancing themselves from those they ruled over. They believed that ignorance bred fear and hate, and so they were always seen and participated in the life of the people who lived beside them.
Sorcha explained that her family, the Lirs, were nobles, and they had always taken care of their people-through flood, famine, and sickness. They helped and supported them and in turn the people gave to them their undying loyalty and gratitude. When many villages rose in revolt against their noble overlords back in the 1400's and put castles to the torch and rioted, the people of Loch Eola remained loyal and protected their family against marauders with their own staves, swords, and even pitchforks.
The motto of the Lirs was "Love, Freedom, and Loyalty Shall Conquer All."
And they proved it again and again.
That day, Sorcha had worn a beautiful dress like a princess gown, something Bae had never seen in his time in Fairytale Land. She had looked every inch the noblewoman she was, with her ebony hair piled on her head, secured with twin silver swan combs. She held out her pale hand, slender and graceful like the swan she became.
"Today is a day for new beginnings, Neal." her green eyes sparkled. "Would you care to try something new?"
"Like what?" he asked. He was wearing his suit from church, having not gone to change because Sorcha drew him over to the lake.
"Like flying?"
"Me? Fly? Hon, I'm not a swan."
"But for today, you could be," she muttered. "If you'd like to."
"How?"
"For today, I can transform my soulmate into a swan and fly with him. My patron has granted this gift to all swanmays who love truly," Sorcha told him. "So . . . would you like to fly, spinner boy?"
He stared at her, at the way her dress hugged her curves, and how the light shone on her fair skin, turning it translucent. Her ebony hair was like a silken curtain, and her smile was pure mystery and magic.
"Yes . . .I'd like that," he whispered, his breath caressing her cheek.
"And later . . ." there was no mistaking the promise of passion in her voice.
He grinned. "Something else I can look forward to."
She laid her hand on his arm, and her touch sent a wave of warmth through him, like sunlight on a clear day. "Don't be afraid."
"Never with you."
He realized then that was true. Since meeting Sorcha and her family what had been an irrational and superstitious fear of magic- where he thought because of a curse all magic was evil-had become transformed into understanding and acceptance. The magic was a force of the universe and the user determined if it was used for good or evil. And the swanmay magic was pure love and light, there was nothing dark about it. It stressed acceptance and unity, with each other and nature, in harmony with the world around them. Here, on the shores of Loch Eola, he had come to love and accept the magic of the Lirs, and today he would prove that trust.
"Then come fly with me," Sorcha smiled, and with her free hand she gestured and silvery sparks drifted over him.
Where the light touched, his flesh transformed, blurring flesh into feathers painlessly.
Until a great silver winged swan stood upon the shore beating his wings.
In a twinkling, Sorcha transformed into her ebony-winged other self, and she twined her neck about him in a swan's caress. Then she honked once, and he followed her out onto the lake.
The water was cool on his webbed feet, and he swam easily beside his mate.
Sorcha allowed him time to become accustomed to the swan shape, to adjust to how the swan felt, saw, and experienced the world.
When he had become comfortable in the shape, she said, in the language of swans, "Are you ready to fly, Neal?"
"Yes!" he trumpeted, standing on the water and beating his wings forcefully.
Sorcha laughed. "Show off!"
Then she turned and began to pick up speed, swimming rapidly through the water.
Soon she had hit her maximum acceleration and spread her wings and let an updraft lift her up and she was airborne, soaring into the sky upon ebony wings.
She glanced behind her and saw Neal rise up as well, beating his wings a bit before he found his balance and allowed the wind to lift him.
"Don't try, beloved. Don't think. Just be," she called.
That was swanmay wisdom. The swan shape had its own knowledge and wisdom. It knew how to fly, instinctively, and all the mage had to do was allow that instinct control. Let the swan fly, and the mage "ride" along, her teacher had described it. The trick was not to fight the swan, but to surrender to it on one level, and allow it to do what it did best. And it was why a swanmay was one of the most well-adjusted shapeshifters, because they understood how to be one with their dual natures.
Neal found that at first he was inclined to flap his wings more than necessary, because his mind was so amazed at the fact he was flying. He kept trying to figure out how he was doing so, and he nearly tumbled from the sky a few times before he listened to Sorcha and relaxed and let the swan do what it did best.
"Don't think. Be," she honked, gliding lazy circles about him.
"But . . ."
"The swan knows. Trust the swan," she urged. "And trust the magic. It won't let you fall."
'I trust you," he trumpeted.
"Trust your heart," she called.
He finally did as she had been telling him and once he let go and allowed the swan shape control, he found that flying was the most incredible thing imaginable.
He glided on an updraft, matching Sorcha wing for wing, they soared over the lake, which shimmered like fairy glass in the sun.
Sorcha showed him how to skim the waves, to dive and turn, and together they celebrated the new beginning of their love, of Easter, as only a swanmay can . . .
"...That was beautiful, Bae. Oh Rumple, I wish we could do that!" Belle exclaimed.
"Well . . . maybe we can," her husband said. "I'll have to think on it." But he thought he had now found the perfect gift for his wife for Easter.
"We could have our own tour of New York!"
"I don't think I could be a cricket again," Archie murmured.
Bae looked at him. "I think it's different if you agree to the transformation. Then it's not like a punishment, it's a reward. It didn't hurt when she transformed me, it felt like-like exchanging my old skin for something new. Like being reborn in a way. It was beautiful." Then he coughed in embarrassment at his confession.
"Well...I ahhh...wished to be a cricket to make amends for what I'd done..."
"Aye, but it depends on the caster as well," Rumple replied. "The caster can make change swift or slow, and painful or not. It also depends on skill. Many beings, like the fairies can shift themselves but rarely can they change another without harm. Because they don't care if the one changed suffers."
"I...I didn't suffer...I was happy..." Archie insisted.
"Were you?" Rumple asked shrewdly. "Then why are you still a man now?"
"I can't change back unless I go back to our world. But...there is more I can do as a man again..."
"And a man is what you were born to be," Rumple said. "So it is only natural you would prefer what you were meant to be over anything else."
"Archie, maybe you can find what you're looking for here," Henry blurted.
"Henry!"
"Like some stress relief?" Rhee queried, her swanmay sense telling her all was not right with the therapist.
"I suppose..."
Carina grabbed a piece of chocolate off the table and held it out to him.
Rumple's eyes crinkled. "That's her cure for whatever ails you," he grinned.
He took a bite and smiled. "This is delicious. Is there a shop that sells them around here?"
"Chocolate always makes me smile," Rhee asserted. She ate a piece.
Rumple started laughing. "Belle, I think we have another Godiva convert."
"Oh, wonderful! Stop in and ask for Sharon. She'll make sure you get the best candy to take home."
"Yeah let's!" Henry said eagerly. "I could eat the whole plate."
Archie laughed. "All right, I will."
"I stand corrected. Two converts," Rumple amended.
Just then a bewhiskered brown face peered out from the chair.
"It's about time you make an appearance," Belle teased.
Bitty mewed at her.
"Is that your kitty? Can I pet her?" Henry asked.
"He's a boy, lad. His name is Bittersweet, but he's such a wee thing we call him Bitty." Rumple told him.
"He's shy with strangers," Rhee said. "But once he gets to know you, he likes to snuggle."
She knelt and made smooching sounds. "C'mere, Bitty. C'mere."
The kitten came to her and batted at the zipper on her jacket. She picked him up and he settled in her arms, his amber eyes lidding in pleasure. "His fur's soft like silk."
"I wanted a dog or cat but Mom doesn't want them in the house."
Henry let Bitty sniff his fingers before gently stroking the shiny coat. "Wow! He really is soft!"
"Dad wouldn't let me get a kitten till now 'cause I wasn't old enough to take care of one," Rhee said, smiling as Bitty began purring. "He likes you, Henry."
"Cats are a good judge of character," Rumple said knowingly. "They're very intuitive."
"Maybe you can change your mom's mind," suggested Rhee. "I don't know many women who can resist a kitten."
"Your mama couldn't resist anything," Bae chuckled. "Good thing her castle was so big because we had baby animals all year round at it. Ducks and bunnies for spring, foals and lambs, baby goats, birds, kittens, puppies-you name it. It was like a nursery. And those were just the tame critters. We had wild babies too. A sick fawn, a red fox kit, even a baby badger once . . ."
"Some animals try to make a home near my apartment," Archie laughed. "I may have to move soon."
"Like what kind of animals?" Bae asked. He knew some wild critters could be nuisances.
"Oh...a few squirrels, rabbits, stray cats and dogs. A lot of insects"
"At least there's no raccoons," Bae remarked. "They can have rabies."
"No I haven't seen any."
"Once I saw a rat in the subway station, but it ran before we could call Animal Control," Rhee said. "And then there are the alligators in the sewers."
Belle cringed.
"Huh? What alligators?" Henry demanded.
"Rhee, you know that's an old wives tales," Bae began.
"Is it?" Belle asked worriedly.
Rhee grinned. "It's an urban legend," she declared. "A long time ago there was this scientist and he was doing experiments trying to create the perfect animal to guard his lab so nobody stole all his secrets. So he brought a baby alligator over from the Everglades and he tried some things on it. It grew so big so fast that he was afraid and he let it go one night and it swam into the sewer system. Then he got another one and did more experiments, making this one smart . . . only it got so smart that one night it broke outta its cage and it bit off his arm. Then it swam away and met up with the other one and they had babies and that's how alligators got in the sewers. And they're still there to this day-hungry and waiting for people to come down so they can have lunch!"
She finished the tale with a wicked little laugh and flourish.
Bae rolled his eyes. "You and your grandpa. Oughta be in the movies."
"Did you ever see any, Mr. Gold?" Henry asked.
"No. And I hope not to. Alligators are unpredictable beasts. Like crocodiles."
He recalled the horrible nickname Hook used to call him when he had pushed him into the road long ago thinking he was a helpless beggar he could bully and abuse. He had always hated that name.
"Excuse me," Archie rose from his chair, and handing Carina to Rumple, walked out of the room.
Tell me you damn insect! Where is the crocodile!
I don't know!
Yes you do...you tell me...unless you want to see your intestines on the outside of your body!
I'm telling the truth. I don't know where he is.
The girl! Where's the girl!
Rumple looked up, puzzled.
So did Rhee. She touched his arm lightly. "Grandpa. Something's wrong."
"What do you mean, dearie?"
"With Dr. Hopper. He . . . he feels scared and lost," she whispered, her eyes huge.
Rumple frowned. "Why would . . . did something happen back in Storybrooke that I should know about?" He eyed Henry and then he saw Bae's look of concern and said, "Baelfire, what do you know that you aren't telling me?"
"He was kidnapped by Hook and Cora...I think they tortured him," Henry said sadly. "He doesn't talk about it."
Rumple winced and muttered, "Bloody damned pirate! He causes misery where ever he goes! They both do! How long has he been having these episodes?"
"Since it happened. I try to do what I can for him but I don't see him as often as I want to."
Rumple glanced at the empty chair that Archie had vacated.
"I'd be willing to help, but he has to agree."
"Try, Rumple." Belle pleaded. "He shouldn't suffer like this."
"No. No one should." He handed his daughter to Bae. "Here, imp. Play with your brother."
Then he rose and followed Archie into the den.
Archie sat on the sofa with his head in his hands, his glasses lay on the coffee table. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't block out the terrifying images in his mind, feel the hook scraping across his flesh.
Suddenly a hand touched his shoulder. Then a voice said softly, "You're not alone. This burden is meant to be shared. Tell me what you see."
"He wants...to cut me open...unless I tell him everything...but I can't...he'll hurt them like he hurt me!
"I made a terrible mistake once before and someone got hurt...I can't do it again...they want to know the weaknesses of everyone in town..."
"That was the past. It can't hurt you any longer," the voice whispered soothingly. "What did you tell them?"
"I...I tried not to but then he started cutting me...and I said Belle worked in the library...it was my fault she was in the hospital! He never would've found her had I kept quiet."
"Every man has a breaking point . . .it wasn't your fault. You weren't trained to withstand torture. And the one who tortured you had done so before . . . many times . . ." the voice continued. "If you hadn't told him, you would be dead and he would have found Belle anyway-everyone in town knew where she worked."
"But... Mr. Gold . . . I was afraid he'd curse me if he found out..."
"No . . . for information gained under duress is not the same as information betrayed willingly. And your torturer-he and Mr. Gold were old old enemies . . . it was why he wished to know where Belle was . . .for revenge for an old feud . . .Now you must quit blaming yourself . . . blame only harms, it never heals."
"I just want to stop seeing it all over again...feeling afraid...like I was during the curse!"
"Do you wish to be free of these visions?" the voice asked gently. "Do you wish peace and freedom from fear?"
"What do I have to pay? Magic always comes with a price."
"The price is you trust me to help you . . .and that you watch over Henry like your own. Now open your eyes and see me for who I am," the voice urged serenely.
Archie opened his eyes, staring in shock. "Why. . . would you want to help me?"
"Because once I was like you . . . long ago I was a victim of unscrupulous and evil men like Hook. In fact, one of them was Hook. He humiliated me and threatened me, taunted me and took my wife from me-even though now I see she probably wanted to leave, being the whore she was-claiming a coward didn't deserve her-and he made Bae motherless. They both did. Years later, after I lost Bae, I met him again, and he was the same braggart and bully he always was, as well as a liar. He attacked me believing I was a helpless beggar-only he was mistake. He hurt the Dark One, and called me "crocodile". We fought, and I cut off his hand, and my former wife got between us and told me she never loved me-and she never showed any remorse about what she did to Bae. But she taunted the wrong sorcerer. The demon within roused and it made me kill her in a fit of rage. Hook swore revenge . . .and he stole the bean I needed to find Bae and went to Neverland, where he continued his pirating and safe from aging made a deal with an even darker being than me . . ."
"W..What are you going to do?"
"Nothing to harm you. I'm a Light Guardian now."
He placed both hands on the other's shoulders. "I need to ask you to allow me access to your memories of that time. I need to use my magic to . . . blanket those memories . . .and to surround you with peace . . ."
"All right..."
"Take a deep breath. Good. Now . . .breathe . . .one, two three . . ." he counted five breaths and then he activated his magic.
He slipped gently into the other's mind, and finding the corrosive memories close to the surface, used his magic to surround the memories with an intangible blanket of peace and serenity.
Thus shielded and walled away, the troublesome memories could not harm the therapist any longer.
"Be at peace. Your thoughts are your own. The past is written on sand. Let it fade. Let the peace of the Light surround you and keep you. Let these memories go. In the serenity of the Light, you are made new."
He clapped his hands. "Wake!"
Archie awoke feeling refreshed, the terrifying images no longer haunting him.
"How do you feel now?"
"Like I've woken up from a long nap."
"Good. However, I think you might want to rest a bit from your trip. Don't worry, Rhee can keep Henry entertained."
"I do feel a bit tired. I usually do after...an episode."
"Go and lie down. Sometimes sleep cures better than magic."
"You didn't have to do this but I thank you."
"Ah, but I did. Because in healing you, in a way, I was healing my own pain too. I am the crocodile no longer," Rumple replied. "I am the Guardian. And no man calls me coward. Or pushes me around."
The older man seemed to stand taller, and a flickering corona of light surrounded him briefly.
"You know, Hook can't hurt us any longer. He came here-trying to harm me again. Whether on his own or Cora's orders. But he forgot that I never leave my shop unprotected. And my magic reacts to people who intend harm-and it fried him when he tried to break into my shop. Hurt him bad enough that he was raving about who he was and who I was-and that got him locked up in Bellevue for life. They think he's delusional and a megalomaniac."
Archie nodded. "He's a sociopath."
"You don't have to tell me that, dearie. I knew that long ago. They say he kept rings for all the victims he murdered, and he had one on each finger, at least. I was terrified when I went to confront him about Milah. He had the reputation of taking many men's wives from them-and he boasted about it to me. That he and his crew had needs . . . and that was why he had taken Milah. At the time I believed she would be . . . violated and when he was through killed. Which was the fate of many of his women, no doubt. Later when I thought about it I realized it had all been a ploy, this time, and she went willingly-abandoning me and Bae for that slick talking scumbag bottom feeder. She would say it was because of me-because she didn't want to be shackled to the town coward. But that wasn't the whole reason. She didn't want to live quietly as a wife to a simple spinner. She wanted what HE offered, riches, adventure, danger, the life of a pirate. In short she wanted the bad boy, not the boring stay-at-home responsible husband. She got what she deserved."
"I've wanted to settle down for some time but my practice takes up so much of my time I'd be afraid my wife would leave ME."
"If you find the right wife, she won't leave you at all. For any reason." Rumple replied sagely.
"I'm thinking I'd have to look outside Storybrooke then."
"You could. It's silly to think you only have a small town to choose from when there's a whole world out here filled with people. Look at Bae. He found his soulmate in Scotland . . . and she was as magical as any of us."
"Maybe I'll find one here," he joked.
"You never know."
He reached for a truffle in the bowl on the table. "I'm going to pay a visit to this Godiva shop in the morning. These chocolates are unlike any I've ever tasted!"
"That's why Belle and I love them. And Carina. In fact, remind me to tell you about the contest we participated in sometime, where we had to name the new chocolate . . .and we won and get free chocolate for a year. And how Belle went on chocolate binges that drove me insane when she was pregnant and also went into labor right in the store!"
"Oh goodness! That had to be...interesting!"
"You have no idea!" he giggled. "I'll tell you all about it after you get some rest."
"Good night, Mr. Gold, and thank you again."
Archie got up and walked down the hall to the guest bedroom and drifted off to sleep once his head touched the pillow.
Then Rumple returned to the kitchen, and asked if anyone wanted pizza for lunch.
"I do!" Henry raised his hand enthusiastically.
"Good. You pick out what kind of topping you like and we'll get a few pies. I like a white pie with spinach and bacon."
"Can we do a half cheeseburger pie?" Belle asked.
"And half Hawaiian," Rhee added.
"I'll eat anything," Bae said.
"Umm what's Hawaiian pizza?" Henry asked, puzzled.
"It's really good. It's a pizza with ham, bacon, and shredded mozzarella on it and pineapple bits. With sauce. I love it."
"And a cheeseburger pie has ground beef, American cheese, fried onions, and pickles with ribbons of ketchup," Belle told him.
"It all sounds really good!" Henry couldn't wait to try them all.
"Bae, order three pies. We can have one plain cheese with extra crispy crust," Rumple said.
While Bae ordered the pizza on his phone, Rhee and Henry kept Carina entertained while Belle cleared up the snacks and put them away. But she left the Godiva on the table. She never bothered putting it away. It would always get eaten.
"How is Archie?" she asked her husband.
"He's sleeping. He let me help him. I used the same spell as I did on Bae. I think it worked just as well."
"That's good. How badly...did Hook hurt him?"
"Pretty bad, dearie. You know what he's like. He cut him up . . . and scared him to death. But it was mostly guilt eating at him . . . the way it had me."
"Why did he feel guilty?"
"Because . . . he . . . told Hook where you were . . .at the library. That's how Hook found you. And Archie never forgave himself for being broken under torture." Rumple's hands fisted. "If that . . .animal were here now . . ." He turned away, struggling to control his disgust and anger.
"It wasn't his fault...Hook would've found me anyway. Everyone knew I worked at the library."
"It's what I told him. But you know how guilt works. There's always a if only."
"Hopefully he stays awhile. It looks like he needs a break from that town...they both do."
"Yes. And they can find it here. Like we did."
Bitty rubbed against his ankles, purring in a funny up and down way he had. Rumple picked up the kitten, cuddling him. He knew that they had found much more than that-they had found a life free from constant strife and stress, a life where they could be happy and fulfilled, doing what they loved best and being who they were.
It was not a perfect life by any means . . . but it was the life they had chosen, and Rumple had no regrets about it.
He reached out and took Belle's hand in his. "Are you glad we moved here, Belle?" he asked softly. "Or do you wish you were back in Maine?"
"No, I like it here. There's too much darkness in Storybrooke but someday...maybe we can have a house in the country?"
"Yes. With a peach and plum orchard and a rose garden? Maybe even a goat and a horse?"
"Are you teasing me, Rumple?"
"Would I do that?" he asked innocently. "That was what I used to wish I could give Milah and Bae. Only I never earned enough money to do so."
"There are some parts of the state we could have a house like that one." Finding a place where they could have a large house had been a secret project of hers since before Carina was born.
"Yes. Plenty of nice land in upstate New York."
"You could still have your shop here..."
"I know. There's no reason why we can't have two houses. I can afford it."
She smiled. 'I just think being out in the country would make us both much happier, we'd have more room if we have more children..."
"True . . . and the children could grow up similar to the way we did."
"We can wait a year or two."
No matter how long they waited, this new life they were building for themselves and their children would one full of love and hope.
A/N: Next up-some sightseeing fun and the White Rabbit comes!