It took Belle a minute to remember why she was on the couch. Gold was gone which made it a little easier to get up. She padded up to her room, grabbed some bath things and then stopped. With the exception of the bathroom in his room, Belle had no idea where another was. She didn't feel like early morning exploration so she decided to just use his.
She opened the door, not expecting to find anyone in there so it was a surprise to find him sitting on the edge half dressed.
"Oh," she paused, her hand frozen on the handle. He looked up at her and stood, seemingly unaware he was just wearing dress pants, sock, and a belt. "I was going to take a shower."
"Go ahead," he said, stepping aside. "I'm, uh, leaving soon."
She passed him quickly and shut the door. It seemed almost unavoidable that the awkwardness was back. She had thought, perhaps foolishly, that they had banished it last night after dancing and the movie.
When she got out of the shower he was gone. She took her time with her hair and make-up before going into her room to put on clean clothes. She chose a nice skirt and top with heeled shoes and a jacket and then made her way to the kitchen. A man's back was turned to her when she came in but it wasn't Gold. She cleared her throat causing him to turn around and she screamed. He was almost blue he was so pale, the circles under his eyes black.
In moments both Bae and Gold crashed into the kitchen looking battle ready. When Gold saw the man he relaxed and his fear changed into irritation.
"How do you people keep getting through my security system?" He complained.
"You know this man?" Belle asked fearfully. Ryan turned to Gold angrily.
"She's the only reason I haven't gone back to Cora to beg for death!"
"Belle has lost some of her memories," Gold explained wearily.
"She doesn't remember us, either," Bae added sadly. Ryan looked at the boy and Gold before he erupted with laughter.
"If I didn't hate my situation so much, this would be the best news I had ever heard.
"She doesn't remember you, I could make her forget I killed you in her kitchen," Gold snapped through Ryan's laughter.
"Oh calm down," Ryan told him, looking at her. "You should be glad I'm here."
"Why is that?" Gold asked exasperated.
"I'm gonna get her memories back."
"How?" All three of them asked at the same time. Ryan walked over to the counter, grabbed a large knife out of the block, and with a quick motion, slashed her arm. Belle jumped up and pressed her hand against the bleeding wound.
"What's wrong with you?!" She screamed, grabbing a kitchen towel to soak up the blood. "She doesn't have any of her control of her ability!" He snarled at Ryan. Ryan just shrugged, unconcerned with the whole thing.
"I taught her control once, I can do it again. And when she regains her memories, you're going to kill me."
Belle stared at the two of them, watching the determination on Ryan's face and the conflict on Gold's.
"She will never allow it."
"I'm not asking her, I am asking you. This life...this is not how I want to live. It's painful...and the urges I have are dark. Ugly. Evil. I can't do it myself. I need you to do this for me. Promise me; no matter how she protests or looks at you with those blue eyes of hers, you will do this for me."
He looked over at Belle who didn't appear to be paying attention as she attended to her wound. Would she understand, or would she hate him when it came down to it? He wanted her back. He was willing to pay this price to get his wife back.
"Promise."
Ryan smiled; a twisted, painful smile. "Excellent." He turned to Belle who was watching him darkly. "If you're not going to heal yourself, I would get yourself a Band-Aid."
"You're crazy," she said, storming out.
"Finally, we agree," Gold commented as she passed him.
"We can start tonight," Ryan said once Belle was gone.
"I can hardly wait."
Belle drove to work angry over Ryan, the dead looking man who had cut open her arm. She was unable to stop the bleeding so she was on her way to the hospital to have it stitched up. This healing business was frustrating to her because she didn't know how to work it. It was some kind of magical switch she had apparently been able to turn on over the last year and she had no idea how that worked. In her most private thoughts she wondered if her friends were playing some kind of sick prank on her.
She saw a doctor relatively quickly once she entered the emergency room.
"What happened here?" An attractive blonde doctor asked her as he examined her wound.
"Kitchen clumsiness," she offered, smiling. He didn't need to know the full details behind the cut; it would just make her seem crazy.
"Well the good news is you're going to live," he smiled back at her, reaching for a few things. "The bad news is you're gonna need stitches."
"I figured," she said reasonably.
"I'm Dr. Whale, by the way," he added, rubbing a yellow sterilizing agent on her arm.
"Thank you, Dr. Whale." Belle was grateful for Dr. Whale's quick efficiency and pleasant demeanor. In no time he was finished, wiping up her arm, and writing her a prescription for a low grade pain killer, just in case.
"I'll see you on this date to have the stitches removed. Don't submerge them in water and if you have any questions give me a call. Other than that you are good to go."
"Thank you so much, Dr. Whale," she shook his hand gratefully.
"Have a good day, Mrs. Gold."
Whale watched her walk out before he pulled out his phone and made a call.
"Killian? You will never believe who I just had in my emergency room..."
Today was looking up. Work was something she remembered, something she was good at. She worked on a case she had started before she lost her memory, falling into a comfortable groove. David was out of the office, giving her free reign and more importantly, no one staring at her and making her uncomfortable. She was contemplating ordering in for lunch when Gold knocked on her door holding a picnic basket.
"Hey," she said once he came in. He seemed nervous, setting the basket down on her desk.
"I thought you might be hungry. And I wanted to apologize for this morning."
"It's okay, no harm done," she said, showing him her bandage. He stared at it for a long time as the color drained from his face.
"You, uh, had it stitched?" He finally asked.
"Yeah, to stop the bleeding," she told him nonchalantly, reaching into the basket and pulling out sandwiches.
"That's...sensible of you." He sounded choked, like he was holding back tears. She looked up at him, wishing he hadn't come if he was going to be disappointed in her inability to heal.
"I thought so," she said sharply.
He had also packed little juice boxes and store bought potato salad with two plastic forks. "I forgot plates," he realized but she didn't mind.
"We can share, your germs are mine," she joked. He looked up at her with wide eyes before offering her a small smile.
"Indeed.".
She was scrambling for something to talk about when her phone rang. He didn't seem concerned about it so she answered it.
"Mrs. Gold? It's Killian Jones, the man from the cab last night. I was hoping we could make that appointment," the English accent said on the other end.
"Yes, I remember Mr. Jones. If you're available today I could see you at the end of my day, around six thirty, seven o clock?"
"Perfect. I will see you then." He sounded almost gleeful and she found herself feeling uneasy again, as she had last night. She had considered it important to listen to her feelings, but she was certain she had never met this man before. It was irrational so she chalked it up to lingering nerves from such proximity to her husband that she was projecting onto this strange man.
"Client," she told Gold after hanging up the phone. "We met in a cab last night, of all places."
Gold's eyebrows knitted together and he chewed thoughtfully. "You met a prospective client in a cab last night?"
"Yeah, he just needs some advice. It shouldn't take long."
"Of course." He seemed lost in his own thoughts but didn't have anything else to say about it. They talked a little more about superficial things before he left to go back to work. She was relieved once he was gone and she didn't have to come up with things to talk about. It didn't seem like they had anything in common. What had they talked about before? The more time they spent together, the more she wondered what had brought them together.
The day flew by, mostly because she was dreading going home where she would be forced to interact with a man so obviously in love with her. She wasn't doubting her decision to stay in the house with him, she was certain that it was the right thing to do, she was doubting she was ever really in love with him to begin with, despite how hard he was trying. She knew love was work and that it was impossible to stay in love without hard work and effort, but did she even want to do that? For her it felt like she was trying to force herself to love someone she didn't even know. All the hard parts of relationships without the benefit of loving someone.
"Knock, knock," Killian interrupted her thoughts with a charming smile.
"Come in Mr. Jones," she stood up and shook his hand as Killian closed the door softly behind him. She noticed the office seemed empty but that wasn't concerned about it. The only other person who stayed late was David and he hadn't come in today.
"Thank you. Oh, what happened to your arm there?" He asked, settling into his chair.
"Oh this? Just a kitchen accident. I can be clumsy."
"Ah yes, it looks painful love. Stitches?"
"Yes," she said slowly, the feeling of unease creeping back in. "Dr. Whale took good care of me. So, anyway, what can I do for you?"
He laughed for a moment before showing off his right hand, which was severed. In its place he had put a large, silver hook. "If only he could have done such good work with me."
"Is...is that what you're here about? Because malpractice isn't really my specialty but I know of some really good-"
"I'm here for you, darling. You don't remember me but I remember you. We have a history, you and I. And even though you are an inferior fighter you somehow have bested me every time, even when I kill a man you loved right in front of you. Of course, you don't remember it, but it was brutal. And now here we are, face to face again at last. I have to say, I was quite pleased when Dr. Whale called me this morning and let me know about your little injury. It will make killing you all the more delicious."
"You want to kill me?" Nothing he was saying was making sense to her right now. She was hearing the words, and she definitely saw his hook, but she couldn't reconcile that with what he was saying. She didn't live in a world where people were constantly trying to murder her.
"You're a bright one aren't you love? No matter. I didn't come for the banter." They stared at the each other for a long moment, neither moving. He was between her and the door and jumping out the window was out of the question even if she could break through the glass. Her best option was to fight her way out and make her escape that way. Hook had the advantage, being in full command of all his memories while she had no idea how to beat him. She couldn't even heal herself. There was a very real possibility he would kill her in her office today.
Hook and Belle jumped out of their chairs to face off. He was grinning at her, his hook held in her visual line. He was still blocking her passage to the door, so she grabbed the lamp off her desk and threw it at him. He jumped out of the way, inching away from the door. She didn't think, grabbing a paper weight and throwing it at him as well. It smacked him in the face. It gave her the space to lunge for the door. She got it open and made it two steps into the main part of her office when Hook grabbed her leg and brought her crashing to the floor with him. They struggled and Belle managed to flip over onto her back and kick him in the face while scrambling backward on her elbows.
He lunged for her again, wrestling on top of her until he had both of her wrists in his pinned over her head. His knee had her legs pinned on the ground, leaving her immobilized. He stroked her cheek with his hook as she struggled under him.
"Struggling is pointless my dear," he whispered, inches from her face. "This time, I win."
He dragged the sharp edge of his hook against her cheek, drawing blood as he went. He did the opposite side as she flinched, neither of them breaking eye contact.
"If you're going to kill me get on with it," she snapped at him.
"I'll miss that spirit," he said, raising his hook. She closed her eyes, ready for the end, but it never came. Instead she felt the pressure of his body lifted off of her, and someone picking her up. Her eyes flew open and she found herself in the arms of her husband. He looked murderous as Hook began laughing loudly, as if the entire situation was hilarious.
"This is just perfect," Hook laughed, struggling to his feet. Gold ignored him, flicking his hand, sending Hook through the glass in Belles office.
"Is he dead?" She asked as Gold began walking down the stairs.
"I doubt it," Gold said through gritted teeth. He looked so furious that she didn't say anything else as he put her in his car and drove them home. He was gripping the steering wheel so hard his knuckles were white. He helped her up the stairs and into the bedroom they once shared. She finally got a good look at herself in the mirror. Her face, her hair, her neck, and the front of her shirt were drenched in blood.
"Why can't I do it?" She asked softly as he pulled off her shoes. Her leggings were ripped, her outfit unsalvageable. She let him take her clothes off, rationalizing that he had seen her unclothed before. He didn't touch her outside of taking the actual clothing off.
"How bad is it?"
He left the room and came back with her pajamas from the night before. "I don't think I've ever seen a bruise on your skin," he finally said after she had the shorts and tank on.
"Is this our life? Near death experiences and rebuilding our lives behind closed doors?" She asked him with watery eyes.
"You chose this life," he told her, sitting on the bed next to her.
"And what if I don't want it anymore?" She looked down at her hands, unable to look him in the eyes.
"No one is making you stay," he whispered. She got up and crossed to the bathroom to wash the blood off of her skin. She could see him still sitting on the bed, watching her.
"I just, I can't. Do this. Pretend. You, you so obviously love me and I want to love you." She crossed the room and knelt at his feet. "You don't know how badly I want to love you the way you love me, but for me this is all brand new and I can't figure out what brought us together."
He took her hands in his and looked down at her. "I don't want you to leave me."
"I know," she whispered. Neither of them moved for a long time, unsure of what they should do. She didn't want to leave him. She needed something to give.
"A week," she finally whispered.
"A week?" He asked.
"I will train with Ryan for a week to get my ability and memory back. If that doesn't work I'm gonna move back in with Ruby and try and find my own place."
He nodded, looking more hopeful than he had in a while. "I accept that."
He left her a little after that to go to her own room and get some sleep. She didn't want to be alone but it wasn't fair for her to ask him to stay. Not when she didn't expect to get her memories back. It wasn't fair to him.
"Is she asleep?" Emma asked once Gold appeared in their headquarters. Everyone was gathered, waiting expectantly for him.
"Yes," Gold answered, taking his seat.
"How is she doing?" Archie asked, concerned.
"Not so well," Gold confessed. "She's giving it a week before she walks away from it all."
"A week? Is that even enough time?" Ruby exclaimed with horror.
"It's not," said Ryan with a grimace.
"And we still don't know what Cora is planning or where Granny and Graham are..." David added, looking lost. "We are falling apart."
"Granny is dead." Ryan said flatly. Ruby jumped out of her chair.
"Did you kill her?!" She demanded furiously.
"None of us want to live this way!" Ryan roared back at Ruby. "It is a struggle to hold on to my humanity when all I want to do is kill you! Kill all of you! She asked me to do it so she could be a peace and I did and I would do it again! She deserves peace, to die her own way instead of whatever Cora had in store for her!"
Ruby sat back down and wiped away her tears quickly. "I'm sorry, I didn't know."
Ryan also sat back down, his rage replaced with his flat disinterest. "You wouldn't."
"So, that just leaves Graham unaccounted for, then," David continued, pretending Ryan's outburst never happened.
"We'll find him," Emma said softly. "Let's focus on Belle. We need her and she needs her memories. We can deal with Cora later, for now we help Belle. Fix our group. Starting tomorrow everyone is on Belle duty; we'll take shifts, she is not to be left alone. Understood?"
Everyone nodded. Gold was relieved that everyone was in agreement that helping Belle was priority number one but it was obvious everyone was also fighting their own private battles. Was it possible to fix Belle when they themselves were all so broken?
He didn't know, but they had to try. All they had left was each other. And he couldn't lose her.