Just thought I'd let you guys know that I am posting links to these on my tumblr, doorinthegrove (link on my page), and you're all free to reblog if you want to help spread notion of it to more people so more can read it ;)
In a corner close to the end of the town's main street lay a wooden, two-story house painted in a matte turquoise colour. Above the door to the house hung a sign; Mr Gold, Pawnbroker & Antiquities Dealer. A bell chimed as they entered and, almost immediately, a short, brown-haired woman appeared from a room in the back. She stopped at once when she saw them.
"Emma", she said, acknowledging the presence of the Sheriff, "have you found something?"
It occurred to Toby that, unlike most of the other fairytale characters they had met so far, this woman spoke in a distinctly Australian accent.
"Belle, can we talk, in the back?" Emma asked. The brown-haired woman nodded and walked back in behind the counter, leading the way to what seemed to be a storage room, filled with items from far and wide, along with a ton of books.
"Did you find her?" Belle asked, sitting down on a chair next to a desk.
"We found where she might be hiding, yes", Emma answered, "but that's not all. In a storm cellar next to her house we... we found a cage."
Belle frowned.
"A cage? For what?"
Emma looked at David who, in turn, pulled out what looked like a straw but shone like pure gold. He handed it to Belle, who stared at it in utter surprise.
"Rumple", she whispered. "He's alive? How is that even possible?"
"We were hoping you might be able to tell us that", Emma answered. Belle looked up at her.
"You know him and this shop better than anyone", Emma clarified. "If he's in Storybrooke there has to be a clue somewhere as to how he got back or how we can find him now that he is."
Belle nodded.
"Yeah, I'll... I'll start looking right away."
"We can help you", Arianne suggested. "I'm Arianne and this is Maryse, by the way."
"Thank you", Belle said with a smile.
"Keep your eyes out for him too", David suggested. "If he comes into town..."
"He'll come to me", Belle filled in. "I know."
Toby hesitated, wondering if he should stay as well. It certainly seemed like the better idea to help run some research in a shop than run out in search for the Wicked Witch.
"I will stay here with you", Hook suddenly said, sounding less than excited about it. Belle turned towards him with a surprised stare.
"I'm surprisingly good at research", the pirate continued.
"You will stay with me?" Belle questioned. Hook gave her a smile, which looked extremely goofy considering he, at the same time, raised his eyebrows.
"He'll protect you if the Witch comes", Emma said.
"Do you know he tried to kill me?" Belle asked, turning towards the Sheriff again.
"Well, there were extenuating circumstances", Hook argued. Belle rolled her eyes before turning back towards him with a knowing smile.
"Twice", she pointed out. Hook paused before trying his best puppy-face.
"Sorry?"
"You really know how to charm a girl, don't you?" Indira said. Hook gave up on his facial expression and leaned back again.
"Alright, then this will be my way of making it up to you", he said, giving Belle another goofy smile. The brown-haired woman did not look at all amused.
"Fine", she still agreed after considering the offer.
"Alright, well, we should head out into the woods", Emma said, moving to rise from her chair. Mary Margaret did the same, but David reached out and placed a hand on her shoulder.
"Maybe you should stay home", he suggested. The pregnant woman frowned at him.
"Me?" she asked. "But I'm the best tracker here!"
"I know, but we'll manage", David responded. "Remember what Zelena said; you need your rest."
"I can stay here with you", Toby found himself saying. "Or I can help you get home and then get back here and help with research."
"Well, look who's volunteering", Maryse said with a smile.
"Thank you", Mary Margaret still said. Emma smiled slightly as well before she cleared her throat and walked up to Belle.
"Belle", she said, "thank you for your help. Don't worry; we're going to find him."
"Okay", Belle said with a smile. "Thank you."
With that Emma, David and Indira disappeared out from the room. The door to the shop opened, causing the bell to chime as they walked out again.
"Well, we should get going, then", Mary Margaret said, rising from the chair. Toby nodded, still not sure why he had offered to take her home. She was Snow White; even in her state she would be perfectly capable to get from this place to her apartment without him walking with her. And what could he do if they were attacked?
He remained silent during their walk to the small apartment complex Mary Margaret and David lived in.
"Well, looks like we made it in one piece", Mary Margaret said as they walked inside the apartment. "Do you want something to drink?"
"No, I should probably head back to the store and help with the research", Toby answered. Mary Margaret suddenly grabbed his arm.
"Please, stay. At least until Zelena gets here."
"Who's Zelena?" he asked.
"Our midwife", Mary Margaret answered. "I have to call her and ask her to come here; I'm starting to freak out."
"About what?"
She moved to pick up the phone from the table and dialled a number.
"I haven't felt the baby move in a while", she answered. "That shouldn't happen, should it?"
"I... I don't know."
He watched as she waited for whoever she was calling to pick up the phone and then listened as she begged that person to come over. All the while an unpleasant feeling started to make itself known inside him; something was wrong and he should know what, but somehow he did not.
"Okay, she's on her way", Mary Margaret said as she hung up. "Thank you... I'm sorry, I do not know your name."
"Toby", he responded. "I haven't really been out adventuring as much as the others; it's not my thing."
"Well, you were certainly gallant to offer to help me get home", Mary Margaret said with a smile. "Are you sure you do not want anything to drink?"
"No, I'll be fine", Toby responded. "I'm still trying to process what is going on in this town."
Mary Margaret studied him for a while before she smiled again.
"I may have just the thing."
She walked in behind the stairs and opened the wardrobe, rummaging through it for a while before pulling out a large, leather-bound book. On the front cover, written in stylised letters, were the words Once Upon a Time.
"These are our stories", she explained as she placed it on the table. "At least up until the first curse was cast. It was what Henry used to understand what was going on in this place and help bring Emma back here."
Curiously he opened the book, finding page after page of colourful images and long, intertwined stories so unlike the ones they had grown up hearing.
"I guess when we were sent back here it came back to me, since Henry was no longer aware of all of this", Mary Margaret continued, looking sad.
"It might clear a few things up", Toby said. "Thank you."
He had hardly finished the sentence when there was a knock on the door. Mary Margaret immediately walked over and opened it, letting in a woman with long, curly, ginger hair, red lips and sea-green eyes. She was wearing a black hat and a matching, black poncho while carrying a paper-bag filled with groceries.
"Wow, you got here fast", Mary Margaret remarked.
"Well, I could hear a little panic in your voice", the woman responded, her accent British, as she walked over to the counter, "but I am here to tell you that there is no need to be anxious when you haven't felt your baby move for a while. It doesn't mean a thing."
Her gaze stuck on Toby and her head tilted slightly to the left as she regarded him.
"And who might this be?"
"Oh, this is Toby", Mary Margaret said with a smile. "He accompanied me back home. Toby, this is Zelena, the midwife."
"A pleasure to meet you", Zelena said and walked over to him, extending her hand. He gave it a quick shake.
"Pleasure's all mine", he said, causing her to smile widely at him. The unpleasant feeling in his stomach made itself known again as he looked at her and if he did not know better he would say he did not trust this woman. But that could not be right, could it? If David and Mary Margaret, the counterparts of Prince Charming and Snow White, trusted her then certainly he should be able to trust her as well, right?
"Well, I brought just the thing for you, Mary Margaret", Zelena said and walked back to her grocery back, pulling out a bottle of orange juice. The pregnant woman looked at it in surprise.
"Orange juice?"
Zelena smiled and pulled out a glass from the cupboard.
"Trust me", she said. "You see, babies move less right before you go into labour, so it's possible you're closer to delivering than we think."
She held out the glass, now filled with orange juice, to Mary Margaret, who accepted it as she sat down next to the kitchen island.
"Maybe I'm just anxious because of everything that's going on", she said, "with preparing for the baby, I mean."
"And the Wicked Witch", Zelena filled in. Toby raised his gaze from the book he had once again been reading. From what he knew the fact that the one they were chasing was the Wicked Witch of the West was still a secret for the majority of the town's population, just because of that no one knew who she was. Then how come Zelena knew about it?
"Everyone in town's talking about it", the ginger-haired woman now said. "Information like that spreads fast. Have you found out anything more about her?"
"No", Mary Margaret answered, "and I'm cooped up here while everyone else is working hard to find her."
Toby closed the book and picked it up from the table.
"I'm going to head back out", he said. "Now that your midwife is here I'm sure everything will work out."
"Yes, thank you so much for coming with me", Mary Margaret said with a smile and moved to get up.
"No, no, sit down. You're pregnant and you need to take it easy."
"Well, what a young gentleman you are", Zelena said with a smile. He looked up at her, feeling the unpleasant feeling spread in his stomach again.
"Take care of her", he said, staring into her sea-green eyes. He did not mean it as a threat but somehow it sounded like it, as if he was going to come back and tear her apart if she did not make sure Mary Margaret was alright. How he was going to do that was something he had no clue about.
"Thank you again for the book", he said to the seated pregnant woman. "Hopefully it will bring some order to the chaos in my head."
"Good luck", Mary Margaret told him as he turned and walked out through the door, hurrying down the steps and back out onto the street. Not until then did he feel like he could breathe normally again. Whoever that Zelena, however they might have possibly met back in the Enchanted Forest, he did not like the feeling of having her around.
"I need my wand back", he muttered as he made his way down the street back to the pawn shop.
I would want the same thing, Toby. I would want the same.
More chapters coming tomorrow!