Emma was tired and cold and frustrated. Since she had taken her police report with Mr. Gold that morning over his burglarized home, she had felt a step behind the conniving man in trying to find the culprit. Now pawnbroker stood by her cruiser casually as if he hadn't just savagely beaten Mr. French who was being loaded into the flashing ambulance. She marched up to him, "Well you managed to not break anything he needs. You're lucky Mr. Gold."
"You have a funny definition of lucky." He sniffed.
She crossed her arms over her chest and furrowed her brow. "You have a funny definition of justice. What did he really do?"
"He stole." Gold replied as if annoyed he needed to explain it to her. Emma didn't buy it though.
"That reaction was about more than taking a few trinkets. You said something about he hurt her. What happened to her? Who was that? What did he do?"
When she was met with stony silence, she pushed, "If someone need help, you need to tell me. It's my job to protect people."
He shrugged her off dismissively. "No. I'm sorry, Sheriff. I think you heard that wrong."
"You really don't want to cooperate?" She gave him one last chance.
"Look, we're done here." He turned to walk away but Emma grabbed his arm firmly.
"Actually, we're not." She held up her handcuffs. "You're under arrest."
A twisted little smile appeared on Mr. Gold's as she fastened the cuffs around his wrists. She had a feeling little would come from this but it was better than nothing after her long, hard day of chasing after him. She needed this little bit of control when every other aspect of her life felt out of control.
And she found satisfaction in knowing he would spend the night in a cold cell for aggravated assault while Emma would go home to a hot bath and a warm bed.
/
"Sheriff Swan, I'm letting you to spend time with Henry. You've got 30 minutes. Take him out for ice cream." Regina announced to the officer, shock clearly displayed on her face. She couldn't bear to look at her for too long though as her heart began to pound painfully in her chest. Instead she fixed her eyes on the man currently locked up behind bars, boring into him with a singular intensity. She proudly had her hand in placing him in the cell, seeing her old tutor in the degrading position did wonders for her ego. Were she still the evil queen, she would be preening about the room in full royal regalia with a condescending sneer. She knew the temper tantrum he would throw over his stupid teacup being taken from him.
"You want me to leave you alone with a prisoner?" Emma asked dubiously.
"29 and a half minutes." She spoke tightly, really needing the blonde to leave.
There was a heavy pause and she could practically feel the hard, emerald gaze pressing into her back. Her intuition of Ms. Swan had yet to dull even though it had been a month since she kicked the woman out of her bed. Months of fighting and clashing with one another regrettably did nothing to curb her desire for the woman. Now instead of tearing each other's clothes off, they took to trying to tear the other apart and currently she held the upper hand. After enlisting Sydney to trick the sheriff into making false accusations against her, Regina was easier able to exercise her authority over her, including keeping her away from Henry. The brunette was banking on this to help get Emma out of the room, offering her precious little time with her son.
Mr. Gold encouraged her with the remark, "Bring me back a cone."
Emma's resolve waned, as she guessed it would because ultimately the brunette knew she couldn't resist any opportunity to see Henry, the young boy ending up an unfortunate pawn in their game more often than not. Emma mumbled disapprovingly but grabbed her coat, "Fine, just this once. Come on."
The two scurried off like a pair of excited children. The mayor relaxed her shoulders marginally with the departure of the estranged sheriff. Even in the brief moment of being near the younger woman, it was difficult to hold herself together. After picking herself up from the cold bathroom tile that fateful morning, Regina determined to not let Emma slip passed her defenses again. She picked up her practiced mask of the evil queen or bitchy mayor, taking up her torch of revenge with renewed purpose of eradicating the willful blonde from her life. Still nothing rattled her quite like knowing her yearning for the blonde had yet to ebb.
"Well, you really wanted that little chat, didn't you?" Gold spoke bringing her back to the present.
She took a couple steps forward and airily replied. "Apparently, this is the only way I could do it."
"Please, sit." She glowered at him now as he hissed the command. His infuriating clause that rendered her helpless to his will, grated against her nerves not for the first time. The brunette marched across the office, rebelliously choosing to perch on the armchair of the couch. She crossed her arms primly over her chest, grouchily waiting for him to continue.
"Now when two people both want something the other has, a deal can always be struck. Do you have what I want?" He sounded like the imp he was in the Enchanted Forest, but she also detected his desperation to be reunited with his lost artifact. She considered toying with him a while longer, but she did have questions that she needed answered.
With an amused smirk, she hummed "Yes."
"So, you did put him up to it then." He blamed.
Regina's smile spread. "I merely suggested that strong men take what they need."
"Oh yeah, and you told him exactly what to take didn't you?" The man ground out bitterly.
"We used to know each other so well Mr. Gold." The mayor feigned offense. "Has it really come down to this?"
"It seems it has. But you know what I want. What is it you want?"
This was her chance to wring the truth out of him. Regina suspected that the pawnbroker knew more than he was letting on. "I want you to answer a few question. Starting with what's your name?"
"It's Mr. Gold." He replied automatically.
Her lip curled in annoyance and her glare would have lesser men shaking in their boots. "Your real name."
"Every moment I've spent on this earth, that's been my name." His phrasing was too precise, his voice trained to be too casual, and the mayor's suspicion heightened.
"But what about moments spent elsewhere?"
He acted perplexed. "What are you asking me?"
"I think you know. If you want me to return what's yours, tell me your name." She enunciated her words, forcing them out with barely restrained aggravation. Regina watched carefully as Mr. Gold's lip began to twitch, a chuckle rumbled in his throat, and he rasped out clumsily as if he lost the feeling of the name in his month.
"Rumplestiltskin." She knew it was coming but still her stomach dropped. Other questions popped into her mind, namely how did he manage to elude the memory altering component of the curse? And how damaging was this to her plot? The dignified brunette couldn't let him realize she was frazzled though and quickly plastered on a honeyed smile, her tone developing a syrupy quality.
"There now, was that so hard?"
"Excruciating." He grumbled.
"Well, now that we're being honest with each other, Rumple." His old nickname rolled off her tongue. "Let's talk a little about the security of my victory."
"Whatever do you mean?" Clenched fists signified her frustration that often flared when she had to converse with him. If it'd been possible she would have left his ass back in the Enchanted Forest where she would never have to look at his smarmy, crooked grin ever again.
"I mean, the blonde lummox that is trampling through my town."
"Ah, Miss Swan. And why would you be worrying about her?"
"You know why!" She lost her cool for a moment before she regained her composure, then started again evenly, "Exactly 28 years ago she was a newborn baby abandoned in a tree. Snow White and her idiot prince shoved their newborn baby in a wardrobe made from a magic tree exactly 28 years ago. She is the product of their true love and the only one capable of breaking the curse."
"She hasn't been doing a very good job of breaking it thus far." He nonchalantly replied with a disinterest shrug.
Regina snapped, "And I'd like to keep it that way. Now tell me how to stop her."
"Sorry dearie. There is no magic in this world so my premonitions are out of order these days." They both knew it wasn't entirely true that magic didn't exist in this world. The queen hoarded her little charms and totems and potions from the old realm and having seen Mr. Gold's shop it had to be full of magic items he brought over as well. But she didn't press him, not wanted to reveal her collection.
"Surely you saw something before we came over here. I know you; you'd never come into a situation totally blind." She reminded him once again of their shared history, "If you don't tell me what I want, you won't get what you want."
He gritted his teeth briefly before his smooth demeanor settled back over him. It was a battle of wills and both of them were well versed in these underhand discussions, tempers flaring to the surface then quickly covered with cool indifference or inappropriate amusement.
He tilted his head at a jaunty angle, grinning impishly at her, "You should know better than anyone how curses are broken. It wouldn't be the first time a Charming found true loves kiss and foiled your schemes."
Regina felt her anger swell at his mocking tone. "I know how. I want to know who. I can't have another unfortunate incident like Graham…"
"Ah yes, it was unfortunate, as you say, the sheriff's untimely demise. Why did you dispose of your henchman?" He sneered. She couldn't tell if he knew she actually had the wolf man stashed in her pseudo-dungeon in the psych ward of the hospital but she preferred the secret remained hers. The more information she had over Gold, gave her more bargaining she had against him. She had to give him something to hopefully get him to reveal something useful to her.
Biting the bullet, she began coyly. "Ms. Swan used those magic lips and Sheriff Humbert recalled certain aspects of his life that I couldn't have him sharing with the impressionable town folk. I wouldn't want to create any hysteria."
"Interesting." She could see the wheels in his head turning like a well-oiled machine, which was never a good thing. She grew tired of the conversation and realized he may need a little more motivation. She reached in her bag, plucking the chipped teacup from the bottom. As soon as the delicate, white porcelain was in his line of sight, Rumplestiltskin became serious, his eyes trained on the quaint trinket.
Regina sighed, hold the handle delicately and dangling it just out of his grasp, "I just don't think you've earned this. I think I'll keep it awhile longer and we can have this conversation later; after you've had some time to think."
"Wait!" He growled, "Wait… I don't know who the Savior's true love is… but I do know you need to be careful as well."
Her eyes narrowed, "What do you mean?"
"Emma Swan maybe be the Savior but she isn't the only one who can break the curse. Snow White and her prince can kiss until their lips bleed but it wouldn't do a thing. It has to be someone who isn't under the spell, and seeing as you are the caster this includes you."
She regarded him for a moment before replying lightly, "I made sure that it wouldn't be a problem."
Images from her past resurfaced in flashes; her misery and hopelessness trapped in her marriage; an odd fairy called Tinkerbelle saving her life from a careless, or perhaps not so careless, fall; the two of them conspiring with pixie dust and finding her soul mate in a dark tavern. But the kind-hearted fairy had come too late to save Regina from herself, dark bitterness already curled around her heart and she pushed the woman away, choosing to forget all about the man with the lion tattoo and focusing on her hatred. It was a time in her life she rarely reflected on except when came time to shape her curse she made sure to leave her supposed true love in the Enchanted Forest, where he could not undo her work. In theory, she should be able to kiss the younger woman with no threat, or that was what she told herself over and over. Still she couldn't be put at ease as an inexplicable feeling continuing to swirl under her breastbone, which always had held her back from even the simplest kiss.
"If you say so." Rumple was oblivious to her wandering mind, his focus solely on the fragile china hanging precariously in her fingertips. "I told you all that I know, now give me what I want."
"Such hostility." She gave a cat-like grin, pleased at his growing distress.
"Oh, yeah."
"Over this?" Finally, she swung the cup into his range, acting as though it might fall to shatter against the hard tile at any moment. His hand shot out as far as it could from behind the bars his fingers wrapping securely around it and pulling it to his chest. "Such a sentimental little keepsake."
"Thank you, your Majesty." The man took a moment to be relieved then turned his sharp eyes venomously towards her. He recited Regina's words back to her, "So now that we're being honest with each other, let's remember how things used to be, shall we? And don't let these bars fool you dear. I'm the one with the power around here. I'm going to be out of here in no time and nothing between us will change."
Not one to be intimidated, the queen leaned in close to the bars so he could see the fury and power radiating from her being. She was a force of nature, a towering tsunami bearing down on the little man, her voice was low and menacing like the rumble of the devastating wave as she declared, "We shall see."
The faintest hint of fear flickered across Mr. Gold's face. But his brief moment of uncertainty was enough to thrill her as she smirked in victory then sauntered off to rightfully collect her son.