Bane of His Existence

Chapter Four

Present day, Hyperion Heights…

After he left Roni's, Detective Rogers drove the streets until he came upon the worst area of town where a majority of its homeless, drug dealers and addicts, gang members, and prostitutes all hung around. It wasn't a place Rogers went often and he despised doing so when he had to. However, this night was different, as his search for the runaways Eloise had asked him to find led him there and it wasn't long before he found himself watching one of the women from his files from several yards away, as she sought to pick up a man for the next few hours.

More men than the detective imagined stopped and a few of the other hookers seeking to sleep with them left in the men's cars with them, but Eloise's friend in question, whose name was Maggie Dawson, had so far been unsuccessful after the hours Rogers had been watching her for. Unfortunately, one of the men who drove into the same part of Hyperion Heights with bad intentions stopped in front of her as well, and Maggie walked over to his car without any fear. In fact, her face showed twisted pleasure upon doing so and she took no time in seducing whoever was inside as she leaned through the passenger side's window.

At last, Rogers could see money being exchanged up front between the two and he didn't hesitate to get out of his own car, then jogged across the street and rushed over to the woman as he pulled out his badge and cuffs to place her under arrest for prostitution. The man in the car sped off immediately upon seeing the cop come up on them from behind in order to avoid being caught and hopefully unseen. Maggie on the other hand growled and rolled her eyes as Rogers guided her over to the wall, then carefully cuffed her wrists behind her back.

"Maggie Dawson, I'm afraid I'm gonna have to bring you in for eliciting an act of prostitution," he said firmly while he did so.

"I don't believe you know me, pal… and I'm pretty sure I don't know you," she retorted in a deep voice with a hint of an accent, as she struggled against him until he finished, then began to walk her back to over his car. "So why are you wasting your time out here waiting to arrest someone like me? There have been plenty of pick ups tonight. Why me? I don't suppose I could interest you in…"

Knowing what she was trying to do, Rogers immediately interrupted, "Don't. Don't try that with me. I'm not interested. Nor am I really interested in bringing you into the precinct where I work to lock you up behind bars. However, your file tells me you have quite the record and tend to be difficult to everyone you come across because you have trust issues. I can certainly understand that. However, you also tend to be a bit of a troublemaker. Even have been arrested for using and dealing drugs, until you got into this sort of life."

As he gently pushed her into the back of his car, then latched the seatbelt over her, she asked, "What sort of life is that? Tell me, exactly what else does my file tell you, Officer…?"

"Detective Rogers," he answered, then closed the door and walked around his car to get in behind the steering wheel to begin the drive back to the station. "I didn't come here because of what's in your file. I came here because someone asked me to come find you. A friend. She's concerned for you. Her name is Eloise Gardener. Does her name mean anything to you?"

"I can't say I recognize it," Maggie replied coldly while she stared out the window beside her, ignoring his eyes when she noticed the detective kept on glancing back at her through the rearview mirror, his eyes soft and gentle. "I'm afraid she's mislead you. Either that, or she's the one who's mistaken."

Rogers let out a quiet sigh and then continued, "Honestly, I was just hoping for a chance to talk with you. I need to talk with you and I knew you wouldn't speak with me willingly unless I gave you a little prompting. If you'd be willing, I can pull over right now, we can find a diner somewhere, and I can get you something to eat or perhaps some coffee if you prefer. I can explain to you who Eloise is and why talking to you is so important."

She scoffed as she shook her head, then responded, "And if I refuse, you'll stick this arrest on me? And what does this one get me? Another year? Two? I don't care what you have to say and I don't care if some woman named Eloise is looking for me. I told you, I don't know her and I don't care to know her. I don't care to know you. So either let me go, or stop talking."

He respected her wishes and did like she asked, as he didn't say another word to her for the rest of the ride back to the precinct. When they finally arrived, the detective gently guided the young woman inside and sat her down in a chair he moved in front of his desk so he could book her. What Rogers didn't expect was to find Eloise inside, when she suddenly walked over to them and knelt down in front of the woman a little older than she was, then reached out to take Maggie's hand. However, Maggie immediately pulled back before their hands could touch while she glared at the woman with long reddish blonde braids as she did so.

"You don't recognize me?" Eloise questioned fearfully, then turned her head to look up at the detective with concern in her eyes. "What happened to her? She and I used to be really close when we lived together on the streets."

"Perhaps you and I should talk in private," Rogers stated quietly, then reached down to help the woman he rescued to stand when Eloise nodded in agreement and took his hand he offered to her.

Eloise rose to her feet and started to follow him, until she suddenly grabbed Maggie's hand again before she could pull away like before. Only this time, a spark suddenly ignited between them as they pulled apart. A magical spark that could only be seen by the two women as Maggie's true memories of the woman she really was before the curse suddenly came rushing back to her. Rogers failed to see the power because he didn't believe, like Emma Swan had failed to see August's leg was being turned back into wood years ago when she had first moved to Storybrooke because she couldn't believe in magic either.

As he led the younger woman away, Eloise turned her head back to Maggie once more and they both smiled at one another, then continued on with their charade in front of the detective. One woman being deeply concerned for her friend, and the other being a woman who had given up on trying to live a better life away from the streets and cruel men.

Once they were standing alone outside of the main room and far enough away from his arrestee, Rogers looked into Eloise's concerned eyes, then spoke up quietly again saying, "I'm sorry about your friend, Eloise. I wish you hadn't been here for that."

She lied as she answered worryingly, "I'm sorry I came here again without calling you to let you know I'd be coming. It's just that… I wanted to apologize for the other day. For kissing you, I mean. It was wrong and I certainly didn't mean to make you feel uncomfortable. I think you were right that my gratitude towards you kind of took a turn the wrong way."

"You've no need to apologize," he sincerely replied, then glanced towards Maggie and saw her struggling to free her wrists from the cuffs keeping her locked to his desk. "I understand you were simply feeling overwhelmed. But for right now, we should focus on Maggie. I don't know why she doesn't recognize you. There's no record of her having been in an accident during her years on the streets that might have caused memory loss. At least not a record known to the police. Give me some time to talk with her. If she's willing to talk, then I'm willing to release her as a show of good faith with the hope that she will try to turn her life around. Perhaps you can help her. I just suggest you don't force yourself in her life. Give her some time."

"I'll do anything," Eloise responded smugly, though Rogers couldn't sense the smugness within her words. "All I want is to have Maggie back in my life again. I'm really just happy to see that she's somewhat all right."

He nodded and then answered, "I know. By the way, I've tried to find the others you've asked me to find as well. Maggie was the first of your friends I found. I've also discovered another of them is currently in the hospital... the psych ward, I'm afraid. Diana Levinson. It appears she's much worse off than even Maggie is. I can't go into detail right now, but…"

She interrupted him before he could say more as she asked, "She didn't hurt anyone, did she? Please… I need to see her. Diana is the closest I have to a sister. You weren't the first person to save my life, Detective Rogers. There was one winter I fell ill. She took care of me and when she couldn't any longer without medicine, she broke into a pharmacy and stole what she needed to make me well. I know that must be in her police record. She cared for me, even when she had her own problems she was dealing with. I have to see her, if only to let her know not everyone has given up on her. Please…"

"All right," Rogers replied reluctantly, not really feeling right about bringing Eloise to the hospital to see a woman potentially as dangerous as her record says she is, though for some reason he couldn't seem to say no to her either. "Meet me back here in the morning. At nine o'clock. I believe Detective Weaver has a meeting with one of his informants then. I get the sense neither of you are too keen on getting to know one another."

"I just get the sense that Weaver thinks I'm too far gone to be of any help," she responded coldly, keeping her false sense of innocence about her as she looked into his eyes once more. "I'm thankful not everyone thinks so. Thank you, detective."

With that said, Eloise Gardner walked out of the station without so much as another glance towards Maggie, knowing the woman her sister witch was once again now that the curse over her had finally been broken with a single touch, would find her upon being released from police custody. And that it wouldn't be long before they would be reunited with another of their sisters. If everything worked out the next day, then their coven would be closer to being complete as four of the eight would be found.