This isn't happening. Why is he calling now? Emma felt her heart rate speed up as the reality of the situation dawned on her. Her eyes met her son's concerned gaze. Was he able to hear the conversation? Closing her eyes, she realized that she was becoming paranoid. Her fears weren't making her think clearly. The only thing that made the last ten years bearable was raising Henry. This task gave her a clean slate to move on with her life. Most importantly, her son was ignorant of her past. When he grew up, she humored his imagination, but she was glad that he had never seen magic. Magic was dangerous, and as long as he was never exposed to it, he would continue to be safe. Now, she was forced to face an aspect of her past she put behind her.
"How are you able to call me?" She finally asked, her voice low. She expected him to call years ago before she had her son. Now that the playing field had changed, his call was ten years long overdue.
"Yes, I'm glad you remember," he drawled before he continued. "We don't have much time. We can talk when you get here. Now, listen carefully," he said impatiently.
After Emma got off the phone, she took her son to work and told her boss that she was taking off indefinitely. She was glad that her job allowed her to make her own hours. She purposely postponed her trip to Storybrooke a week, hoping it was a dream. To her horror, she saw the same missed call from the familiar name on her phone. The caller was becoming impatient with her lack of response. She was acting like a child but wasn't she justified? She and her son were safe in Boston. Storybrooke was a foreign land. From what she heard of the Evil Queen, she wasn't a person to cross. Her favorite form of magic was lunging fireballs at her enemies and ripping out hearts. Her fingers tightened against the steering wheel, letting out a weary sigh at the thought.
"Mom, have you been to this town before?" Henry asked, breaking her from her thoughts.
He must have gotten tired of reading his storybook. After questioning her behavior for a week, her son was excited at the prospect of traveling. He helped her pack his bags, talking relentlessly about what they might see. She wished he was going to this town for reasons that he thought.
"No, I haven't. " She smiled weakly. It took a lot of effort to smile. She wished the curse would magically break itself before she got there so she could turn around. A row of green flashed by as the car continued to cruise on the road. That was another tree they passed. There were no mile markers for the last twenty miles when she entered Maine. They were lost. Frowning, she picked up her phone and looked at the instructions. The instructions looked like they were made by an older version of Microsoft Word. Did they have old technology in Storybrooke? She shook her head at the thought. Thinking about the town made her wary. Her mind drifted back to the instructions. From what the instructions said, they were heading in the right direction.
"Are you excited, kid?" She asked, trying to calm her nerves.
"Yep, I'm glad we're going out of town," he answered eagerly, taking in the scenery they passed. "What do you think it's near?" He mused. She was grateful that he was enthused. Looking at his smiling face broke her ill mood.
"The ocean perhaps," she guessed. They did pass large bodies of water many miles back.
"Where exactly are we going?" His relentless questioning wasn't bothering her. The questions were a respite for her to not be left alone to her own thoughts.
"Storybrooke, Maine," she answered. Her lips pursed, debating whether to stop talking. He was probably going to ask her why they were going so she might as well answer him before he asked. "I have some business that I promised I would help take care of. Maybe we can enjoy the sights," she offered with a shrug, hoping the town was normal. If it wasn't, she was going to turn the car around-curse be damned.
"How long are we staying?" His eyes lit up in excitement at her suggestion. She would do anything to keep that smile on his face.
"Hopefully, just a week. I still need to enroll you in school in case it takes longer." She hoped that she wouldn't resort to the latter option. He would make friends and she would hate to tear them apart. Boston was their home-not this town.
Her eyes caught the words "Welcome to Storybrooke" as they drove past. Well the sign wasn't foreboding, at least that was good news. She was expecting something weird to happen at any moment. Pulling into town, she only saw a few shops. People were walking around normally, and there were no creatures flying around.
"Well this is quaint," she said, letting out a relieved sigh. Everything was in one central location and there was no traffic. It reminded her of the movie Pleasantville.
Seeing the sign Gold's Pawn Shop, she parked in front of the blue building.
"Here we are," she informed, unbuckling her seatbelt. She could see a myriad of objects displayed on the window. Henry's car door shut before she was able to get out of the car. She didn't know where he got the extra energy. She met his exited gaze as he waited in front of the red door to the shop. Her eyes closed in frustration to calm her nerves. Well, here we go. She let out a breath to brace herself as she pushed the door open. The door chimed as soon as they entered.
The owner was looking at the display case, but his face lifted up when the door chimed. She was met with a familiar brown gaze. His eyes took in her appearance before they widened in recognition. His mouth upturned to a knowing smirk before his expression returned neutral. Rumple hadn't aged a day since she first met him.
"Emma, how lovely to see you again," he greeted, with feigned surprise. He turned his attention to Henry and she almost laughed at his shocked expression. Her own eyes narrowed when his gaze turned calculating. Whatever he had planned, she was going to tell him to leave her son out of the picture or she wasn't helping.
"Your son… I presume," he observed.
"Henry, this is…" Emma caught herself when she almost said "Rumplestiltskin." She wasn't going to call him by his fairytale name in front of her son. By the time her task was over, Emma wanted her son to remain oblivious to the existence of fairytale characters. She looked at Rumple pleadingly to help her.
Henry gasped bringing out the book. Great, her son was too smart for his own good. He was already associating Rumple's face to the book. She still regretted to this day giving him the book.
"Mr. Gold will do," Rumple answered with a smirk.
"Gold, it's been a while," Emma said, hoping to change her son's curiosity and trying to avoid an awkward situation. The sooner she got started with trying the end the curse, the faster she could leave the town
"Indeed." He began and turned his back to her to grab his cane. "Now that you are here, we need to get on with the grand tour." At least, she and Rumple understood each other. He knew that she didn't want to waste anymore time.
"Lacey, dear, I have to get going," Rumple called to the back.
Emma raised an eyebrow when Rumple addressed the woman. Seconds later, a blue eyed brunette with flashy, blue tight clothing walked out and sauntered her way towards Rumple.
"See you later, Gold." Lacey left with a wink, running a hand over Gold's chest seductively.
"If you would follow me." Rumple broke Emma out of her thoughts.
He didn't wait as he limped away with his cane outside. She closely followed after his slow form.
A small draft of wind passed Emma and Rumple as Henry ran ahead past them, looking around excitedly with his book open. Emma rubbed her brow, trying to massage the growing migraine. This was going to be the longest week ever.
Emma paused when Rumple made an abrupt stop in front of the clock tower. His hands rested on the cane as he looked into her eyes." Welcome to Storybrooke, where nothing changed until a week ago when I called you. For 28 years, that clock remained still." He pointed at the clock for emphasis. "I guess you made a decision to stay." He finished, his tone business like.
Rumple continued forward and Emma was forced to follow. Her eyes continued to make sure her son was in her line of sight.
"He looks exactly like the pirate's spawn," he said with distaste. Rumple must have noticed her staring at her son for him to comment on it.
"That's my son you are talking about," she chided his statement with a glare. If he was going to take his anger out on her son for what happened long ago, she was going to refuse to help him.
"I'm just making a simple observation." He held up his free hand in mock surrender.
"You moved on with Lacey, " she observed.
His eyes narrowed in contemplation. "I rather this curse be broken so that Lacey could remember who she is. At least in this state, I can keep a watchful eye on her, but yes, she is more agreeable than Milah ever was. Now, let me give you some insight of the central locations," he deflected. Emma felt Lacey was a touchy subject for Rumple if he was changing the subject.
"I should've moved to Boston!" A brunette with red highlights yelled. She was wearing skimpy clothing, showing midriff and cleavage.
"Maybe you shouldn't be going out all the time!" An older lady with glasses chastised.
Emma wasn't really sure why they were yelling in broad daylight in the middle of the street. That was one way not to attract customers.
"Granny's. This fine establishment is run by Mrs. Lucas and her very outspoken granddaughter, who dresses like she is propositioning the male customers. As you can tell, her clothing leaves no room for the imagination. If you go in there, expect all eyes to be on you. This is where the gossip takes place, " he said dryly.
Henry ran towards her with the book in tow.
"Mom, can I have some money for a drink?" She detected he was lying. He was perhaps hoping to see if he could spot more people in the book.
She sighed, deciding to humor him. She reached into her pocket pulling out some money to give him. "Sure, kid," she answered, handing him a twenty.
After thanking her, he ran into the diner. The two Lucas ladies saw that they had a customer and stopped their arguing. They followed Henry inside. Seconds later, Emma watched as a dwarf-sized man was approaching her and Gold. He paused when he took a look at Rumple. He was debating whether to continue on the current path. Was Gold that intimidating? As they walked the streets of Storybrooke, Emma noticed that the people didn't want to be in Rumple's path.
"Your rent is due, Leroy," Rumple said confidently, holding his hand out expectantly.
Leroy glared at Rumple. "I don't owe you any money, Gold," he said angrily.
Henry returned and looked to the two men in interest, holding his soda. It was best to get his attention away from them. An argument was ensued to break out if Rumple's persuasive skills failed.
"Come on, Henry. Let Mr. Gold finish his business." She took his arm and lightly dragged him away from the two men. She smiled at her son, but paused when she saw him grinning from ear to ear.
"I found your mom," he said in affirmation.
Surely, she misheard. She thought he said he found her mom.
"What do you mean?" She asked for clarification.
"Her name is Mary Margaret. She's a school teacher here." Great, he thinks that he found Snow White. Just because Rumple was real, didn't make Snow White real as well. That book may have a curse for a plot, but it didn't make it true.
"Henry, she's not Snow White," she corrected.
"Mom, but he's Rumplestiltskin!" He pointed at Rumple for proof of his observations.
Rumplestiltskin was a coincidence. All the other characters weren't real.
"Just because there is a likeness in the book doesn't make it true. The last thing she needed was for him to run into the Evil Queen and confront her with the book.
The sound of wood clicking on concrete alerted them that Rumple was done with his business.
"Is that man always grumpy?" She asked when Rumple stood before them. The permanent frown on Leroy's face was so prominent that she believed that his face got stuck like that by frowning too much.
Emma's question made Rumple amused as though she unknowingly told a private joke.
"He is the local drunk. He spends most of his time in a jail cell. Other times, he can be rather obnoxious," he informed.
Emma wondered why Rumple was giving her insights on the people. They couldn't help her with the curse, could they? Still, she was disturbed of the influence he had in the town.
"Pawnbroker and rent collector. You're definitely cozy with your influence. How is it that you're able to be so comfortable?" She asked, crossing her arms.
Gold looked to see that Henry was a far enough distance away before he answered her.
"I made a deal with the queen, and she followed through." He said with a shrug. Emma didn't know whether she should be concerned with Rumple's deal with the queen. She was supposed to fight the queen. She was going to ask him later about whether he was a conflict of interest before she continued her task any further. His voice broke her from her thoughts.
"Speaking of the queen, this is the Town Hall." Emma followed his gaze to see a yellow building. Benches lined the walkway, and there were three doors separated by columns.
"It doesn't look like an evil castle," she mused before looking at Rumple, putting her hands in the pocket of her red leather jacket. "Why the dramatic pretense of getting me here by not telling me anything over the phone? You said it was urgent, yet no one is getting murdered here."
Honestly, this life didn't look like hell. She didn't know why he wanted to leave in the first place. The townspeople looked happy. No one was in tears.
"The queen has her lapdog. We don't know anyone outside the town because we can't leave. I didn't want to prematurely alert her to your arrival without speaking with you first."
What Gold suggested sounded like wiretapping, which was illegal.
"A call to Boston would be suspicious? Does she have her hands in the police department or something?" Emma jested. The whole entire situation was ridiculous. There was nothing important in the town that needed protecting. Clearly, Rumple was exaggerating.
"I wouldn't put it past her, but her lapdog thinks she hangs on the moon. He would do anything for her. It's sickening really," he said with mock sadness.
Emma was a little uncomfortable by Rumple's lack of empathy. He still had his personality as the Dark One.
The sound of footsteps approaching made Emma turn her head to see a blonde man wearing a high-end suit heading in their direction. He was smiling at her with flirtatious smile.
What the hell? Emma thought when the man threw her a wink.
"Ah, yes. Dr. Whale is the only resident doctor. When he isn't occupied saving lives , he spends the rest of his time pursuing the opposite sex or perhaps treating the diseases if he was successful with said activities. Stay clear of him," Rumple said annoyed.
Emma had a feeling there was a history between Whale, Rumple and Lacey. She probably wasn't going to get an answer from him.
"Resident ladies' man. Got it," Emma confirmed.
Emma didn't know how far they walked already. They were covering a lot of ground. Rumple wasn't showing any sign of tiredness. In front of them was a red brick building with a playground in front.
"This is the local elementary school. I assume you want to enroll your son here correct?" Rumple asked, watching Henry look at the playground in interest.
"Is this the only one?" She wanted to know how big the town was exactly.
"Yes, the curse didn't bring much children." He informed, bearing his weight on the cane with his other hand.
"How long has this curse been active?" Emma questioned.
"Twenty-eight years." He answered.
This whole town was stuck in limbo for twenty-eight years? She didn't buy it.
"Wait, wouldn't the kids notice they have been stuck that way for 28 years?" Emma asked, disbelief in her tone.
"The people here are cursed, blissfully unaware of the Queen's influence over them," Rumple answered with a shrug and began to walk again.
Emma wordlessly followed him, left to her own thoughts. If the town was cursed, how exactly was Rumple able to tell her everything?
"How on earth did you remember? You told me you were cursed to forget your memories," Emma asked.
"I had a memory potion on my person. The guards didn't even bother to check my inventory. Believe me, the guards made a lot of ruckus during the curse so I knew when to drink it." His mouth was upturned, thinking about the distant memory.
"How did you manage to find me?" She asked with interest. He told her earlier that he couldn't leave town. How was he able to get her number?
"I invested in a private detective in Massachusetts to look for you. Everything could be paid with credit cards. They advertised they could find anyone. All I knew was your name and your facial profile. I knew you would be twenty-eight, and thankfully, you kept your name the same. You don't know how hard it was to pretend to be cursed for twenty-eight years. The madam mayor lives out her happy ending while the rest of the town is forced to live their lives."
Finally, they came to a stop in front of a big blue house with a white picket fence. It could easily fit a large family. Why did they stop here?
"Here you go, Henry." Gold handed Henry the keys.
"Awesome!" Henry exclaimed, opening the fence and running into the yard. He wasted no time unlocking the door and running inside to explore the house.
Emma gave Rumple a questioning look.
"Here is where you will stay. After all, you might as well be comfortable performing this favor for me." His face remained stoic, but he wasn't meeting her eyes.
She knew that some of the old Rumple she knew was still in there. "Rumple, this is too much. I can rent at the breakfast or with someone who has a couple of spare rooms. You can make more money renting to a family." She gestured to the house for emphasis.
"The real estate in Storybrooke is lacking. Besides, there is an apartment available with Mary Margaret, but you have a son. Plus, I don't think you would want to stay with her." He dismissed her protest.
"Because she is my mom?" Emma joked.
"Where did you get that information?" Rumple looked taken aback at her information.
"Did you give my son a book of fairytale characters? " Emma asked. She hoped she had some idea where that stupid book came from.
"No, why?" His eyes brightened with interest.
"He is under the impression that I am the daughter of Snow White and Prince Charming. He saw Mary Margaret in the diner and said she was my mom. The storybook has an image that looks exactly like you. Then it spouts some nonsense that I was put in a wardrobe to escape the Evil Queen's curse," Emma said, trying to convince Rumple of the ridiculousness of her son's story.
"You're the daughter of Snow White and Prince Charming. They did put you in the wardrobe to escape a curse," he confirmed, his gaze serious.
Emma waited for the punch line but he wasn't joking. Rumple wasn't the type to really joke, nor did her superpower detect a lie. She felt like she was going to hyperventilate as the truth of his words dawned on her.
"Damn it, Rumple. Couldn't you have told me this when I was training with you?!" Emma said through gritted teeth, trying to maintain her anger. Henry didn't need to be alerted to their conflict.
After her initial shock wore off, she became angry. How dare Rumple keep this a secret from her? All this time she thought she was abandoned, but in reality, she was a baby who got magically transported to this world. She met Rumple in the past how was he still alive?
"How is it possible that you are over three hundred years old? If you are alive…" She trailed off as she remembered that Killian was alive three hundred years ago with Rumple. Did she really care about what happened to him?
"I don't know the whereabouts of your pirate." He cut her off with impatience.
He was lying to her. Why would he find the need to lie to her? She didn't have time to think as he continued to answer.
"I have survived because I am the Dark One. The only way I can die is by my dagger. As for the information, I don't know how you were able to go back in time, but would you have volunteered if I told you?" His knowing look caused her to become angry.
His lying about Killian was forgotten when he admitted he purposely omitted information from her. He manipulated her into helping him.
"I trusted you. What right did you have to keep this information from me?" She pointed at him in accusation and began walking to the house to fetch Henry. She wasn't going to be a pawn in anyone's game. What Rumple did was beyond selfish. Who knew what else he was keeping from her. She wasn't going to stay to find out.
His free hand grabbed her arm, stopping her movement. He was holding her arm in a vice grip. When she moved to pull away he began to talk.
"Are you going to back out now after you gave me your word that you would help me?" He yelled, his other hand gripping the handle of his cane in anger. She could see the wild rage in his eyes that was ready to be unleashed. She didn't know what he would do to her if she gave an answer he didn't like.
She was willing to help him in the past. Maybe she would have taken the news better if he told her. Then she realized she wouldn't have, especially at the age of eighteen. Her parents gave her up, expecting her to save them. They sacrificed her happiness. Well, Emma decided she wasn't going to get attached to anyone in this town, especially her cursed parents. She spent the last twenty-eight years not knowing her parents. She could spend the rest of her life blissfully ignorant.
She always kept her promises, and she still owed Rumple. After this, she had no reason to see him again.
"No, I already drove here. I'm going to do what it takes for you to find your son and leave. I won't stay much longer. The last thing I need to do is have my son in the crossfires with an Evil Queen. He won't be involved in your plans. We'll go back to our normal lives," she said truthfully, running a hand through her hair in frustration.
I will perhaps go through some therapy, she thought to herself. Going to the past and knowing her parents were fairytale characters were too much excitement in her life. She wanted to forget and pretend that this all didn't happen. A psychologist could convince her that these events were part of her subconscious or something.
Rumple let go of her hand, satisfied with her answer. It was subtle but she saw the look of relief in his eyes.
"Of course, I will ensure your son won't be involved or come to harm," he agreed and Emma could tell he was telling the truth. He readjusted his standing position, resting both of his hands on his cane.
"Since you're going to be here awhile, let me suggest the sheriff's station. There was an…"- he paused trying to find the right word- "unfortunate incident last week after I called you. The department is in need of deputies. You do need to try and fit in after all." With these last words of advice he walked away, leaving Emma to her thoughts.
Next: Operation Cobra