Chapter 10

No matter what others thought about him or what he had done before, Mr. Gold firmly believed in the notion of family. It was something he had fought desperately hard to accomplish ever since he was a child. His father was a coward and a swindler; and he swore he would one day never end up like him. Even when he married Milah (whom he had loved dearly), having someone beside him who cared was suffice enough even if they were only making a living in the village spinning and selling wool.

Milah never knew a thing about him, Mr. Gold grimaced as he casually played with the tiny flask containing a single brunette strand of hair between his fingers. She had always referred to him as a coward, but he tolerated that because the love for his son overwrote every insult thrown his way. Even when he became the Dark One, it was all for Baelfire; for him to see how you could fight back to the ones taking advantage of their authority. But Bae had failed to see it, and he had failed as a father.

When Bae had disappeared through the portal, he had cried; for his decisions, for his loss, for Bae. It hurt him to know that through that incident, he had already taken the first step in becoming like his father. As a child, he had sworn not to; and as an adult, he will keep that. That was why every single thing he had done from the time Bae had disappeared into the portal until now was channeled towards getting his son back: creating a name for himself through dark magic, manipulating young Regina, creating the Dark Curse.

He had a reason for everything, and that included the blonde woman standing before him.

"Before we precede into anything Ms. Swan, let me ask you a question: why now?"

He watched as Emma's face remained stoic, obviously contemplating the answer with consciousness. It was nostalgic in a way to see this; remembering the times Cora did the exact same thing so as prevent herself from falling in love with him further. It was better, Rumple had thought, trying to convince the betrayal he felt after Cora broke the news to him. He never needed Cora anyway; he was looking for his son.

"It's not helping," Emma replied. "I… I feel nothing."

He gave a smirk, funny how things work.

"There will always be withdrawal symptoms in the beginning, Ms. Swan," Mr. Gold said. "Treat that as a test: fight it and you will definitely achieve what you've been working hard for the past few months; succumb to it, and well, you just lose."

He picked up his cane and slowly walked towards her until he was only a mere foot away. She remained unfazed, but Rumple knew enough about people to recognise uncertainty.

"Don't tell me you're giving up so soon, Deputy," Mr. Gold drawled. "I would be very disappointed."

When she still did not seem to reach a decision, he continued.

"I understand where you're coming from. You feel nothing: no joy, no fear, no sadness, just a clean slate of your chest. It is hard at first, but you'll eventually get used to it. Keep your mind on the goal and ignore everything else, things will start to fall into place."

Emma shook her head. "You don't understand anything about my situation at all. Didn't you say I could get my heart back anytime I wanted it? So I want it back now."

Mr. Gold gave a light chuckle of laughter albeit without mirth. "Of course, you of all people should know my reputation, since it was your parents who kept me in that cell. I'm just here to help you reevaluate your decision. Think about what could come from your distraction should your heart be placed back. Think about your family, the one you have always wanted reunited. Think about your son, and think about all the justice needed against the Evil Queen."

Cora might have hurt him, but there had been one thing he had agreed with her on wholeheartedly: love is weakness. He knew the implications Emma Swan would get into should she get her heart back, and he did not want to risk everything he had painstakingly created just because of a rash decision made by her.

Mr. Gold watched as Emma looked around the shop, obviously looking for a way to escape all this before her eyes landed on something familiar.

"My unicorn mobile…" She trailed off as she immediately stalked over to the blue and white hanging ornament, reaching out a hand to lightly cup one of the unicorns.

"How did you get this?"

"I get important things back from our land."

Emma turned to face him, "And how is this important?"

"Well Ms. Swan, it is there as a casual reminder to everyone: that family matters. You should know, after all those years spent in the system."

He knew he should have hit a raw nerve, but Emma just broke her gaze and stared at the mobile a little longer. Oh, the joys of not having a heart.

"Well then," Emma heard Mr. Gold give a loud sigh behind her. "Since you so desperately want your heart back, let me go get it for you."

Even as she heard him disappear to the back of the shop, she continued staring at the mobile. Her mother had told her she had loved it as a baby, and she had remembered loving it as a child. Even when she was old enough to sleep in a bed, Emma had requested the unicorn mobile to be hung at a noticeable place in her room; somewhere where she could see it before she slept every night.

It was a source of comfort to her, somehow, and she had grown to love unicorns even when she had never actually seen one before. It had been her solace and a spur for her to retreat into her imagination.

Almost on cue, the sudden feeling of nostalgia washing over her triggered a memory and Emma shut her eyes to relive the moment.

x

"You're too young to own one, Emma," Snow lightly admonished the starry eyed blonde after countless attempts of trying to convince the Queen to get her a unicorn for her fifth birthday. "Maybe when you're a little older, sixteen perhaps?"

Emma pouted the way little girls do, with a frown.

"But until sixteen is such a long time to wait," she protested. "I'm lonely and the unicorn and I could be friends!"

"Emma, dear, unicorns are creatures of magic."

"No they're not; they're horses with a horn."

"They certainly are," Snow chuckled at the innocence of her daughter and bent down so she could reach Emma's level. "But you're still way too young."

"Why do all the good things get to happen when I'm older," Emma grouched and folded her arms.

At this, Snow laughed and placed a fond kiss on her golden crown. "Enjoy simple pleasures while you're young, honey."

"Fine," Emma gave a loud sigh and threw her hands up in exaggerated movement. "When I am sixteen, I am going to get a unicorn myself. Then we'll be friends, and I'll learn to ride it and by then I would have mastered swords like Father, and I'll rescue people who need to be rescued!"

"Always wanting to be the hero of the story, don't you?"

Emma grinned.

"How else would people be saved then?"

x

The light footsteps of Mr. Gold sent Emma back to reality and she stared at the man in front of her, whose hands were gripping a beautiful wooden craved box which what she was sure contained her heart.

"Ms. Swan," he said and it was a statement that hid something else.

She looked at the box then back at chocolate eyes.

"No," Emma said, turning back to the unicorn mobile.

"No?"

"I don't need my heart for what I'm going to do," Emma replied. "But I do want this."

She gestured toward the unicorn mobile and Mr. Gold smiled. "If that is what you want, I'll allow you to take it."

Emma narrowed her eyes. "What do you want in return?"

The older man shrugged. "Nothing, that was yours to start with anyway. It merely made its way back to you."

Emma nodded, taking the mobile from its place and turning to leave without a word. It was a harsh decision, she knew. Mr. Gold was right; having her heart back would be a distraction. Emma knew that her heart spoke louder than her mind, which was why she had decided to take her heart out in the first place. Now that there was a dichotomy between her thoughts and feelings, everything was easier.

She'll definitely get her heart back; maybe somewhere down the road but not far. She will deal with the rest after the curse breaks.

Mr. Gold watched as Emma left, moving to place the empty box back to its original position and smirking to himself. Emma Swan's real heart had been placed in a much more secure place, of course. How could he leave such a precious thing lying around? He had been confident, when he left the blonde to remember with her mobile, that she would change her mind about wanting her heart back.

That was the thing about taking your heart out and feeling nothing – your consciousness takes over. That was why they said lawyers were heartless; they work hand in hand with common sense and go through enough planning to achieve what they want. He had drilled enough into her as a reminder of what she was here for – what she needed to accomplish.

There is a fine line between consciousness and conscience – between the language spoken by your mind and heart. He knew because being the Dark One had thought him to firmly separate the two and turn them mutually exclusive whenever he needed to. But Emma was different.

At the end of all this, the curse would break and he could leave the town line to find his son. Everyone wins. Besides, Emma would thank him after the dust has settled.

Because you see, everyone needs family. But if you really break through all the layers of that statement and squint a little deeper to reach the core of its essence, what you will eventually see is ultimately love.

[-]

"Mom?"

Regina looked up from her paperwork and peered at her son from her place at the study through her reading glasses as Henry stood by the doorway, looking around the room. He rarely came in here, even as a child, and Regina could see his discomfort – both in stepping into her office and preparing to ask his question.

"Yes, Henry?"

She smiled at him and took off her glasses, moving to sit beside him on the couch she had in that room – the very same one that Emma sat on months ago.

"Do you… do you think Emma has been acting strange lately?"

The look of surprise cannot stop itself from manifesting on the brunette's face and her mind immediately whirled back to the last time she saw the blonde, which had only been yesterday. Emma had come over unannounced with Chinese takeout for dinner, the only basis of reason being that she missed her. And gods, just Emma's smile to her made Regina weak at her knees and she had found herself immediately accepting the invitation, willingly forgoing that she had already cooked dinner along with the fact that she disliked impromptu acts.

She was new to this – the art of being in love. In fact, the terms of their relationship were ambiguous between them, both opting to go with their feelings. And Regina definitely felt herself feeling more for Emma with each passing day. It was scary yet exhilarating at the same time.

"Why do you say so?"

Henry shrugged, leaning back against the couch. "Emma just feels weird, you know, like she is the same person but in a different way."

He turned to look straight at her.

"Like she doesn't have a heart."

Regina was almost certain her heart stopped – a visceral reaction out of fear about the repercussions of her curse. But logic caught up with her and she only gave a small smile.

"I'm sure you're thinking too much, Henry. Maybe Emma just has too much on her mind."

"But why? She already has you."

It was a mere statement, but for that to come from her son made Regina's heart swell and she wanted nothing more than to pull the boy into a hug. But experience told her otherwise and she remained still, speaking with her eyes.

However, Henry did have a point. Regina definitely preferred this Emma to the Emma who went against her in the beginning. But even she cannot help but compare the two; somehow, the Emma she knows right now seemed to lose the energy and determination the blonde once possessed. Everything Emma said and did now were things that made her smile, made her heart jump and made her toes curl. But amidst all the pecks of kisses placed and words whispered, there had always been something lacking.

Regina had tried her best to push this feeling away, not wanting to ask more than she already lest disappointment gave her another surprise party. But as she looked at a worried Henry who was absentmindedly playing with the hem of his shirt, she knew better than not to address the situation.

"Actually, I've felt the same sometimes."

His head shot up to meet her gaze with widened eyes. "You do?"

Regina nodded. "But everyone has their own troubles; some they might share, some they might not. I don't want to pressure Emma into anything she is not comfortable with, especially now that we've just started…"

"Dating," Henry finished for her, a small grin playing on his lips.

"You can call it that," Regina lightly shrugged.

Henry gave a small laugh and it made the brunette's heart jump. "You're always like that, Mom."

"Like what?"

"Not wanting to admit what you're truly feeling."

In her whole life, Regina could honestly say there were only two people who truly understood her. The first being Daniel; whose breath filled every gap in her that begged to be occupied and whose presence surrounded her like the feeling of Christmas. Henry was the second person in her life who evoked as strong feelings as David, albeit not in that sense. Yes, they did have their differences and their relationship had definitely been on its rough edges for a period of time but underneath all that, the connection between them was undeniable.

The days where young Henry first learnt to walk and would follow her wherever she went about the house and the times where he would cling onto her legs whenever she made dinner still lived in her and she longed she relive those moments again, when everything was simple. Despite the recent events, Regina found herself grateful that Henry had decided to give her a chance, whether he knew it or not. And frankly, she had to thank Emma for that.

"Feelings are difficult to express, dear," Regina replied. "Sometimes, there are things the heart feels that the mind cannot allow."

Henry frowned. "Why is that?"

"Simply because things would get complicated."

"But what happens if we go against our consciousness and go ahead to feel it? What if the feeling is that strong?"

The brunette paused and thought about how she had fought hard against succumbing to the feelings she had for Emma. She had so many reasons to hate Emma before, to scheme and plot against the other woman in hidden fear that her son – her everything – would be taken away from her. But as the days passed with Emma, the tug in her chest felt stronger and she had desperately tried to come up with other reasons not to like the blonde, the worst being about the curse. Even that had been caution thrown to the wind on the night she finally gave herself to Emma in a way she had not given anyone else.

"Then you know that it's love," Regina softly smiled, more to herself than to her son whose features lit up at her response.

"Does that mean that you are Emma's true love?"

"I honestly don't know, dear," Regina gave a small sigh and looked away. "True Love does not exist."

"But it does," Henry protested, sitting up. "And so does the curse."

At that, Regina snapped her head up to look at her son in shock, the same panic coursing through her veins before it burgeoned into surprise, as Henry shyly slid his hand into hers.

"Evil Queen or not, you're still my mom. And Emma's the saviour, she can save everyone in this town – especially you."

"… Saviour?" Regina narrowed her eyes in question.

Henry nodded eagerly. "Emma is the daughter of Snow White and Prince Charming. She is the Saviour prophesized to break the curse!"

"Excuse me?"

Regina stared at her son in not knowing what to feel – shock because of what her son just revealed to her, or disbelief that he not only believed in the curse but actually felt that she could be saved as well.

"Mom," Henry seriously spoke as he stared into his mother's eyes. "I have to ask you something, but you must be fully honest with me."

"Yes?"

It came out uncertain and hesitant, and Regina did not know which was worst.

"No, like, really honest," Henry pressed.

Regina swallowed hard, before nodding, "Okay."

"Is the curse real?"

[-]

"Ruby," Granny snapped at the tall brunette idly drawing circles on the counter before her. "Stop lazing around and get cracking!"

"It's close to eight," came the defiant huff. "There is hardly anyone here anyway."

"Get that butt of yours moving or be sorry for yourself when you don't get this month's paycheck!"

Ruby gave an indignant sigh and grabbed the table cloth, making her way over to clear the table of the only customer in the diner who just left.

"Rough day?"

She looked up to see her blonde friend towering over her with a light smirk.

"Nice of you to gloat," Ruby scowled at Emma, who only went to take a seat by the counter. "I swear one day, I'm just going to get all my savings and move out of this town."

It was impossible, but Ruby did not need to know that, Emma thought as she watched the younger brunette make her way back to her place behind the counter, cup and plate neatly stacked on her hand.

"Why don't you just do it then?" Emma asked.

Ruby paused in the middle of her washing, as if that question itself struck an epiphany in her head.

"You know what, you're right," Ruby said with newfound determination as she reached behind her back to undo the straps of her mini apron.

"I'm done with all this. I'm twenty five, the world is just literally waiting for me to go out and explore it."

"Ruby, what are you doing?"

Emma stared in bewilderment as she watched her friend, who had seemingly gone berserk over a single statement, bend down before fishing out a large cookie tin from below the counter.

"You keep your savings in a cookie tin under the counter in the freaking diner?"

"Well, it's the place I spend most of my time in and – Jesus, did you hear what I just said," Ruby scoffed and shook her head, still trying to stuff all of her savings into her purse. "This place has almost become a home just based on the amount of time I spend in here. Do you see how ridiculous that sounds, Emma? I don't even remember how I got the job here."

Nobody can remember a damn thing before this place, was what Emma meant to scream but she grabbed a firm hold of Ruby's wrist and forced brown eyes to look at hers.

"Listen, Ruby. You can't leave Storybrooke."

The fierce tone in Emma seemed to hit a pause button in Ruby's sudden crazy demeanor and she glared at her friend.

"Are you going against me, Emma?"

"I'm not against you," Emma reassured her, tightening her hold on Ruby's wrist as the younger woman pulled against it. "First thing, it's dark outside and you do not have a vehicle. We all know the road out of Storybrooke is without streetlights and winding. As Deputy, it is my duty to ensure the safety of civilians in this town. Secondly, if anything, decisions should be done with a rational mind. And Ruby, that's not a state of mind you're in right now."

"It's alright if you want to continue gallivanting in a sleepy town like that, Emma. Hell, I don't even know what made you want to stay here, but that's not my style. I want to run free and if that's what I want, I'm going to get it."

With amazing and sudden strength, Ruby pulled her wrist free from its previously harsh grip and the force caused Emma to stagger back a few steps. Gripping the counter for support, Emma watched dazed as Ruby disappeared in the back of the kitchen, shouts arising from within.

Something was positively wrong, Emma concluded as the gears in her head started to move. It was unlike Ruby to fly into a fit of temper and rashness, much less violence. She briefly recalled the cheerful stance of the waitress just the previous day when she came in to get her usual order of bear claws. If it was not Ruby, then it was the curse. Mr. Gold had said something about how her presence in the town had been changing things subtly. But… Emma shook her head. This cannot be.

Her train of thought was interrupted by a loud crash however, as Ruby stormed out of the back already dressed to head out with Granny yelling after her.

"You can't just drop everything and leave, Ruby," Granny spoke angrily as she followed her granddaughter to the middle of the diner. "You haven't made any plans yet."

"Oh that's where you're wrong," Ruby snapped. "I've been making plans since a long time ago and it's a pity I've only just come round to my senses. But I'm not going to waste any more time."

With that, she spun on her heel and headed right out the door.

"Ruby Lucas," Granny bellowed as she and Emma quickly followed. "You get right back here this instant!"

That was when it happened. An unmistaken gargled cry of pain resounded from the outside of the diner and Emma burst through the door, her younger physique faster than Granny's, only to find Ruby lying crumpled in a heap on the middle of the sidewalk.

On autopilot, the blonde immediately sped toward her friend.

"Ruby, what the hell happened? Are you okay?"

"It… hurts…"

Ruby's muffled whimper could barely be heard as she buried her head between her knees, hand hugging tightly around herself as she shivered.

"Ruby, look at me," Emma forced the brunette to face her. "What hurts?"

"Everywhere…" Ruby replied and she finally looked up.

The look on Ruby's face made Emma suck in a harsh breath as she took in the features of her friend. If she had her heart, Emma was sure if would have stopped out of fear and horror. But she only continued staring at Ruby, into those neon eyes that almost glowed in the dark and those elongated teeth slowly emerging from the tips of her mouth.

Superfast speed… sudden strength…

"Ruby!"

The cries of Granny snapped her from her gaze and Emma turned to see that the elderly woman had caught up with them, features no longer tracing the lines of anger but rather a mixture of concern and worry. Emma kept her eyes on Granny and waited for the white haired woman to react – to scream or shout, but Granny only knelt beside her, tears spilling as she brought her hands down to grip her granddaughter. Almost in disbelief, Emma looked down again only to find Ruby back to normal, now lying unconscious against her.

"Call an ambulance," Emma barked when she remembered to react, handing Granny her cellphone.

As Granny stood a distance away to make the call, Emma wondered if what she had seen was only a wisp of her imagination – a result of her constant thinking about the curse. But a tip of her head into the night sky proved her wrong and confirmed her suspicions, as Emma stared right into the illuminated face of the full moon.

[-]

Mr. Gold circumnavigated his shop, mindlessly repositioning the items hanging about. The day had been productive, he decided. Convincing Emma Swan to change her mind and his efforts on placing the unicorn mobile at a noticeable area had not gone to naught as well. It will not be long before he could start on his journey, but there was only one last step to do.

Gingerly, he stalked over to the very spot Emma had been standing earlier whilst looking at the baby mobile. He had taken careful attention to that particular spot and the areas where Emma had walked on as well. Judging on the way Emma had been running her hand through unruly curls in frustration during her dilemma, Mr. Gold was positively sure he would find what he was looking for.

And there it was.

Grinning to himself, he reached down and picked it up between his fingertips – a strand of long golden hair that shone in the moonlight streaming in. As he made his way to the glass counter where the tiny flask had been sitting on, Mr. Gold carefully unscrewed the lid securing the flask's contents and put the strand of blonde hair in. The reaction was immediate.

He watched intently as the brunette strand lit in a purple glow while the blonde one illuminated with an almost whitish glow, both strand moving to entwine against the other before emanating a brighter glow as both colours swirled around together and eventually settled to form a violet mist.

Mr. Gold picked up the flask and held it and inspected its contents. So this is the magic of True Love – the result of what little magic there is left in this world. Whether or not they knew it, the Deputy and Mayor both owed him a huge thank you, he chuckled dryly. The time is certainly drawing near; he could feel it in the air he breathed and within his bones. The curse is weakening, and so will the town line.

It is only a matter of time.

A/N: Okay, I know this update was like three weeks late and I apologise so much! I've been rushing project deadlines and studying for finals the past weeks and it's so hectic I hardly have time to breathe. That said, the first part of this is coming to an end. I don't know if I should split this into a sequel or not… Anyhoo, thank you for all who're still sticking around and patiently waiting for an update. I hope this chapter did not disappoint!