Thank you for your patience with me! Have more time to write now and get caught up with this and my other fics!
Next chapter will probably be a significant amount of flashbacks - they will be needed to move this story forward. Hope you like the twist in this one! :)
Thank you for those who leave feedback, I can't tell you how much I appreciate it, please keep it coming!
I do not own 'Once Upon a Time.'
Chapter 15
Twenty two years ago . . . . . . .
Mrs. Potts entered Gold's hospital room carrying a stack of magazines. "Hello, dear. How are you feeling?" she asked as she sat the magazines down on his nightstand, then sat down in the chair next to his bed.
"Alright. Considering." Gold said. "They said I um – I'll need one more surgery. They don't think I'll be able to walk any longer without a cane."
"Well then I suppose you won't be going on assignment any time soon, will you?" Mrs. Potts asked.
"Don't need my leg to do surveillance." Gold said.
"No, you don't." Mrs. Potts said, and she took his hand. "Ian – I got ahold of the forensics report before it went out to the main office. That man, he – he wasn't shot at close range. That was a distance shot. There is no way that you and he struggled on the ground, Ian. There's no way that he shot you in the leg and in the ankle, and then you fired into his skull at close range. Now would you like to tell me what really happened so that I can make sure no one finds out?" Gold looked down sadly.
"I couldn't do it anymore, Gwen. It was the only way I could get out." Gold said, his voice trembling. "They wouldn't listen to me. They said I was too valuable in the field. I just wanted to be with my son." Gold began to sob. Mrs. Potts pulled him into a hug.
"Oh, Ian. Oh, my dear boy. It's alright. No one will know – no one will find out, I promise." she said.
Belle entered the kitchen carrying the mug that Mrs. Potts had brought up earlier for Gold. Mrs. Potts was tidying up the kitchen, and she looked up at Belle. "How is he, then?" Mrs. Potts asked.
"He just fell asleep. That tea relaxed him quite a bit." Belle said.
"Herbal tea with chamomile and valerian. It's always helped him, he – he has some pretty bad bouts with insomnia at times." Mrs. Potts said.
"Are you staying here tonight?" Belle asked.
"Well, it is getting late and I'm a bit jet lagged so – if you don't mind, I'll stay downstairs – that is – I presume that you'll be spending the night with Ian." Mrs. Potts said. Belle blushed a bit. "Oh, it's fine dear – Emma filled me in."
"I didn't plan for this to happen, you know." Belle said. "I'm still not sure why it did."
"We can't help who we fall in love with. Love finds us, not the other way around." Mrs. Potts said. "Ian is a good man – I've been trying for years to help him, but – I was starting to think he was going to be cursed to spending the rest of his life in this house. You must be someone very special – he's not an easy man to love."
"He told me about his leg. What he did." Belle said. "He thinks it makes him a coward."
"Let me tell you something. Ian is anything but a coward. He did what he did for his son. Oh, if you could only have seen him with that boy. Such a good papa he was. That child was his whole world. He would have done anything for that boy." Mrs. Potts said.
"What about the boy's mother? Ian's wife. He doesn't speak very kindly of her." Belle said.
"Well, the less said about that woman the better as far as I'm concerned. Didn't like her from the day I met her. Bossy, snobbish, and when it came to their son – I've had house cats with a better maternal instinct." Mrs. Potts said. "The feeling was mutual – she never much cared for me, either."
"Well, I – I know how important you are to Ian. I hope we can be friends." Belle said.
"I don't see a problem with that at all." Mrs. Potts said. "The way you talked Ian down today – in twenty years, no one has ever been able to do that. Not even me." Emma entered the room.
"Well, Hopper's fine. A few bruises and a little shaken up but given that he knows Gold's history he said he's not going to press charges or anything. We're getting him set up in a protection situation right now." Emma said.
"Any good reason he gave for turning on Ian?" Mrs. Potts asked.
"Apparently his father has been ill, and he's been struggling with keeping up with the medical bills. My guess is Regina had her eye on him for quite some time, cause he was clean when I found him and hooked him up with Gold. She used his dad to get to him. Threatened to kill him and his father if he didn't cooperate." Emma said.
"Why didn't he tell Ian?" Belle asked.
"He was probably desperate. People do rash things when they're desperate sometimes." Emma said. "Anyway – Gold paid off the guards on duty tonight to get Hopper in here, so – you might want to have a little chat with them. And him." Emma said, then she turned and looked at Belle. "You should probably get some sleep – our plane leaves at one in the afternoon."
"I'm not going anywhere." Belle said.
"We're leaving for England tomorrow." Emma told her. "It's a done deal."
"I'm not leaving Ian. He needs me right now." Belle said.
"He'll be fine." Emma said.
"No." Belle replied. "The witness protection program – it's voluntary, isn't it?" Belle asked.
"Well, technically yeah but -" Emma began.
"Well, then I'm un-volunteering." Belle said. "I'm staying here."
"Staying here was part of the arrangement to protect you. If you leave the program, you don't get to stay here." Emma said.
"This is Ian's house, isn't it? I believe he decides who stays and who doesn't." Belle replied.
"Emma – I think that Belle may be right. I don't think it's a good idea for her to leave." Mrs. Potts said.
"The agency can't protect her here forever, they need her somewhere more secure." Emma said.
"I can pull a few strings. At least for – I don't know, maybe a month or so." Mrs. Potts said. "I'll stay here too. I think she's good for him." Mrs. Potts smiled at Belle. "If you don't mind staying put in the house, dear – I think we can manage keeping you here."
"I think I'll be fine. It's not forever, right?" Belle said. "I've already started talking to Ian about – getting on with his life, and he's been receptive to it. He wants to try. He's broken his routine a few times, with his meals and what he wears."
"Well, that's wonderful – that's more than I've been able to get him to do, and heaven knows I've tried." Mrs. Potts said. "You should probably get off to bed, it's getting a bit late." Mrs. Potts said to Belle. "Let him sleep however late he likes tomorrow – he needs the rest."
"I will." Belle said. "I'll see you tomorrow then."
"Goodnight, dear." Mrs. Potts said, and Belle left the room. Emma glared at Mrs. Potts.
"Do you really think that Regina Mills and whoever is pulling her strings is going sit back and not act when they know damn well that she's here?" Emma asked angrily.
"Oh, not at all. I fully expect them to do something. Sometimes, dear – in order to catch a rat – you need bait." Mrs. Potts said.
"You are NOT seriously using Belle as bait. You want to see Gold have a fit, you tell him that, tonight's little display will be nothing in comparison." Emma said.
"Not using her, dear, just – changing the game plan. And I have no intention of that girl being harmed. Ian obviously cares for her a great deal and he would be devastated and I wouldn't do a thing to hurt him, you know that. But by keeping Belle here – it'll throw them off. They're expecting for us to move her. They're planning for it. They won't know what to do when we don't." Mrs. Potts said. "Don't forget, dear – I've been doing this far longer than you have. Everything will be fine."
"They have my son." Emma said. "You don't know what it's like. I took this job to give Henry a good life. I did everything I could to keep him out of danger. All I care about is Henry. They have him – and I want him back. You don't know what it's like to be separated from your son. I've missed a year of his life already. I'll be damned if I'm missing any more." Emma said.
"I understand, Emma. I understand more than you realize." Mrs. Potts said. "I promise you – you will never miss another birthday with your boy. I give you my word."
Gold awoke the next morning, and he rolled over and looked over at his clock – it was a little after eleven in the morning. He sat up quickly and gasped. "No. Belle, no." he said to himself. He began to tremble a bit, and was stunned when Belle entered the room.
"Hey – good morning." Belle said, going to his side and sitting down next to him. "You feel better today?" she asked as she touched his cheek gently.
"You're still here. You were supposed to leave." Gold said.
"Well, I'm staying. At least for a bit longer." Belle said.
"No. No, it's too dangerous Belle, you have to go." Gold said.
"Mrs. Potts said she can pull some strings – she said I'll be fine." Belle said. "I don't want to leave you, Ian. Not now."
"I'm sorry, Belle. I'm sorry about last night." Gold said. "I just – I was angry, because I didn't want you to go."
"He's going to be alright, Hopper." Belle said. "And I'm not going anywhere." Belle pulled him into a hug.
"I thought I heard voices." Mrs. Potts said, peeking into the room. "Good morning, dear."
"Good morning." Gold said.
"How about I get you something to eat? Breakfast or lunch?" Belle asked.
"How about you surprise me." Gold said. Belle smiled at him.
"Okay. Be right back." Belle said. She smiled happily at Mrs. Potts as she left. Mrs. Potts walked over to Gold's side and sat down next to him.
"She's a lovely girl." Mrs. Potts said.
"Yes." Gold replied.
"Far too good for the likes of you." Mrs. Potts teased.
"I know that." Gold said, and he looked up at her.
"I remember that look." Mrs. Potts said.
"What look?" Gold asked.
"Love. You used to look at Bae just the same way." Mrs. Potts said.
"I don't know what you're planning but – please make sure that she doesn't get hurt." Gold said to her.
"You know I won't let that happen, dear. I'll fill you in on everything later. I um – I found some information while I was back in England." Mrs. Potts said. "I think I have a good lead on where the boy is."
"You were supposed to be retired, not working." Gold said.
"I'll retire when I'm dead." Mrs. Potts said. "What, you think I came back here just to look after you? I've done enough of that, and that pretty young girl seems to be doing a better job of it than I ever did. She's nothing like Milah, thank god, I'd probably have to kill her if she were." Gold laughed a bit.
"Do you think I can do it, Gwen? Be a normal man again?" Gold asked.
"Well, I don't see why not. Love – is very powerful magic, my boy. The most powerful magic that there is. If you love that girl, and you truly want truly want to leave this cursed life for her – then it'll happen." Gwen said.
"Leaving here means letting him go, doesn't it?" Gold asked. "I don't want to let him go. How can I, after what I did?"
"Ian, did you ever think that – maybe he wants you to let him go? Maybe that's why the girl is here – he wants you to love again. He wants you to move on with your life." Mrs. Potts said. "Something I've tried to tell you for the last two decades, but – I don't think I'm the one you needed to hear it from. It needed to come from within you. Now come on – go get yourself a shower before she comes back up here, make yourself look nice for her."
"She's already seen me at my worst. If that hasn't scared her off, I don't think anything will." Gold said.
"Well, you don't want to take that chance, do you?" Mrs. Potts asked. "Go on – off with you." Gold smiled at her, stood up, and walked toward the bathroom. Mrs. Potts moved toward the hallway just as Belle came up the stairs. "He's in the shower, dear. He'll be right out."
"I made him a hamburger – I'll take it in the study, he'll probably prefer to eat in there." Belle said.
"You got him to eat hamburgers then?" Mrs. Potts asked, following Belle into the study.
"Yes, he likes them." Belle said.
"I know he does – used to take his boy out for them all the time." Mrs. Potts said. She walked over to Gold's spinning wheel and stood next to it.
"I didn't know that." Belle said, watching her. "He's really good at that, you know. Spinning."
"I know." Mrs. Potts said.
"He made all the rugs in the house." Belle said. "He told me that his mum started teaching him when he was a boy, and he kept at it."
"He's always been very talented at many things." Mrs. Potts said.
"Oh, I forgot ketchup! He likes ketchup on his hamburger – I'll be right back." Belle said, and she darted out of the room. Mrs. Potts put her hand on the spinning wheel and moved it back and forth. She sighed as a single tear fell down her cheek.