Not My Homeland Anymore

Chapter 7: The More That You Say, the Less I Know

The next Friday morning, Ruby was humming as she punched in an order when she remembered something important.

Shoot! Ashley's here!

She'd sent Emma back to the laundry room after the older woman had spilled her hot chocolate, but she'd forgotten that Ashley would be back there.

Her former classmate was sensitive even at the best of times, which this was not. The baby was due any day now, and Ashley was feeling pretty despondent. Ruby didn't trust Emma not say something upsetting- even unintentionally- that would hurt her friend.

Quickly, she ran back to the laundry room, then paused at the doorway, listening carefully.

" I know what it's like," Emma was saying. "Everyone loves to tell you what you can and can't do, especially with a kid, but ultimately whatever you're considering doing- or giving up- the choice is yours."

Oh. Ruby hadn't thought about the fact that Emma must have once been in a similar situation. Logically, she knew that Emma had given birth to Henry and given him up for adoption, of course, but she hadn't really considered what that meant.

"It's not exactly what you might think it is," said Ashley, and Ruby bit back a scoff. That's an understatement.

"It never is. People are going to tell you who you are your whole life," Emma said, and Ruby found herself nodding. "You just gotta punch back and say, 'No, this is who I am.' You want people to look at you differently? Make them. You want to change things, you are going to have to go out there and change them yourself because there are no fairy godmothers in this world."

Ruby couldn't have said it better herself. Quietly, she headed back to the counter, knowing that there was nothing more to worry about here.

I really did misunderstand her, huh?

When Henry opened the door of Mary Margaret's apartment at eleven o'clock on Saturday morning, Emma bit back a groan.

"Aren't you supposed to be at the library, Henry?" Emma asked once Gold had left. (Not that she wanted to encourage the kid to spend time around that librarian, per se…)

"I don't have to be there for another hour," the young boy explained. "I thought we could hang out, maybe start a new story? Where's your stuff, anyway? I thought you said you were having it sent this weekend."

"Oh, I've got to go back to Boston next week to get some stuff done, so I figured it would be easier to pick everything up myself," she explained. "And I wish I could read with you, but there's something I've got to do."

Henry insisted on following her to the diner, of course, and Emma found herself explaining some of the situation. (He was a pretty bright kid, and he seemed to understand what was going on, though not why it might not be safe for him to come along.)

Once they reached Granny's, she started questioning Ruby, but the young waitress kept shooting Henry uncomfortable side glances. Clearly, Emma wasn't going to get very far on her search as long as he stuck around, but she didn't just want to hurt him, either.

And that was when her unlikely savior arrived.

"Henry!" Neal Cassidy exclaimed as he walked out of the diner. "Good to see you- thanks for coming to meet me!"

"Huh?" The boy was clearly confused.

"I was just finishing up my lunch and heading back to the library," the librarian explained. "Ruby walks back with me sometimes, but she's clearly busy right now." He gestured to her and Ruby. "I know your shift doesn't start for another…" he glanced up at the clock, "eleven minutes, but you don't mind starting a few minutes early, do you?"

"I guess…" Henry said. Emma watched, amused, as he trailed after Neal, following him away.

Turning back to Ruby, she noticed that the waitress was also watching Neal and Henry. There was a fond look on the young woman's face.

"We all went to school together, you know," explained Ruby.

"Who?" Emma asked.

"Me and Neal and Ashley and Sean," said the younger woman. "Neal was a year above us, but we all hung out a lot, at least until Ashley and Sean started dating."

"Really?" Mary Margaret had told her that Neal had grown up here. Now Ruby was saying the same thing, but that just didn't make sense. And yet, neither woman was lying. "I don't suppose you've got pictures?"

"I think I have a few of my old high school yearbooks lying around if you wanted to see them," Ruby said.

She really shouldn't. There was a young woman in trouble, and Emma had promised Gold that she'd find her.

But surely looking through a couple of yearbooks wouldn't take that long?

The phone rang just as Neal and Henry finished setting up a new display. (Henry's idea- he collected various fairy tale books from the children's and classics sections and suggested that they showcase them near the front.)

Normally. Neal didn't take calls during work hours, but when he pulled out his cell phone, he saw Ruby's name on the caller ID. His best friend was a known troublemaker, but she wouldn't call during his shift unless it was an emergency, so he stepped off to the side and picked up the call.

"Hi, Ru-"

"Neal, I need your help," interrupted the voice on the other end of the line. "I've got Emma distracted, but I don't know how long some old yearbooks can keep her occupied, and I was going to let Ashley take my car, but she's scared to come as long as Emma's here, and I just called her and she doesn't sound good and I think she might be in labor and-"

"Slow down, Ruby," Neal said, trying to follow what his best friend was saying. "Did you say Ashley's in labor?"

Henry perked up at that. Neal watched him flip his book open to an illustration he'd clearly had marked and hold it up so that Neal could see it.

The image was of a blond woman in a blue dress. The kid was mouthing something, but Neal couldn't tell what, and he was busy trying to understand Ruby, so he waved Henry off and walked into the back room.

"One more time, Rubes?"

He listened carefully as Ruby explained the situation. He'd known about Ashley's deal with Mr. Gold- he'd begged her not to make an agreement with the pawnbroker, but she'd been desperate, and Sean's dad (who, up until that point, Neal had always had a lot of respect for) had pushed her into it.

Ashley was Neal's friend, but he'd be the first to admit that she'd never been the most strong-willed of individuals. Or, at least, she never had been before. According to what Ruby was telling him, that had apparently changed.

"Okay, listen to me, Ruby," Neal said, sighing. He couldn't believe what he was about to say. "You have to tell Emma the truth."

Ruby froze, not sure that she was comprehending what she was hearing. She'd always known the man was as honest as the day was long, but this was going a bridge too far.

"Wait, what?" She glanced around the door to her bedroom, where Emma Swan was still sitting on the floor, flipping through page after page of her old yearbooks. (Ruby only had her junior and senior ones- she wasn't sure what had happened to the ones from her years as an underclassman.)

"I know you don't like her that much, and neither do I," Neal was saying. "But I don't think she's a bad person, Ruby."

"Maybe so," Ruby conceded reluctantly, remembering the conversation she'd overheard the previous morning. "But so what?"

"She's not going to force Ashley to give up her baby if Ashley really wants to keep it," said Neal, as kindhearted yet sensible as he always was. "And if you tell her the truth, you have a chance to explain your side of things, rather than have her assume when she finds out on her own, because you know she will."

Why did he always have to be so reasonable?

"But what if-"

"Look, Ruby," Neal said, and she could almost hear the gears turning in that head of his. (Neal had always been the smart one in their friend group. She and Ashley had gotten into all the trouble, but Neal was usually the one who'd found a way to get them out of whatever mess the two of them had made.) "I'm going to try to do what I can on my end. But I need you to do your part, too. I'll talk to you later, alright?"

"Al-" Ruby heard the click on the other end that told her that Neal had hung up before she'd had a chance to say good-bye. Now, that really wasn't like her overly-polite best friend, who'd probably never hung up on anyone in his life.

Shrugging her shoulders, she braced herself and walked back into the room.

"There you are," Emma said, standing up. "Look, these yearbooks are interesting and all, but I really do need to find Ashley. Are you sure you don't have any idea where she might be?"

Ruby closed her eyes and prayed she wasn't making a mistake.

"I haven't been totally honest with you," she admitted. "I do know where she is. And she needs your help."

"Were you talking about Ashley?" Henry asked as soon as Neal returned to the main room.

Neal's eyes scanned the room, not really listening. He didn't see any patrons- unusual for a Saturday afternoon, but he wasn't complaining. Walking over to the front door, he was about to flip the sign to 'Closed' when he paused. He'd never closed the library in the middle of the day for anything but his lunch break, but this was an emergency. And yet-

"She's really Cinderella, you know," Henry was saying.

"Henry, I don't have t-" Neal stopped, mid-sentence. He didn't believe in this 'curse' business, of course, but he had a few of his own theories about that book. Enough to be at least somewhat curious about where Henry might be going with this. "Ashley, you mean?"

"Yeah," the kid said, beaming excitedly and pointing at the page he'd been trying to show him before, of the woman in the blue dress. "She made a deal to go to the ball, but she didn't realize until later that it meant she'd have to give up her baby."

Neal felt a sudden sinking feeling in his stomach.

"And who did she make that deal with, her fairy godmother?"

"No, not exactly," said Henry. "It was with Rumplestiltskin."

After reading through Cinderella's story and asking the kid a few questions, Neal put Henry in charge of manning the front desk and headed back to the back. Which maybe wasn't the best move, but the boy knew how to navigate the stacks and check and return books, which was all he'd really need to do, and Neal had some calls to make.

Now, who do I call first?

He hadn't really wanted to talk to either of them again, but if he had to, he'd at least rather start with the one he'd used to get along with.

Flipping his phone back open, he scrolled through his directory until he got to a number he hadn't called in… he didn't even know how long. (At least since this mess started, so probably seven or eight months, minimum.)

The phone rang for ten, fifteen seconds, and he worried that it might end up going to voicemail. And then he heard a click as the person on the other end finally picked up.

"Neal?" The voice he heard sounded confused, which wasn't exactly surprising. Neal knew the guy wasn't expecting to hear from him, but that was just too bad, because he had some things to the other man needed to hear.

"I need you to listen to me, Sean." Neal began.

The man known only as 'Mr. Gold' (in this world, at least), watched as various expressions flickered across Miss Swan's face.

The Savior (not that she knew it yet) was clearly considering the deal he'd offered. She opened her mouth, and he knew it was to agree. Of course it was.

But before she could say a word, a ringing sound cut through the waiting room. The young woman blinked, clearly startled.

"I should take this, excuse me for a moment," she said, pulling out a cell phone. He could see a confused look cross her face as she saw the number. Either she didn't recognize the caller, or she did and was confused as to why she was being called. She answered the phone and walked to the side of the room- but not far enough that he couldn't hear her.

"Who is this?" Emma Swan asked. The first option, then.

Gold couldn't hear what the person on the other end of the line said, but whatever the response, it clearly didn't please Miss Swan.

"How did you get this number? And why are you calling me?" As she listened, her angry expression dimmed, though not by much. "And I should listen to you why?"

And now Gold really wished he could hear the other end of the line. Alas, such a thing was currently beyond his power, so his only recourse was to continue to watch and listen.

"Look, n-" The woman paused, and he could see her carefully contemplating whatever the individual on the other end of the line was saying. "I'm not doing that! There's a child at stake here. And I know that doesn't mean much to you, but-"

"Ashley's my friend, too!" The yell of the voice on the other end of the line was so loud that Gold could hear it from the other side of the room. A male voice, but not one he recognized.

Curious. Not that he knew everyone in town, of course, but he would have thought he at least knew anyone significantly invested in Miss Boyd's future as much as this man clearly was.

"I get that, but-" Miss Swan had clearly been interrupted again, but the man on the other end of the line had apparently decided that he was done yelling, which meant that Gold was still in the dark about who might be talking to her.

Which was a problem. He thought he had enough of an understanding of who all the major players in this game were. (He didn't fully know how much young Henry Mills knew or suspected, but he'd seen the boy reading through a fairy tale book with his birth mother, and he had his suspicions about what that meant.) And yet there was clearly someone else he hadn't even thought to take into consideration here. What had he missed, exactly?

"Mr. Gold is going to want to make a deal," Neal explained. "He likes those deals of his, and he can't resist, even if it means risking what he's already gained."

"How did you-"

"He's already tried, hasn't he?" Neal asked. "Of course he has, clever old coot. What does he want?"

"I don't know, a favor or something?"

"And he didn't say what kind?" Neal pinched the bridge of his nose, sighing. "I'd think someone like you would know better than to make an open-ended agreement like that."

"What's that supposed to mean? And who do you think you are?"

"It means you've got enough street smarts to know better than to offer someone like Mr. Gold anything he wants," said Neal, opting to ignore her second question. "You have no idea what he might ask for- what if he decides he wants your next kid?"

"Fat chance of that ever happening again," Emma snapped. "And who do you think this guy is, Rumplestiltskin or something?"

"Something like that," Neal muttered under his breath. "Look, if you're going to make a deal with him, make sure you know what he's getting out of it."

At least then she'd have a better chance than his dad had.

"And if he calls the whole thing off?"

"Then I'll take responsibility and deal with him," said Neal, praying he wasn't making a mistake. He really did try to stay away from the pawnbroker as much as possible (he refused to repeat his father's mistakes), but Neal wasn't such a coward that he couldn't confront Mr. Gold to help Ashley and her baby.

But hopefully it wouldn't come to that.

"Alright, Gold," Emma said as she finished up the call and hung up. "I'll make a deal with you."

"Wonderful!" The pawnbroker smiled widely. "Then-"

"But only if you tell me what it is you want from me," she interrupted.

He blinked.

"I'm afraid I don't-"

"Cut the act," she said, hoping she was doing the right thing. "You're not walking away from a $40,000 deal because I asked nicely. You're doing it because there's something else you want. Something you want from me."

"Perhaps," replied Gold, fingers curling around his cane.

"So what is it, exactly?" She studied the older man's face, but he gave nothing away.

"I can't say I know exactly what the future holds," said Gold. "But someday-"

"I'm not going to advertise your business to the world, Gold!" Emma said, guessing that her discretion was what he was concerned about. She recognized that he was a man who kept his cards close to his chest, and she could respect that. But Neal Cassidy was right (she'd never have thought she'd believe that again!) when he pointed out that making a deal without knowing what she was agreeing to was a bad idea. "I just want a general idea of what it is you'll want from me!"

It was hard to get a read on Gold, but she thought he was considering her words.

"There's someone I'll need found," he finally admitted. "I couldn't say when, and I don't know how, but someday, somewhere, I may need your help."

And then the pieces finally clicked.

"This whole thing was a set-up!" Emma exclaimed. "You never cared about Ashley's baby- you were testing me! You heard that I find people, and you wanted to see me in action for yourself."

"I wouldn't call it a set-up," quibbled Gold, but she could tell he was at least mildly impressed. "After all, I did make that deal with Miss Boyd long before you arrived in this town, Miss Swan."

"Whatever you say," Emma said, choosing not to get hung up on the finer details. "So you want me to find someone for you. Or you will, someday in the future. Why? What are you going to do to them?" (Gold didn't strike her as the type for torture, but she wasn't going to risk the chance that she might be delivering a victim to an axe-murderer.)

"Fear not, Miss Swan, I just want to talk," he said, and she knew he was telling the truth. "A chance to explain myself to someone I haven't seen in many years."

"And if this person doesn't want to hear it?" Emma asked.

"If this individual tells me that to my face, I will accept our deal as being null and void," Gold responded. "In any case, Miss Boyd's child will be left to her."

"And what if you find him or her on your own, or this person finds you first," she said, not wanting to leave any stones unturned. "Will you want something else?"

"No," Gold said magnamiously. "As soon as I am reunited with the one I'm searching for, you may consider the terms of our deal fulfilled, whether or not you were directly responsible for said reunion."

"And you're not going to tell me who this person is?" Emma said, knowing what the answer would be.

"No, I don't think I will just yet," said the sly old pawnbroker. "But rest assured, Miss Swan, I'll keep to the terms we've agreed to."

"You'd better," she muttered.

"Good day, Miss Swan," he said, nodding to her. "And give Miss Boyd my felicitations on the happy occasion."

That evening, Neal sat in The Rabbit Hole next to Ruby.

"Cheers!" Laughing, he clinked his mocktail against whatever Ruby was drinking. (His policy was not to ask. Plausible deniability and all that jazz.) "To Alexandra Herman!"

"Is that what they're calling her?" Ruby asked, tossing back her drink. The two of them had agreed that Ashley probably needed her rest and decided to visit her and the baby the next morning.

"That's what Emma told me," he said. She'd told him a lot more than that, of course, but he wasn't going to let that color this celebration.

"Wait, Emma told you that?" His best friend gaped at him. "When did you talk to her?"

"She stopped by the library after leaving the hospital," Neal admitted. "Told me to thank you for her."

Ruby nodded. Then she sniffed his drink and scowled.

"What is that?" Her tone indicated that she found it offensive.

"Something non-alcoholic," Neal stressed. "You know, because I legally can't buy a drink?"

"Who cares?" Ruby asked, flashing her fake ID. It should have been useless- it was common knowledge that she was only nineteen- but the bartender here preferred to feign obliviousness.

"I don't comment on your drinking choices, you don't comment on mine," he snarked good-humoredly. (This was an argument they'd been having for… Neal couldn't even remember how long. At least since he'd come home.)

"Alright, but you can only get away with that for so long," she said, pointing at his glass. "The second you turn twenty-one, I'm dragging you back here for a real drink."

"Whatever you say," he laughed. Looking around, Neal noticed someone else walking into the bar. "Ah, look who's here."

He watched as she turned around, then pointedly turn back.

"The sheriff?" Ruby said nonchalantly, but Neal wasn't fooled.

"You ever going to actually talk to him?" Neal asked.

"About what, the weather?" Ruby smirked, but Neal could see the insecurity she was trying to hide. (He was pretty sure he was the only one who knew about the crush Ruby had been harboring since they were in high school.)

"No, you doofus," he said, poking her shoulder. "You'll flirt with anyone else, but you won't just go over and ask him out?"

She shrugged.

"Why bother?" Ruby asked, still trying to act like she didn't care. "I'm sure he he thinks I'm too young, and anyway, I think he's got a thing for Emma."

"So?" Neal asked. He didn't know if she was right, but he also didn't really think it mattered. (Personally, he thought anyone serious about going after Emma had a few screws loose. Sure she was kind of hot, but she was also completely insane.) "It never hurts to try, does it?"

"Fine," she said, downing another shot and standing up. "But if this goes wrong, I'm blaming you."

"And if it goes right?" But she was already moving through the club, skirting around the crowds and marching over to the miserable-looking sheriff sitting in the corner.

Neal smiled.

Finally.

Emma heard a click as the lockpicks did their job and the lock opened. Opening the door, she cautiously tip-toed inside.

The apartment was empty, of course, but a little caution never hurt.

Flickering on a flashlight, she looked around the little room that clearly served as living room, dining room, and kitchen. It was neater than she would have expected- no messy dishes on the counter or dirty clothes on the floor.

Now then, where's the bathroom?

This was definitely one of her crazier ideas. If she was caught, she'd almost certainly be arrested. Not to mention lose the deputy job she hadn't even started yet. (She'd told Graham that she had a few things to get in order and wouldn't be able to start for another week. She just hadn't mentioned that some of those things involved breaking and entering.)

Locating the bathroom, Emma poked around until she'd located the toothbrush behind the mirror. Pulling out a sandwich bag, she carefully sealed the brush inside, making sure not to touch the head.

Alright, better get out of here before he comes back. But she knew from listening to Ruby that the two of them usually stayed out until at least eleven, which meant she had a good forty-five minutes before she had to worry.

Against her better judgement, she poked her head into the lone bedroom, shining her flashlight around. The room was just as spotless as the rest of the apartment- a neatly-made bed, a closet, a nightstand with an alarm clock, and a desk with a computer and a few books sitting on its surface. The floor was clear, and the walls were bare and impersonal-looking. The only thing that suggested even the slightest bit of individuality was something round hanging by the window.

Is that-

Emma heard a bang. Despite the fact that she knew it was probably just some drunk knocking over a trash can a block away, it startled her enough that she quickly scurried out of the apartment, making sure to lock the door on her way out.

I must not have seen it right.

That couldn't have been a yellow dreamcatcher, could it?