Gold hadn't slept at all the rest of the night. He was terrified that Belle would go on a rampage again, and with the early birds of Storybrooke up and about, there was no way Belle would go unmissed again.
Every shift she made had him jumping up, waking and scaring her in the process, leaving them both on edge and just slightly cranky. But Gold swore on his life he would not lose Belle, not again, never again.
"You need rest." Belle muttered. She was sweating with fever and she kept clawing at her chest, fighting off the waves of madness that threatened to eat her alive.
"I'm fine love." Gold lied. "Let's worry about you right now, alright."
Belle bit her lip, worry and fear clear in her eyes. "Rumpel, I think-"
Ding Dong
Belle froze, trying to distinguish the unfamiliar sound, and feeling the sudden gust of fear in the air. "What..." Gold was suddenly very pale and very stiff; he looked as if he wanted to scream. "Rum?"
Gold stood, his once tired eyes now alive with caution. "Belle stay here."
She sat up as he began to leave the room. "Rumple what is-"
"Listen to me Sweetheart," he whispered with a desperate hint to his voice, "do not, not matter what you here, leave this room. If you hear someone coming up the stairs, hide under the bed, in closest, just hide until I find you."
The doorbell resounded again and Gold began to move, but Belle grabbed his arm. "Rumple please don't leave me!"
He held both her hands in his, kissing her pale shaking knuckles. "I will be right back." He promised. "I will always come back for you."
She stared into his eyes, so worn from the years of loneness and fear, emotions her absence had caused. She didn't want him to be alone again, not ever. She nodded her head hesitantly and let him go, sliding up the bed and hugging her legs.
He gave her a brave smile before gently closed the door, just as the doorbell went off again. He gripped his cane tighter. If it was Emma, which he feared it might be, Belle would either be shot or arrested. He would fight to the death to keep that from happening, but if Belle went off again he wasn't sure what the Hell he could do to protect him or Emma without having to hurt her.
The bell went off once more and Gold shouted out his irritation. "Hold on damn it!" He reached the door and paused, frowning at the familiar and unwanted figure.
"Get the Hell off my porch.
"We need to talk Gold." Regina hissed. "And for God's sake don't be an ass this early in the morning! I've got enough of that from Swan."
"Oh my greatest apologies." Gold snared with a sloppy bow. "Morning Madame Mayor. A little too early to be up and about isn't it? And might I say the two-day wrinkled clothes and oily hair are a charming look for you."
Regina rolled her eyes and shot past him, searching his living room. "Screw it, where is she?"
Gold laughed. Did she really thing she'd get what she wanted? He'd already gotten to choke her once, which got just a slight amount of malice out of his system, and would happily do it again.
"Who might we be preferring to? I can assure you no woman stays longer than-"
"Belle." Regina snarled, making no attempt to mask her exhaustion and irritability. "The girl who tried to choke me and my son last night, beat Graham into a coma, and the one Emma Swan has been chasing the past fucking twelve hours!"
"Such language is very unladylike, then again you're not much of a lady are you. Hell you're barely even a queen."
Regina stalked up to him, their noses barely touching and Regina's arms vibrating with the urge to grab him and throw him into a hole somewhere. "You listen to me you idiotic bastard," Regina growled, "That thing, regardless of what you may think, is dangerous. She's out for blood and I will lot sleep until she is locked up again, where she belongs quite frankly."
"Over my dead body." Gold snarled.
A complacent smirk crossed the Mayor's face. "So you do have her then?"
Gold mental cursed him and quickly thought of a plan of backfire. "I've been searching all night, found no trace of her. I've only been home about an hour or so. I was going to get some rest before I went looking for her again, as you should quite honestly. Those bags under your eyes barely appeal to you."
Her hand shot up to her face and she growled at him. "Y-you're a damn liar."
"Just like you." Gold hissed, his temper rising fast. "You took her from me, locked her up like some wild animal. You turned her into an experiment!"
A slow smile spread over her face. "No, you did."
It felt like a glacier was flowing thought his veins, leaving behind tiny chips of ice that caused more pain than the source.
"You could have looked for her." Regina jeered. "You had the key, my dear Rumple, all you had to do was look for the cage. But you decided to wallow in your grief instead."
He couldn't argue with that. He had tried to look for her, in the bottom of bottles and flasks.
Feeling more in control of the situation, Regina straightened. "Understand this, you twisted little imp. I have the ultimate misfortune of staying with two of the three people whose heads and hearts I want to rip to shreds," she stepped closer, nose-to-nose. "So unless you want a massacre on your hands, you better get a harness on that bitch of yours or so help me-"
Gold grabbed her throat and forced her up against the nearest wall, squeezing until she started clawing his hand.
"I suggest you watch that hole in your face, you fucking wench. I may be as equally responsible for Belle's demised but you are the main player here. And now you will help me fix this!" He pulled her away from the wall and dragged her inside, throwing her into the house.
She tripped over the carpet and landed against a couch, watching in horror as Gold slammed the door and caused many of the trinkets on the walls to shake. He approached her quickly, an amazing feat with his limp, grabbed her shoulders and picked her up as if she were nothing. "How do I save her from the Hell you put her in?" When she didn't answer quickly enough for his preference, he shook her hard. She yelped, indicating that she had bitten something.
"How!?" he roared.
"Y-You can't." she answered. "T-there's no magic here."
Mr. Gold's heart dropped. Of course they needed magic. A magical dilemma needs a magical solution. "Explain." he hissed, releasing Regina's throat just enough for her to catch a breath and speak.
"What's to explain? I turned her into a monster. We're in a land without magic."
"What the Hell did I tell you about watching your mouth? She is not a monster." Gold fumed.
"She's crazy as Hell then! Gold, she has a monster's heart; there is no cure for that, not here anyway!"
"You brought magical charms into this world, potions, spells, where are they?"
"In my father's tomb but-"
He pushed her into the wall, causing a table to shake and a vase to shatter on the floor. Gold placed on hand on the side of her head.
"Then my dear, it looks like we're going to take a fieldtrip."
"A fieldtrip to where, exactly."
Regina and Gold looked at Emma like deer in headlights.
The Deputy surveyed the obscure carpet and the broken glass on the floor. "What the Hell is going on?"
Gold stepped away from Regina quickly, giving her a glare that made clear she wouldn't be standing much longer if she said a word.
"Business that does not concern you, Miss Swan." Gold answered, "Now leave."
Emma glared at him. "Look Gold, your neighbors said there was a commotion here last night. I'm going to assume you're hiding Belle somewhere and I have to take her in."
Gold's shot a quick look at Regina, whose eyes widened with true innocence.
"I get your heart is in the right place," Emma went on, "but she needs to be somewhere she can't hurt anyone. I will pey make sure she gets the best help available. She won't go back into the asylum if I can help it."
Gold refused to incriminate any further, keeping his eyes fixed on Regina, who by some miracle was keeping her mouth shut.
"Look," Emma sighed with annoyance, "If you withhold evidence from authority, I'm going to have to arrest you."
Regina snorted, earning a look from the Mayor. "Sorry, but I highly doubt the Deputy has as much power as you let yourself believe."
Emma dared to take her eyes off of Gold. "Don't help me here and we'll see just how much power I have." Shea said as she pulled out a pair of handcuffs. She turned back to Gold. "You interested in another trip to the hole, Gold?
His jaw clenched defiantly, his body motionless.
Emma sighed and stepped forward with the intention of cupping him, but a loud clutter upstairs switched her attention instantly.
"Belle." Gold whispered, meeting Emma's wide green eyes.
"Idiot!" Regina hissed.
Emma ignored them and made a mad dash for the stairs.
"No!" Gold screamed. He made one leap forward and he had Emma by waist, pulling her to the ground with him.
"Get the Hell off me Gold!" Emma screamed as Gold tried to drag her off the bottom stairs. He had no plan, no idea what to do if Emma fought back. All he knew was that Belle needed to be protected. That Emma could not get to her. If he had to know the Savior cold, he would.
Emma kicked him off of her with enough force to know the wind out of him. While he gagged and struggled, she brought out her gun. "Do not move!" she screamed at him.
He gripped his knee and screamed back, "You can't do this to her you can't take her away from me!"
There was a scream overhead and the sound of glass breaking. Emma dashed upstairs, knowing well that Gold was right behind her but was not going to waste her time with him when a maniac was right above her head. She wasn't thinking logic when she kicked open the door, nor of her or Gold's safety when she pointed her gun around.
Gold slipped in beside, eyes scanning rapidly for the faintest trace of Belle. Yet there was none.
"Belle?" he called out cautiously. His eyes followed Emma as she checked the closet and the adjourning bathroom. She sighed irritable and put her gun away.
"Where is she Gold?"
Gold didn't speak. His focus was solely on the open window sill. Emma's gaze followed.
There was blood on the sill.
And just beyond the window, Regina's car was speeding off down the street.