Title: Vengeance, Sacrifice, and Forgiveness
Author: AoN
Word Count: 4,800
Genre: Drama, Adventure
Rating: PG-13
Feedback: Please and thank you! Let me know what I'm doing right or doing wrong.
Summary: With the Evil Queen's curse weakening and Regina struggling to keep Storybrooke under control, hidden secrets and lies from long ago are beginning to surface – and they want their happily ever after.
Chapter Twenty-Three
With the heaviness that had been weighing down on them, Emma's eyes were closed and she was asleep before her head could even hit the pillow. It was only a nap, only for a couple of hours. Just enough time to recharge and then she would be back at the office or, more likely, explaining to yet another home owner that there was nothing the sheriff department could do when the property damage in question was caused by mother nature.
By her fourth report, it had taken every fiber of her being not to remark that it was impossible to put handcuffs on or even press charges against an earthquake. That was when Emma had decided that the handful of other officers and citizens on patrol could cover her. There would have been no telling if Emma would have been able to hold her tongue during the inevitable fifth report.
Sleep had quickly lulled her away into what seemingly appeared to be a quiet, peaceful slumber. Considering how excellent of a job she had done to avoid it the last few days, it was not a surprise by any means.
Emma was not asleep for long when the whispers began to start. They were practically inaudible at first and then she could barely make them out. The only thing she could see was darkness, but she could feel herself moving. No, not moving, but being moved, being passed around and swung in different directions.
The whispers grew steadily louder, the voices crisper and clearer. They sounded familiar and completely foreign at the same time. One of them, a female voice, spoke of some wardrobe, a wardrobe that could only take one. The other voice, belonging to that of a male, pleaded for someone to find them. The same voices, the darkness, and the movements continued in a continuous loop.
A shrill ringing stopped it. Emma's bright green eyes snapped open as she was rudely awaken by the cellphone in her jeans pocket that she had forgotten to silence. Rather groggy, she pushed herself up to steal a glance at the alarm clock sitting on her nightstand. She had only been a sleep for a little more than an hour, just a bit over half the time she had allotted herself.
More than vaguely annoyed and still well beyond exhausted, Emma fetched the phone from her pocket, eyes squinting to make out the less than helpful caller id. If this turned out to be another property damage report, especially on her own personal number, there would be hell to pay.
After a heavy sigh, Emma flipped the phone open and brought it to her ear. "Hello?" she answered, doing her best not to sound as thought she had just woken up.
xxxx
"I know you're out there, watching," she stated, her voice rising in an attempt to portray bravery against the attacker. "And you better believe I am more than capable of escaping you again."
The firm taunt, made without the bother of facing the still hidden tracker, was met with the sound of the light wind rustling the dying, crippling leaves of the apple tree. A few managed to snap from the thin twigs that they desperately clung onto before gently tumbling down to the ground. Soon, the ruffling of grass mixed with the breeze and falling leaves. Each step was slow and extremely cautious, as if thoroughly planned out. The hunter was closing in on its prey.
"Dragging a child into the middle of this? That's rather reckless of you," Ruby accused.
Lucy resisted the urge to sigh heavily in relief and kept her shoulders tense, not wanting to reveal that she was even just a bit glad that it had been Ruby's voice. It could have been much worse. It could have been Rumpelstilskin. How would she have been able to escape then? Or those orderlies again.
"I'm not dragging anyone into anything," Lucy denied, turning around to face Ruby who came to a stop a few yards away from the tree. She watched Ruby's jaw clench and lips thinned. There were many things begging to be said by each of them. I cared for you and you betrayed me. I trusted you and this is how you repay me. None of these concerns were voiced, each too proud to admit the same sense of hurt.
Ruby took a step closer, half expecting Lucy to take one back, but she did not appear to be surprised when Lucy remained where she stood. "This isn't the two of us running around and putting pieces together anymore," Ruby pointed out needlessly. "More and more people are remembering, Luce, and they're looking for blood."
Lucy did not exactly do an excellent job at concealing a short, bitter laugh, but Ruby was far better at hiding her growing annoyance. "Wait, let me guess. You're here to give it to them, aren't you, Red?" she asked with a sneer. "Coming after the traitorous late princess, right?"
It would have been easy, Ruby told herself as she slowly approached Lucy who still did not move an inch. Easy and Lucy did not stand a chance of escaping – she was too exposed and injured. That burnt hand hanging in the open within reach, all Ruby had to do was grab it, give it a gentle squeeze. Oh, how fast Lucy would fall, pass out from the intense pain it would cause.
"No," Ruby stated firmly. The corners of her lips twitched, forming into a frown at the thoughts that were crossing her mind. "No," she repeated, more to them than to Lucy herself. "I wouldn't do that to you."
"And why should I trust you now?" Lucy demanded as a growl escaped the back of her throat. "After you chased me down like an animal."
Now the anger was starting to bubble over and make an appearance. So easy, Ruby reminded herself, but no. She was not here for that; she was here to offer help instead. "The dark magic, I thought you cast it – we all did. I thought that this whole time, you were lying and had been using all of us," Ruby explained.
"You're doing very little to convince me to trust you-"
"I know it wasn't you," Ruby spoke up. The interruption and the statement itself made Lucy's eyes narrow. Ruby did not have to hear the obvious question that would soon follow. "When you fell in, I couldn't come in after you. I know, Lucy. I know you wouldn't have held me back."
Lucy slowly shook her head as Ruby spoke. "And what makes you so certain of that, huh? I could have easily-"
"It's your greatest fear," Ruby said firmly. "Back when we first met, I didn't realize it. I just thought you were a funny little wolf, so cautious around water – too frighten to even risk getting a paw wet, but then when you told me who you were, it clicked and things haven't changed. Go on, tell me I'm wrong."
The lack of answer summoned a tiny smirk from Ruby, followed by a small, silent laugh. "Did you think you were the only one able to pick up on little clues, put them together?" she asked. "I'll admit, I'm impressed that you were able to figure it out, about me."
"It wasn't hard," Lucy said. "Once you asked about Peter, I knew. If you could transform in this world, then why couldn't he?"
"It wasn't you, was it?" Ruby pushed forward, obvious to the both of them that Peter was not a subject she was willing to discuss.
Lucy did not say anything at first, she just watched Ruby silently. If she said no, she would not be able to prove that she could, and if she said yes, then she felt as thought she was giving up an advantage. From the corner of her eye, she glanced over her shoulder towards the house. Ruby followed her gaze and spotted what Lucy had as well: the young boy peeking from one of the windows on the second floor. Ruby suddenly understood why Lucy had not moved, even under the impression that she was being hunted. Henry, the kid who only saw things as good or evil, was watching and the two of them were supposedly on the same side.
"Why are you here?" Lucy asked, side stepping the question and looking towards Ruby once more. The answer was evident, wasn't it? Ruby was right. Lucy would not have held her back, not when she sincerely believed she would drown again.
"To give you a warning," Ruby finally revealed, tearing her eyes away from the curious boy's as well. "I'm not after your blood, as you've said, but there are a few dwarves searching for you."
Tensed shoulders fell as Lucy stood a bit straighter, now extremely more attentive. Whatever she imagined as to why Ruby was here, that had not been one of them. More people are remembering. Ruby had not been exaggerating – if she was telling the truth. "How do I know you're not-"
"Lying?" Ruby finished for her, shaking her head in disbelief. "What exactly do I gain by lying about this?" she asked.
"Honestly, I'm not really sure what you gain by telling the truth either," Lucy confessed. "I don't understand why you'd want to help me now. If anything, after what I said to Snow, you should be dragging me back to her, not helping-"
"Two work security in the hospital and they'll remain at their post there," Ruby began to explain. "Three are scouting the surrounding forest and-"
"Is this what she wanted? Snow?" Lucy's voice quivered with a small hint of betrayal. There was still a possibility that none of this was true, Lucy reminded herself, but, at the same time, the possibility of it being true was equally great. Would Snow do this to her? Did she not trust her baby sister?
Not that Lucy gave Snow any reason to trust her. Lucy, against Snow's wishes and her own better judgment, did leave.
Ruby sighed heavily. "It's not like that," she tried to reassure, but before she could even finish her statement, Lucy's gaze had fallen. Lucy was no longer listening; Ruby was not going to bother trying to press the matter even further.
She expected Lucy to turn around and run, as she often now did when faced with an unexpected challenge. Lucy had not always been like this. Ruby knew first hand. Ruby had seen her charge into danger head on, not scramble away with her tail between her legs.
Things were more complicated now. Sometimes, Ruby wished she could just run away too, but now they both knew better. There was no more time to be wasted, no more time for running, and that was why Lucy was still standing in front of her, intently watching the grass and processing everything – more than Ruby was aware of, more than Lucy cared to admit.
When Lucy finally looked up with her eyes blinking furiously, Ruby felt her stomach turn and her heart ache. The shaking voice, Ruby could handle, but Lucy on the brink of tears was another story. Had she ever even seen Lucy cry?
"Why are you telling me all this?" Lucy demanded, her voice scarily hallow. When Ruby failed to answer, Lucy only repeated the inquiry again, voice more forceful, commanding a respond and causing Ruby to recoil slightly.
"What do you think would happen if I didn't?"
"No!" Lucy snapped. As fists formed at her sides, Lucy winced, eyes squeezing shut tightly. Collapsing down to her knees, Ruby moved forward and knelt down, her hands hovering just above Lucy's shaky shoulders, unsure if her touched would be welcomed.
Without raising her head, Lucy managed to say in between gasps, "I'm not playing games anymore." She was trying so hard to hide it, but Ruby was not fooled. Lucy, ashamed of the matter, was in tears. After all the hurdles she had encountered, her tough façade had finally broken.
Against instincts, Ruby did place a gentle hand on Lucy's shoulder, but Lucy still kept herself hidden. "My judgment was clouded and I acted out of anger," Ruby admitted. "I… Lucy, I'm sorry. Please, let me help-"
The sound of the backdoor opening cut Ruby off. Lucy still remained curled up, grasping the wrist of her injured hand tightly. Her breath had become raspy, which Ruby concluded was due to the new wave of pain. Ruby looked up to find Henry standing in the doorway, torn between staying and running over.
"Let me help you," Ruby murmured softly.
xxxx
The fairly large shards of glass, stained red with blood, had collected at the bottom of the sink, dying the small pool of water a deep pink color that the running water from the faucet soon washed away. The smaller shards were a bit more of a nuisance – more bothersome than painful.
Removing the glass from the jewelry, Mr. Gold could already foresee, would be a tiresome task as well, but not one he would be tackling any time soon. No, now there were more important matters with much higher priorities to be dealt with first.
It had been rather amusing observing the change, triggered by Emma Swan's arrival, which had been brought to the small town. People were no longer walking around in a haze; people were beginning to awaken which, in turn, had caused a rather worrisome (thought she would never openly admit it) former queen to his shop. Well, no. Her Majesty was not afraid of a few lowly peasants awakening and truth be told, she presented herself to be more upset than worried and for an entirely different matter at that. Frankly, all of it could have easily been avoided had she been more clear and precise with what she had originally wanted. There was a difference between 'killing Ms. Nolan' and 'have something tragic happen to Ms. Nolan,' and she had specified.
Mr. Gold would admit, not to anyone, that he did enjoy watching her squirm. Was she beginning to realize that perhaps, no, even after all this and the history between them, she did not have power over him? She never did. All she had was the delusion that was now crumbling.
Running his cut up hands under the following water, Mr. Gold hissed at the stinging pain, reminding him of his most current concern. Yes, the curse was breaking, albeit slowly, but that was not anything to be worried about. No, the curse breaking was something Mr. Gold would gladly welcome. It would mean his freedom – everyone's freedom, not that he cared for anyone else in this town – and then his real plan would commence: his long awaited search.
His concern revolved around those two vandals, armed with the proper information that would bring his undoing.
Had it been the only discovery, he could not careless that the late princess had somehow learned the origin of her own demise – a demise that had been necessary, for that matter. Who better to cast the dark curse than the woman who had tricked him out of their struck deal? And what better tragedy could there have been than the loss of a child, one with which he had been familiar?
The princess had even known about their little deal, which was a little less impressive, but still caused him to wonder just exactly from where she had come across all this. Certainly, it was not something Her Majesty would have shared with the child before the time of her death – the princess was much too young and would not have been able to understand. Taking into consideration the manner in which the princess had named her stuffed animals, she hadn't been too terribly bright and, also considering, the manner in which she barged into the shop, she still wasn't (no one attacked the Dark One without any sort of ramification).
Nor could he see Her Majesty explaining their shared history with the princess now, here in Storybrooke, given their shaky relationship. So, had it not been Her Majesty, then who?
Casting his eyes off to the side where a folded piece of paper laid on the counter next to the sink reminded him that it was an unimportant question.
That piece of paper had been the second discovery, one that he had found on the floor in the backroom. The man who had come to the princess' rescue had dropped it and it had been more concerning.
After turning the faucet off, Mr. Gold gently dried his hands and haphazardly applied bandages to the deeper cuts for the time being. Picking up the folded piece of paper, he returned to the shop, to the register where he picked up the phone, which he held to his ear with his shoulder. With one hand, he began to dial an infrequent number as the other unfolded the piece of paper, revealing the drawing once more.
The drawing of the dagger.
He refolded the paper once the number had been dialed, hoping that this phone call would terminate, even if only temporary, the risk of this dangerous information falling into the hands of the queen. He would later take care of a more… permanent solution.
"Ah, yes, Sheriff Swan."
xxxx
Ruby had tried to be as gentle as she possibly could, but knew that even that could not completely prevent the pain. Lucy, who had not spoken a word since entering the house, did he best to not let on that each touch caused her to, at the very least, internally wince.
The hospital was out of the question, even though that was what Lucy needed. If the orderlies did not recognize her, then perhaps the two dwarves on duty watching the security cameras would. The risk was not worth taking, not when Ruby had promised she would not turn Lucy in to anyone. Even with that promise, Lucy still remained silent, distant.
Whether it was out of embarrassment from the slight emotional breakdown, defense against the lack of trust or an attempt to deal with the stinging pain, Ruby was not sure. Whatever the case, Ruby figured Lucy would talk when she felt comfortable, if she wanted to at all.
Instead of pushing the matter, Ruby just continued to carefully pat the burn dry after gently running cool water over it in the sink of the upstairs guest bathroom. She still could not believe that she was in the major's house, nevertheless the Evil Queen's, which turned out to be just as glamorous inside as it appeared to be on the outside, but she could not exactly dwell on that at the moment. Henry had lead the two of them up here and Ruby had convinced him to stand guard at the bottom of the stairs, just in case.
Burn dry, Ruby stood up straight and gazed down at Lucy who was sitting on the edge of the tub, her injured hand laying on the counter top. Lucy's eyes were still transfixed on the small object she had fished out of her pocket. It was a ring of sorts that had been wrapped up in a scarf for good measure, but it was only silver in color, they had discovered. Lucy had placed it on the edge of the counter and had been staring ever since.
Maybe it was a mechanism, a way to keep her mind off the wound. Her gaze was hard, focused, as if she was concentrating. Ruby did not bother her, not even when her breathing became uneven as Ruby started to delicately dress the injury with a sterile cloth. It was not much, but it would at least prevent infection.
"The red cloak that I wore," Ruby spoke up, finally breaking the silence once the cloth was wrapped. Lucy looked up at her, acknowledging her presence in the most minimal way possible. "Before I could control them, it would stop the transformations. Granny got it from a wizard not too long after I was marked."
When Lucy looked back down, Ruby knelt to her eye level. "Once the curse is broken, he'll be able to help you too," she stated. "Once…" her voice trailed off for a moment as she pondered how to piece together the following words. "Once this is all over, you and Snow, you'll be close again."
"Those are some mighty big promises," Lucy murmured, nose wrinkling as she shook her head. Ruby had not even expected a response. She was grateful – conversations were rather difficult when only one party contributed.
"I wasn't lying when I said it wasn't like it sounded – Snow is not going to hold you prisoner," Ruby insisted.
"Something tells me she's not about to welcome me back with open arms either," Lucy remarked, picking up the ring with her good hand. "Seven things if we want to be more accurate," she added rather needlessly.
"You know, out of all of us here, Snow has the most to cope with," Ruby said softly. "Being separated not only from James, but Emma, missing out on her only child's life, you essentially coming back from the grave," she listed off. "Things are not going to work out smoothly. There are going to be bumps on this long road and I know neither are you are going to abandon one another. Neither am I. You're – we're family."
Lucy lowered her head as she placed her injured hand on her lap. With the counter now clear, Ruby stood up and sat down upon it. She did not know what was going through Lucy's mind, or when the last time she could have possibly heard the word or was even included in a 'family,' but what Ruby had said was true. Her two closest friends had been Snow and the Little One and now, she felt as thought she was in the middle of a rivalry that she did not completely comprehend, but there was one thing she did understand: the bond that they shared was not one that should be easily broken.
It was a train of thought Ruby herself had wandered away from only hours ago in the forest near the gorge. Her mindset had been to capture, to drag Lucy back, and force her to see how wrong she had been. How could Lucy defend the Evil Queen, the wicked witch who had tried to harm both her and Granny that morning? The so-called mother who entrapped her own child because they did not see eye-to-eye – did Lucy forget about all that? How could she, especially with that necklace hanging – no, not hanging, infused into her skin?
Then Ruby realized that since waking up from the curse, even though Lucy did not tell her everything (which she never did), she had always been right and her intentions had always been good. She had intended on protecting Emma, on helping Snow, and now there was something else Lucy felt she had to do. Ruby was not sure what, nor certain that Lucy would fill her in on the details – given her record, Lucy probably would not either.
Without a word, Lucy stood up and dismissed herself into the hallway, leaving Ruby to sigh heavily. No, she did not say anything wrong and she would keep her word, she was not going to force her back to the bed and breakfast. It was not in their best interest, but Ruby was going to, at least, follow her out.
When Ruby stepped into the hallway, she had expected to see Lucy already heading down the stairs, relieving Henry of his very important guard duty. Instead, Ruby found Lucy standing in the doorway, peeking into the boy's empty bedroom. Something had caught her eye.
"Luce?" Ruby asked, following her in when she walked inside. From behind, Ruby heard Henry shuffling up the stairs.
Lucy walked around the small twin bed, making her way to the bookshelf. Ruby's eyebrows furrowed and she stepped to the side, allowing Henry to squeeze by her. The both of them watched Lucy reached up and grabbed a hold of a rather old, beaten up looking bear. Judging by its sown up tummy, it had really gone through the ringer back in the day.
"That's my teddy bear," Henry said, a little confused as Lucy held the stuffed animal close to her chest.
"Cute," Lucy murmured, placing it back on the shelf against her wishes. She wanted to keep holding on to it, to her Mr. Bear. That stuffed toy had meant the world to her.
"Uhh… are we still going to look into those Rumpelstilskin stories tomorrow morning?" Henry asked with a small frown.
"Rumpelstilskin?" Ruby repeated, glancing from Henry to Lucy who had finally turned away from the bear.
xxxx
An urgent matter, he said. Her services were needed right away, but he would not say why, not over the phone.
Emma dragged herself out of bed, blinking rapidly in an attempt to get rid of the sleep that still lingered, and tucked her phone back into her pocket. She quietly took the stairs down, but upon reaching the bottom and with a quick glance over her shoulder, she realized it had been in vain. Mary Margaret's room was still empty. She had not come back yet.
The avoidance had lead Emma to believe that her roommate was upset with her, with her continuous empty promises – but Emma did deliver! Granted, it was extremely last minute and it had been entirely dumb luck, but, nevertheless, Emma had been good on her word, right?
Honestly, if Emma were in Mary Margaret's shoes, she'd want a little space to cool down (was Mary Margaret even capable of being anything but pleasant anyway?) for a little while. If it were just Emma, she would have hightailed it out of here so fast.
Emma was good at running.
But the least Mary Margaret could have done was send a short worded text. 'I'm out.' 'I'm fine.' 'Seriously, Emma?' Anything.
Grabbing her black leather jacket that she had thrown over one of the kitchen chairs, Emma slipped it on and fetched her keys from the table before heading to the front door. The sooner she responded to Mr. Gold's car, the sooner she could get back to that nap of hers – probably in the patrol car at this point.
Just as Emma reached the front door, someone from behind it knocked, sending her on edge and suddenly making her incredibly nervous. What if it was Mary Margaret? Did she have her key? Well, if she was knocking, then no, obviously. And why was she nervous? There was no reason – oh, just open the door already.
"August," she sighed, shoulders falling in relief. "What are you doing here?" she asked, stepping outside and locking the door behind her.
"We have to talk," he insisted.
"Can it wait?" Emma headed down the stairs, August on her heels. "I have an urgent call-"
"You can't even give me two minutes?"
Eyebrows narrowing, Emma shook her head as they both proceeded out of the building. "Shouldn't a writer know the definition of 'urgent?' Emma remarked.
"And what if what I have to say is urgent?" August shot back, following Emma around the patrol car parked on the curb.
"Well, is it?" Emma questioned, pulling the driver's door open.
"Yes-!"
The rest of his statement was lost to what sounded like a building exploded and Mr. Gold's call had suddenly lost its sense of urgency. Quickly, both Emma and August turned in time to see the clock tower of the boarded up local library rip away and tumble from the rest of the building and into the street below. Car alarms were suddenly going off and people from the surrounding local businesses were pouring onto the sidewalks, all wondering what had just happened. The buzzing mumbling between citizens quickly escalading to panic screams as flames erupted from the spot the clock tower once stood, torching the beams of wood that still remained.
The stream of fire shooting into the air quickly disappeared and what emerged sent the people into a frenzy. Eyes widening, Emma felt her heart leap up into her throat.
Was that a… dragon?
To be continued