Chapter 7
Past
As soon as the sun rose, Grim made sure to get up before anyone else did by sneaking into the kitchen to grab some slices of meat as he put them in his satchel. Thankfully, there were only two cooks so early in the morning, so they never noticed whenever he pocketed some food to stow away for himself or for his friends like Derek. However, the meat he was getting for was for someone special-someone he considered family.
When Grim took enough, he went outside and headed towards the wall that stood at least ten feet off the ground. He would never be able to make it over in time without anyone noticing him. That was why he had other means to go beyond it without being detected by removing a few stones from the upper north corner of the wall.
"Goin' off to see him again?" Grim stopped when he heard the voice behind him, and when he turned around, he saw Derek approaching him. "One of these days you'll get caught."
"I'm careful."
"You can't keep thinking that. They'll think you're trying to escape."
Grim started to get irritated with his friend. He knew Derek meant well, but Grim didn't want to keep hearing it. "They know I won't. Not as long as the Queen has my heart."
"You have a point there, but I just want you to be careful. Many servants were talking yesterday about you and Lady Nora."
Grim raised a skeptic brow as he asked, "What are they saying?"
"That you defended Lady Nora's honor from Sinbad because you're in love with her."
He shook his head before responding, "I may have saved her from him, but I did what any man would've done, so don't believe everything you hear."
The more Grim thought about her, the more he became certain that she was not a guest as what she appeared to be. Grim knew that Rothbart kept her there for a purpose, and Sinbad simply did whatever Rothbart told him to do by being his lapdog. Whatever was going on, Grim knew that Odette was a mere pawn in whatever game Rothbart was playing. He just wasn't sure why he wanted her.
"I don't. I just wanted to hear it from you. Still, you saved her twice now. You don't think anyone's noticed? As your friend, I just want you to be careful. Just don't try to draw more attention to yourself."
"I won't." As Grim turned back to the wall, he told Derek, "Cover for me if I don't make it in training."
"Alright. Be careful," Derek said as he watched Grim worm his way through so that Derek can fill in the space.
Present
It was late at night at Granny's Diner, and all Graham thought about was Nora. Every time he tried to talk to her, she always told him that she was too busy to talk to him. It aggravated him how she was ignoring him. He knew it was his fault, and he couldn't think of a good excuse for being with Regina to arrest Khan since he believed she was covering him. Graham should have known that the truth would come out eventually. He just couldn't believe that Nora found out in such a cruel way.
Now all Graham was doing was drinking his whiskey that Ruby gave him while taking his frustration out on the dartboard by hitting the deer picture. "Nice shot, chief," Graham turned to Sidney Glass and gave him a hard stare since he didn't care what he had to say especially since he was one of Regina's puppets. "Betcha twenty bucks you can't do it again."
Graham accepted the challenge to shut him up by downing another shot of whiskey before he readied his weapon and hit the deer in its snout. He was glad to wipe the smug off Sidney's face, and he wanted to make sure he didn't miss it as it fell. He then turned to Ruby to make sure that Sidney kept his word as he told her, "Next rounds on him."
As Graham got ready to throw another dart, he stopped when Nora came out from the back as she froze when they made eye contact. "Nora, what can I get you?" Ruby asked her with a smile.
All Nora did was stare at Graham as she answered Ruby with disappointment, "Nothing."
When Nora made her way past Graham, it got him so angry to be ignored like this. He had enough of her ignoring his calls and texts. She was going to hear him out, and he was willing to do whatever it took to get his point across by throwing his dart straight across the room and hit the door frame from the moment her hand reached the handle.
Everyone stopped drinking and eating when they saw the sheriff's action. Nora, herself, was taken aback by his outrageous behavior. She couldn't believe that he was bold enough to do something like that. No one, in fact, had ever seen Graham so furious before.
However, Nora was not going to let him get away with it as she whipped back around and told him off, "What the hell? You could have hit me!"
He didn't care that she was mad at him. If this was the way to get her attention, then he would do it again. "You know I don't miss." As he made his way towards her, she crossed her arms and glared at him. "You think I don't know that you've been avoiding me? When are we going to talk about this?" he asked with his gaze being so serious.
"I already told you that we're done, Graham. I don't care what you do anymore."
As she walked out the door, Graham watched her leave, but he wasn't done with her. He refused to let it end like this. Normally, Graham wouldn't care about some woman, but there was something about Nora Moon that he couldn't quite figure out. From the moment their hands connected, there was a strange connection. It felt right to be with her. That was why Graham was not ready to let her go yet as he followed her out the door and caught up with her.
When he reached her side, he retorted back, "If you don't care about me anymore, then why were you so upset in there?"
"I'm not upset!"
She didn't care that he was catching up to her as she continued walking away from him. Nora really didn't want to deal with this drama, but then again, a part of her wanted to stay and hear him out. However, logically, it wouldn't make sense if she did. Despite what they had together, they couldn't move forward. She was afraid that he would hurt her again.
"If that were true, you'd be at the bar with me having a drink and not running away." When he finally caught her arm to go in front of her to stop her, she stared at him hard as he pleaded, "Just. Hear me out."
Nora wanted to leave; she wanted to tell him off, and she did just that. "Well, I don't want to, and don't you think Regina's going to be upset if she sees you with me?"
As Nora tried to make her way past him, he grabbed her arm again to stop her. "Alright. I get it. I shouldn't have done what I did with Regina, but it's not like I wanted to-"
"Fine." Nora got out of his hold to face him. "Since we are on the subject, why did you then?"
Graham wanted to tell her. He wanted to tell her so bad, but he knew if he did, he would look pathetic to her. What Khan did to Graham was unforgivable, and he wasn't going to let Regina cover for him. That was why he was willing to risk everything to expose Khan. However, he wasn't ready to tell Nora yet, and she quickly picked up that he was hiding something as her eyes narrowed slightly when he looked away from her.
"Why can't you tell me why you were seeing her?" When Graham didn't answer, she pressed, "What? Were you drunk, or-?"
"No!" Graham quickly cut her off, surprising her. "It's not like that at all."
"Then what is it?"
"I'm sorry, but I can't." She scoffed at him and tried to move away from him when she heard his answer, but he stopped her in time as he pleaded, "Nora, please. I-I didn't want you to look at me the way you are now."
"Well, it's a little late for that, don't you think?"
When she tried to leave again, Graham immediately thought that he wasn't going to let her leave. That was why he grabbed her forearm to force her to face him as he brought her closer to him so that he could kiss her hard. He wanted her to feel the connection that he felt when they first met, and Nora surely did too in her heart, but in her head, she advised herself against it as she pushed him away.
"Get off me!"
Graham immediately regretted his action when he saw her heart-stricken face, so he apologized, "I'm sorry. I thought-"
"What?" Nora snapped.
"It's different with you."
His excuse sounded pitiful to her, and she took a step away from him when he took a step towards her. "Graham, you are drunk right now. Now go home before you do something you'll regret."
She didn't bother looking back at him as she walked back to her apartment, leaving Graham to stand there, thinking about her. He wanted to make it right to her, but he didn't know how. If only he told her what was really going on, but he couldn't. Graham was left with this heavy burden to take on a special case on his own as he couldn't believe that the people in Storybrooke turned a blind eye a long time ago.
For now, he was just going to head home to get a clearer head and try his luck another day to talk to Nora, but he soon stopped when he saw Regina at his door. When he climbed his way up the steps, he took his key to insert it in the lock. He wanted to get away from her as quickly as possible since he believed it was her fault that all of this happened.
When Graham turned the key, her hand grabbed his wrist as she pleaded softly, "Graham."
All he did was stare at her hand, and he gave her a stern warning, "Let go of me, Regina."
"Graham, how much longer do you think you can avoid me?"
He finally looked at her but only to tell her off, "You got involved in my life when you shouldn't have. Nora didn't deserve that. Now, please leave."
With a final attempt, Regina tried reaching out for him. "Graham-"
He pulled away from her as he became firm with her. "No. Just...don't."
Graham entered his apartment and shut the door in Regina's face. As he unbuttoned his vest, he looked out the window, and saw Regina standing by his door. He was thankful that his curtains blocked him from her view, and he was even more grateful that she gave up by walking away from his apartment.
Now that Regina was gone, Graham knew he could never use her again. He was going to do this case on his own as he always had been for as long as he could remember. He went over to one of his drawers and opened it where a file was kept-the case that started his search to expose Khan as Graham made sure to collect every photo from the crime scene and evidence in his storage room back at the sheriff station. Regina told him to toss the case out since she told him it was no use to find the culprit, but he couldn't. After all, how could he ever forget his previous deputy and best friend, Derek?
Past
Odette sat with Rothbart in the middle of his room. She didn't like going in it since it was rather dark, eerie, and a bit cold. It was also quite messy with potion bottles and ingredients scattered all over the table, a cauldron lurking in the corner and covered in filth, and piles of documents practically thrown in his desk.
They were eating quail for dinner. Rothbart barely looked up from his plate, but Odette, however, ate slowly, while calculating Rothbart carefully. It was strange how he claimed to have loved her when they first met, yet he was hardly around her. He only ever had his guard dogs watch her every move, which annoyed her, but she did her best not to show it.
When Odette took a sip from her goblet, she looked at Rothbart and watched him eat. He was precise with his moves by cutting into the meat with swift accuracy. He hardly looked up from his plate to see her. They practically see each other in the morning for a brief moment and at dinner. Still, that didn't mean that she wasn't going to take a gamble with him to trap her father. She just needed to be mindful to be wary of him since she still didn't trust him fully. The only reason why she went with him after all was the diamond resting on her head that kept her hidden from her father and from shielding from her curse.
"How much longer do I need to stay here?" she finally asked when she set her goblet down.
Rothbart glanced up at her and noticed the seriousness in her gaze and tone. "Are you not content here, Odette?"
Completely caught off guard by his question, she took another sip of her wine as she replied, "It's alright, but I'd prefer not to be followed around and live my life the way how I want to."
He smirked as he reminded her while slicing into his meat. "Those guards are there for your protection—to ensure that no harm comes to you."
She was tired of hearing that excuse because it reminded her very much of what her father used to say as he used his magic to protect her twin brother and her. At least with her father, she knew what she was dealing. Rothbart, on the other hand, was a complete mystery to her, and the more she was with him, the more she wondered who exactly he was.
"My father also believed that his magic would protect me from his enemies if they ever found me. That was why he kept me hidden for over three hundred years."
Odette didn't like how Rothbart gave her a hard stare, so she drank some of her wine to calm her nerves, but he caught her off guard when he asked, "Don't tell me you wish to go back to that lake, do you?"
"No," she answered almost immediately, "but I would appreciate it if I had my own freedom without having to worry from being watched all the time like a criminal."
She didn't realize the negative effect her behavior had, and he was not going to remind her of it. In fact, many people in the castle were aware of her attitude towards him, so he was going to remind her, especially with the rumor circulating about her and Grim. "Tell me, Odette. What do you think the people here are saying about us? Do you honestly think you sound as if you are in love with me yet you see more of that soldier?"
She sneered down at him since when he was referring to Grim, so she let him reminded him, "What do you expect me to do? I'm not going to sit in my room all day."
"No, but you need to act. You need to smile more around me-be grateful that you're here, but above all, you need to be madly in love. Once the Queen notices, she won't take it lightly. Believe me. You think you can manage that?"
That was just it though. Odette didn't want to go along with it, but she knew she had no choice. She couldn't risk for anyone to find out about her purpose here especially when it came to the Queen since she didn't trust anyone in the castle completely, so Odette answered, "Yes."
"Yes what?"
It took her a minute to say, "I'll convince them."
"No." Rothbart began before a sickening grin crept up his face. "Convince me."
Odette was just glad that a pageboy soon entered so that the tension slowly dissipated. "From Sinbad, my lord."
As the pageboy handed Rothbart the parchment, Odette wondered what was in the content when Rothbart broke the seal only to stop himself from unrolling it when he glanced over at Odette. "You may leave now."
Whatever was in that parchment must've been important for Rothbart to kick her out. Sinbad also was definitely not someone Odette trusted as he had proven time and time again how dangerous he was. He was one of Rothbart's puppets since he clearly had an idea what Rothbart's plan was. She was just grateful that he didn't tell him exactly who she was. Maybe because Rothbart didn't trust him too, but then again, who would? Men like Sinbad were one of the most dangerous vipers that slithered away from its nest to bite its enemies when they least expect it.
When Odette turned back to see the soldier following her again, she did what she often did by heading inside her room so that the guard remained stationed outside her room so that she could use the secret passageway. Odette used it all the time to find her way around the castle. It was extremely beneficial to her so that she could roam around without being detected.
As Odette walked through the system of tunnels, she opened the wall by giving it a big push as it turned and found herself outside. When she stepped out, the wall shut on its own as they normally did when she entered another room. She carefully avoided any soldiers heading her way by hiding in the corner, and when they disappeared, she made sure she went in the complete opposite direction. She soon found herself in the upper north section, and to her surprise, she saw Derek standing idly as if he was waiting for something or someone.
Normally, she wouldn't think about approaching one of the Queen's soldiers, but Derek seemed harmless, and if he was Grim's friend, then he couldn't be bad, so she built up her courage and mer way towards him, surprising him a bit. "Lady Nora."
He bowed his head as if he remembered that he was supposed to, but Odette stopped him. "Oh, please. Don't. There's really no need." She then looked around and asked him, "Where's Grim? Don't you both train at this time?"
For some reason, Derek started stammering, and Odette knew he was covering for him for some reason. "Oh, Grim? Well, he...had something to do."
"Won't you both get in trouble by Sinbad if he sees that you're not there?"
"Right,...and that's why I'm heading there now. Goodbye, Lady Nora."
"Please. Just. Nora."
He gave her a small smile as he said, "Alright...Nora."
As he walked away from her, Nora wondered why he was standing there instead of following his duties as a soldier for the crown. She soon came to a conclusion that maybe he was waiting for Grim. Odette hadn't seen him all day after all. It made her think that maybe he was beyond the wall, and Derek was probably there to cover for him. It was the only explanation she came up with, but it did leave her questioning how Grim managed to go over the wall. There was no possible way he could without anyone noticing unless if maybe Derek helped him, but even then, someone would definitely notice him.
When Odette placed her hand on the wall, she was taken aback when one of the stones nudged slightly. At that moment, Odette knew how he got out as he tried another area to confirm her suspicion. She stopped what she was doing for a second to see if anyone was nearby, and when no one was near her, she continued what she was doing by pushing the stones, causing them to fall to the other side.
Odette practically squeezed her way through the hole, ignoring the few tears in her dress, but she didn't care. She had a mission to do. She was going to find Grim to see what he was doing.
As soon as she made it outside, she couldn't believe it, but she also needed to make sure that no one went by this corner, so she reached through the hole and grabbed the stones by placing them on top of each other. It wasn't perfect, but it was enough to make it look like it was filled in, and when she filled it, she realized something. She could use this to escape. Nothing would be stopping her if she left right now, but a part of her didn't want to leave because she wanted to make sure that Grim was okay. She owed him so much already that it wouldn't feel right if she just left knowing that he may get in trouble.
That was why she needed to find Grim quick, especially since she needed to go back to her room soon before anyone else noticed. She went through many trees, branches, and bushes to find Grim. The more she traveled deeper into the forest, the more she wondered where he was. She thought about calling his name, but it would only bring awareness to the soldiers, so she needed to find him fast.
It wasn't until when she heard growling nearby that she froze in place and turned her head to see a giant white wolf with unique eyes: one red as blood and the other black as night. Her eyes widened and her lips parted slightly in shock when she saw its ferocious teeth growing bare. She wanted to back away from the creature, but she was worried that if she made sudden movements, then it would suddenly snap and attack her.
"Akela!" Odette was relieved to see Grim approaching her, and the wolf submitted immediately by bringing its head down. However, when Odette saw Grim glaring daggers at her, her smile quickly faded, especially when he reprimanded her. "You're not supposed to be here."
"I know-"
"Then why are you here?" He quickly cut her off.
She heard how annoyed he was with her, so she tried to calm him down by explaining her reasoning. "I got worried about you. You'll be in trouble if you're not in training, right?"
"You don't need to worry about me. You should be worrying more about yourself."
When Nora looked back at the wolf beside him, she commented, "I've never seen a wolf so close before. He seems to like you though. Is he your pet?"
"He's not a pet. He's part of my pack."
"Your pack?"
Odette watched in amazement when he pulled out a piece of meat and fed his furry companion as he explained, "I grew alongside him ever since I was an infant. The man and woman who brought me into this world threw me into the forest as a distraction to be eaten by the wolves, but they took me in instead and raised me as their own."
She raised a quizzical brow when she heard him as she wondered, "How would you know that?"
"My mother, Raksha, told me."
That confused Odette even more as she tried to ask, "You found your mother again-"
"No. Raksha is my mother. She was part of my pack." Odette then realized what he meant as he continued, "But then I lost her when those hunters came and tore her apart for her pelts along with the rest of my brothers and sisters. Akela is the only one left. I've been looking out for him ever since."
When Odette noticed a serenity in his gaze by watching the wolf, she couldn't help but wonder as she asked him, "Why are you a soldier for the Queen?" He finally looked at her—somewhat surprised by her question. "You don't seem to like working for her and you don't like to be with any of the other soldiers besides Derek, so...why?"
For some reason, he seemed conflicted about something. It was written all over his face, and when he turned back to Akela, he stayed silent for a moment before he opened his mouth to respond to her, "Some of us don't have a choice to be here like Derek, for instance, is only here to feed his family as the main caretaker."
"What about you?"
"I'm here because of the wolves. The Queen promised to stop the hunters from killing more of them." Odette looked back at the wolf and watched him bring his head up, begging for more food, so Grim took more meat out to feed him, and both Grim and Odette stood silently, watching Akela, but Odette soon turned to Grim when he opened his mouth to say, "Practically every human I met are all cruel and evil—always turning on each other for their own personal gain. I'll never understand their kind."
It was ironic the way he spoke about humans considering he was one himself, which was why she brought up, "But you're not like that. You saved me from Sinbad."
He shook his head, disagreeing with her. "You don't know me as well as you think. One good deed doesn't justify my character."
Odette didn't understand why he was so hard on himself. Not any man would be so brave to go against their superior to protect someone. She couldn't think why he would believe that he wasn't a good person. No matter what he said, she believed that he was good.
With a warm smile, she told him, "I know enough already to make that decision for myself."
All Grim did was stare at her—perturbed by this woman in front of him. He didn't understand how she could speak so boldly in front of him. It was as if she had no shame what she said. She clearly didn't care what people thought of her, and it made him respect her a little more.
Seeing how long they were here, he took out his last piece of meat and tossed it to the ground for Akela to catch it as he told Odette. "We should go. We've been here long enough."
As Grim was the first one to make the first move, Odette simply watched him before looking back at Akela and watched him eat his meat before she hurried over to Grim side. "Is it okay to leave him here?"
He didn't bother turning to her as he answered, "He'll be alright. It's not the first time Akela's been on his own."
They walked back in awkward silence. Odette wanted to keep talking to him, but they didn't. He did help her though to climb over tree roots as he took her hand, making her heart beat faster. He may believe that he wasn't good, but Odette honestly saw nothing but good from him even as he displayed it through his actions. He really was a kind person, and Odette wouldn't mind to have him as a friend in the castle.
When they made it through the wall by removing the stones, he went first before he beckoned her to move, so she did, and when she made it out, he asked her, "Can you find your way back to your room?"
Grim didn't want to go with her since he already caused so much attention to himself because of her. "Yes. I can do it."
When she turned back to see if any of the soldiers were nearby, she was taken aback to hear him say, "I'm surprised none of the guards followed you. They usually do." She didn't say anything, which made Grim narrow his eyes as he speculated. "Did you sneak out?" Odette nodded her head, which made his head shake. "You do realize you could get in trouble if they catch you. I'm sure Rothbart wouldn't want to risk for you to get hurt."
The way he spoke was a somewhat genuine concern, and Odette appreciated it, but at the same time, she didn't want him to worry since she now found a way to escape, so she just needed to come back when there's no one around. Still, it would be a shame if she never saw Grim again. He was a very kind person. Maybe one day, she would meet him again.
"Well, I don't like doing things I don't want to do, and Rothbart has no say in that matter. He can't control me."
She nearly froze when he came to the conclusion. "So, I was right. You're not here by your own free will."
Odette knew that she needed to lie since she couldn't let anyone find out. If Grim acted the way he did, then he surely would help her, Odette wasn't going to allow him be a martyr on her account. "I am." He didn't seem convinced, so Odette told him, "I wouldn't be here if I didn't love Rothbart."
He stared at her long and hard, and Odette knew that he was questioning her. She didn't want him to continue his interrogation, so she said, "I better get going, and you should go train too. You don't want to get in trouble, do you?"
Grim only stared at her until he finally opened his mouth to tell her, "No."
As she walked away, she said, "It was nice seeing you, Grim."
He didn't bother returning the same courtesy since he was a bit stunned that she actually liked spending time with him. If he was being honest, she reminded him a bit of Derek, except that she seemed more likely to take risks while Derek practically relied on Grim. It wasn't that Grim minded it. In fact, it was a bit refreshing to see her so free and so full of life. A part of him wanted to say something to her, but she seemed too reluctant to go since she clearly didn't want to be questioned further, so he let her go for now.
When Odette headed back inside the castle, she maneuvered past the soldiers passing by to ensure that they didn't notice she was out of her room. However, she soon stopped when she made it past Rothbart's room. She still didn't fully trust Rothbart, which was why she ended up going inside when she pushed the door a bit and heard it creak open. She was grateful that he wasn't in there since she knew that he would interrogate her for being out of her room.
Odette went inside and shut the door behind her so that no one would see her. She then looked over anything that would help her to make her escape easier. He was a sorcerer, so he was bound to have potions or magical objects to aid her if any guards came to stop her. However, it wasn't until when Odette looked over at his desk and noticed the parchment that the pageboy gave Rothbart earlier with its seal broken.
Gathering up her courage, she made her way over to it and unrolled the parchment. Whatever Rothbart didn't want her to see, he had his own reason, and that convinced her to see what was inside. Her eyes soon widened the more she saw an image on it. At first it appeared to be two wavy lines separating from each other but still connected as they made their way down. The image soon became more and more familiar as she realized that it was a dagger, but not just any dagger—her father's dagger as his name was sprawled across the blade.
She knew Rothbart was up to no good. If he saw this, then it only meant that he knew how to kill her father. It also made her start thinking how Sinbad knew about her father's weakness. The pageboy delivered it from Sinbad. No one was supposed to know about his dagger. The only people who knew were herself and her brother, and now Sinbad and Rothbart knew found out about it. Odette couldn't allow Rothbart to kill her father, so she took the parchment and left his room to go out into the halls.
She soon realized that the guard was still stationed at her door, so she needed to go through the tunnels. She got out of his room and headed to the closest secret passageway she could find. Odette scoured through the tunnels for a while now to know where the secret passageways were to come and go as she pleased. She had stayed in the castle long enough to know where they all went.
By the time she made it back to her room, she took the parchment and threw it in the fireplace so that Rothbart would never find out about it. She was satisfied to see it crumble and slowly turn to ash. However, as the parchment burned, she couldn't help but think how Sinbad knew about her father's dagger. There was no possible way he knew who she was from the way he's been acting. He was desperate to find out who she truly was after all. This only meant that she shouldn't underestimate either Rothbart or Sinbad since they were clearly working together to murder her father.
Present
Amir made his way inside Regina's office after she called him to meet her. He found it amusing to see her annoyed, and he knew exactly why. He just wanted to hear her say it to grasp the entertainment as he headed to one of the seats and sat down.
"You're late," she said in an unamused tone and without looking up from the document she was making marks on with her pen.
"Well, when you have a business to run, it's important to make sure that everything's in order." He then smirked as he asked, "You called me here, so tell me why you're keeping me away from my bar."
"It's the sheriff."
"Ah, yes. I heard about that, and you called me here because...why exactly?"
"Because I can't control him anymore."
Regina didn't like how a cheeky grin stretched across his face as he reminded her, "Well, Nora gave him his heart back, so what did you expect?"
She finally looked up from her paper as she slammed her hand down on her desk. "Yes. How did she manage to get into my vault?"
"It is a mystery indeed." Amir shrugged his shoulders, but Regina saw a glint of mischief in his eye, which made her sneer down at him. "Oh? Don't tell me that you think I had something to with it?"
"You tell me." She then got up from her chair and maneuvered around her desk to tower over Amir. "Everyone knew what you did to Nora Moon in the castle when you cornered her, and I know that Rothbart was not so pleased to hear about it."
He rolled his eyes as he told her in a bored tone, "If there's a point to this, I'd appreciate it if you get to it quickly."
"I think you made a deal with her so that she could get Graham's heart back."
Amir simply stared at her and kept his poker face so that she would have no idea. "And what sort of deal do you think I made with her?"
Without missing a beat, she immediately answered, "You're a man of information, which means you wanted to know something from her, and I find it very hard to believe that Rothbart was telling me the truth about her identity."
Amir finally got up and buttoned up his vest as he told her, "Well, you have to admit that Rothbart was a man with secrets too. He even kept them from me. As for this supposed deal you claim I made with her, well, she was rather determined to get it back for him. Don't also forget that your castle had many secret passageways. You don't think that she was there long enough to know where they all went to throughout the castle?"
He then bowed his head in a mocking manner as he told her, "Now, if you'll excuse me, Your Majesty, but I have a business to run. I suggest you run your little town as you see fit."
As Amir walked out the door, Regina couldn't help but stare at him. She believed that there was definitely something Amir wasn't telling her, but without proof, she had no idea. Regina simply had a theory, and she wouldn't be surprised if it was true. Amir after all was nothing more than a snake that only benefitted himself.
Meanwhile, Graham was at the sheriff station, flipping through Derek's file. There was one piece of evidence that he still couldn't get over. Two small puncture wounds on his calf. He didn't understand how Amir pulled it off for everyone to believe that it was a snake bite that killed Derek. Even the autopsy report said that it was a snake bite as Dr. Whale explained it to him. There had to be a better explanation for this, but Graham had no clue what weapon could cause this as he will admit himself that it did look like a bite wound.
When Graham heard footsteps making his from the hall, he immediately shut the folder, and all Emma did was stare at it curiously. "What's that?" she asked.
"Oh, nothing. Just some documents I was looking over."
Graham didn't want Emma involved with this case. He would feel guilty if he got her involved knowing how dangerous it would be. After all, Derek even warned Graham about Amir a long time ago, but Graham didn't listen, resulting in Derek's death. He felt guilty enough as it is, which was why Graham didn't want to see Emma getting hurt because of him.
Graham knew though that he needed to change the subject, so he thought he would by bringing up a subject matter that has been bothering him. "Have you talked to Nora recently?"
"No, but Mary Margaret has," Emma told him. "She says that all she's doing is trying to move on now I guess." Graham looked away, trying to wonder what to do to win Nora back, but he was soon snapped out of his thoughts when Emma noticed how upset he was as she told him, "You know, if you regret being with Regina, then maybe try talking to her about it."
Graham scoffed as if it was a joke to him. "And you don't think I tried? She won't listen to me. No matter what I do or say, she doesn't want to hear it."
"Well, maybe she needs a little time."
"How much more time can I keep giving her?" He shook his head at her, and before Emma had a chance to open her mouth, he got up from his seat and took the file with him. "Watch the station while I'm going."
"Where are you going?"
He turned around to tell her firmly. "Don't worry about it. I just need you to watch it for me. If there's anything serious, call me."
"Alright."
With his final words, he walked out of the sheriff station, leaving Emma to wonder what he was up to.
Past
As Odette headed back to her room from a stroll around the gardens, she was relieved that the guard who was following her was ordered to report to Sinbad, leaving her alone. She headed inside the castle and took the route back to her room. She soon stopped in her tracks when she noticed that her door was slightly open. It was always closed, so it made her a bit wary. A terrifying thought came that maybe Rothbart was looking for the parchment that Odette threw in the fireplace.
She slowly crept to her door and peeked through the crack only to find no one, so she pushed the door open and found her entire room to be in disarray. Her bed sheets were tossed around, a vase was smashed on the floor, and there were scuff marks from some of the furniture being moved.
Odette finally went to her bed when she noticed a note by her bedside table, so she picked it up to read it,
Meet me in the gardens at midnight.
Have vital info for you.
She had no idea who sent this note. It most likely had to be Rothbart, but then again the more she thought about it, the more she realized that Rothbart was more likely to confront her already about the parchment she stole. Whoever sent this note, Odette was going to meet them. She wanted to hear what they had to say, but Odette was also no fool. If this person ransacked her room, then it meant that they wanted something from her and would probably use other means to get it.
Present
Graham headed to the woods with the file in his hand. He trekked up a long path that led him to the crime scene where Derek was killed. He would never forget the call he received after someone who was hiking found Derek dead, so Graham immediately rushed to the site where he called the hospital to rush to the area. As sheriff, it was his job to look out for the people, especially when it came to his deputy since they were partners, but when Graham saw his lifeless body, he knew he failed him.
Nothing like this had ever happened in Storybrooke before, and it certainly didn't help when a crowd soon formed as the ambulance came to take Derek away. Graham made sure to investigate the area but there was nothing to be found. There was nothing out of the ordinary until Graham checked his body and found the two small puncture wounds on his left calf. He didn't understand what caused it until he looked up to see Amir speaking to Regina only to turn the sheriff when he finished his conversation with her and gave him sickening smirk as he stared him down.
As Amir walked away, Graham couldn't keep his eyes off of the mayor and Khan as Regina caught up with him only to grab his arm to keep him from leaving so that she could tell him something. It looked like she was upset as they were arguing about something, but they were farther away for Graham to hear what they were saying. At that moment, Graham knew that he was willing to do whatever it took even if it meant getting closer to Regina to seek out the information to put Khan behind bars once and for all.
His reminiscent memory was soon cast aside when he heard something being dug up nearby, so Graham turned to the direction of the sound and saw the bushes rustling. His eyes nearly widened when Mr. Gold revealed himself wearing an apron and boots with his cane in one hand and a shovel in another. He didn't understand why Gold was here of all places when he had his own shop to run. It seemed unusual. It even made him wonder what Nora sees good in him. After all, whenever he gave someone a toothy grin, mischief came along with him.
"Good morning, sheriff," he greeted as he limped his way towards him. "Sorry if I startled you."
Graham couldn't help but glare at him as he questioned him, "What are you doing out here so early?"
"A sport of gardening." He didn't believe him for a second as he looked down at his shovel, but Graham was not going to argue with him; it wasn't worth his time. "It seems though that you're here for a case."
When Mr. Gold gestured to the file in his hand, Graham looked back up at him as he told him firmly, "That's confidential."
His smirk suddenly grew wider as he replied, "Must be serious."
"It is," Graham said too quickly, but he immediately regretted snapping at him like that as he shook his head and told him, "Never mind. Forget it. I'll let you get back to work."
What Graham didn't know though was Gold was not done with him yet as he stopped Graham from leaving by telling him, "That was also quite a display you had with Miss Moon last night. Everyone in town's been talking about it."
Graham knew that Gold was possessive over Nora from the moment he told him that he was going on a date with her. He seemed to find Graham's reaction amusing since Graham gave him a cold hard stare for bringing it up out of the blue. The sheriff didn't know what to think when Gold said that, so he told him off, hoping to close the subject. "Why is that any concern of yours?"
"I spoke about it with Miss Moon when I saw her coming out of Granny's shop. She seemed quite upset about it. I was merely looking out for her."
He couldn't believe that Gold was deliberately getting involved in this, which was why Graham needed to tell him, "It's none of your business. It's between her and me, so leave yourself out of our relationship."
Gold couldn't contain his wicked grin as he took daunting steps towards him and said, "As far as I know, you no longer have a relationship with her." He then went over to a fallen tree as he went past it by going over it as he bid his farewell before gesturing to the file in his hand. "Good luck, sheriff. I do hope you find what you're looking for."
Past
It was midnight, and Odette snuck out of her room using the system of tunnels to get to the gardens. She made sure to avoid the guards so that they wouldn't wonder what she was doing or drag her back to her room. When none of the guards were in sight at the gardens, she headed over there and waited by the fountain. She waited and waited until finally she got bored. She didn't know how much longer she had to wait for this person, so she looked around to see if there was anyone nearby.
She soon froze though when she heard a masculine voice behind her, "Lady Nora." Odette turned around to find one of the Queen's soldiers and knew that he was going to bring her back to her room, or at least, she thought he was until he opened his mouth, "I'm relieved you could make it."
Raising a quizzical brow, she asked, "Did you leave me the note?"
"I did." He all of a sudden looked around to see if anyone was around before turning back to her. "I'm glad you could make it. I've been wanting to talk to you for quite some time."
Odette didn't understand why exactly he was here. What possible reason could he have to talk to her? Then again, it left a curious question to raise as Odette brought up, "Did you search my room? What were you looking for?"
"Nothing, Lady Nora. I only wished to leave a note."
But Odette didn't believe that. If he wasn't searching for anything, then he would have no reason to tear apart her room. There was something he wasn't telling her. She wanted to keep asking him questions, but Odette grew rather nervous when the guard looked around again to see if anyone was coming.
"I am sorry about this, Lady Nora." The hairs on the back of Odette's neck prickled when she saw the guard grab the hilt of his dagger in its sheath. "You need to know your place."
She took a couple of steps back while stammering, "I-I have to go."
When he saw her retreating, Odette grew in fear when he pulled the small blade out. "I'll make this quick if that helps. I'd hate to see you suffer."
Odette kept backing away from him as he slowly crept to her only for her back to hit the railing, causing her to gasp. Seeing how closer he was getting to her, she tried running away only for him to grab her wrist, causing her to cry out before she hit the ground. She then crawled over to a bucket against the wall and swung at the guard's dagger, knocking it out of his hand.
The guard wouldn't allow a quick attempt for her to flee as she tried to run away, so he grabbed her and leaned her over the railing so that he could wrap his hands around her delicate neck, but Odette refused to give in so easily. She was going to fight her way out of this by squirming out of his grip and reaching up to scratch his face, hoping for a brief moment to let her go, but it only made him even more angry as his grip on her tightened.
Odette was relieved to hear someone shout out, "Let her go!"
The soldier who was trying to kill her was pulled off of her, allowing her to catch her breath as she breathed air back into her lungs. She was relieved to see Derek defending her only for the soldier to turn back around and punch him in the face before grabbing him and drowning him in the fountain.
Odette knew she needed to do something to help him as Derek was being drowned, so she grabbed the soldier's dagger near her and rushed over to them to stab him on his back. The man groaned and let Derek go as he slowly turned back to Odette with ferocious eyes, while Odette stood there, completely terrified as the man's blood dripped down the blade. As scared as she was though, she wasn't going to let him hurt her or Derek, so she was willing to defend herself and Derek from the soldier as the soldier made his way towards her.
She soon gasped when she saw an arrow flying through the air and hitting the soldier's heel, forcing him to bend down and cry out as he held onto his foot. She then looked at Derek who got out of the fountain and simply stared at the man who clenched onto his teeth to withstand the pain as he cradled his injury like a pathetic child. Odette soon looked up when she saw Grim heading down the steps with a bow in his hand and a quiver filled with arrows attached to his hip as he pointed it directly to the soldier.
Grim then glanced over at Odette and asked her, "Do you always have to go looking for trouble?"
Odette didn't care that he seemed annoyed with her. She was just glad that someone was here to help her.
Present
As the needle jumped in a fiery motion from her machine, all Nora thought was for it to mend her problems so that she wouldn't be troubled by them anymore. Working always provided a great distraction for her to ease her nerves. However, she never felt so hurt by such a betrayal before. The worst part about all of this was that Graham was still keeping secrets from her. She couldn't believe that he couldn't explain why he was seeing Regina.
Her thoughts were soon cast aside when she heard the bell rang, so she stopped what she was doing and headed out of the room to go to the front where she froze at the sight of Regina, who smiled at her even though it didn't extend to her eyes. "Miss Moon, I believe we agreed for the blouse to be done today."
She stood there in silence for a brief moment before she nodded her head and told her, "Right. I'll get it for you."
Nora really didn't want to make it for her, but she had to keep reminding herself to never let personal business get in the way of her work. That was why she was in the back room fetching it for her as it was already wrapped in box for her. She simply had to look for Regina's name on it before she brought it out to her.
They both then made a trade: Regina gave her the money, and Nora handed her the box with her blouse inside. "Have a good day," Nora told her while putting the money in the register without sparing a glance at the mayor.
Regina noticed though how her tone was anything but kind, amusing Regina as she told her, "I know you're aware of Graham and me, Miss Moon." That caught Nora's attention as she was taken aback when the mayor continued, "And I'm also aware of your relationship to him."
"I don't have a relationship with him," Nora quickly cut her off.
"Oh?" She didn't like how Regina seemed to enjoy playing with Nora's feelings as she continued, "So, nothing's ever happened between the two of you?"
"Not anymore."
"Well, you also forget, Miss Moon, that as mayor, I have eyes and ears everywhere."
Nora had no idea what Regina was doing, and she certainly didn't like it. "With all due respect, Mayor Mills, but it's not any of your business what I do with my life."
"It is until it infringes on my life." Nora was stunned when Regina warned her, "Stay away from Graham. You may think that you're not together anymore, but you are leading him onto a path of self-destruction. Stay away."
With her final words, she walked out of Nora's store. The way Regina spoke about Graham, made Nora incredibly wary of her. She seemed almost obsessed with Graham that she wanted him to stay in her life. At that moment, Nora knew that Regina was having problems with Graham. Ever since he got caught with Regina, he had been acting so different. Maybe that was why Regina came in here to intimidate Nora. She couldn't keep Graham by her side anymore, so she wanted to warn her Nora to keep away from Graham since she knows that Graham won't stop chasing after Nora since he only loved her, but Nora wasn't ready to move on just yet. She didn't think she could ever trust him again.
Past
After the incident with the soldier trying to kill Odette, she was brought before the Queen, Rothbart, and Sinbad after some nearby guards came when they heard the commotion. They arrested the assassin and took him to the dungeon under Sinbad's order. Now, Odette stood there with her head hung low as was Derek. Grim, on the other hand, stared directly at the Queen, wondering what she was going to say.
When the Queen made her way over to Odette, she circled around her like a hawk hunting its prey. "It seems you keep getting herself into awful situations, and the one who always seems to be there is one of my personal soldiers, Grim. Care to tell me why that is?"
Odette had no idea what she was implying to as she told her, "Your Majesty,...I don't know why that soldier was trying to kill me, but if it hadn't been for Grim and Derek, then I wouldn't be standing here. I only have them to thank."
She didn't like the Queen sneered down at her. "It seems so."
Odette didn't know what else to say as Regina stared her down like a dangerous insect that needed to be squashed. She didn't understand why Regina was very antagonistic towards her. It wasn't as if she did anything to her.
To her surprise, Sinbad stepped in to save the day, "The soldier's already been taken in to the dungeons."
Rothbart then turned to Odette and the two soldiers standing there as he told them firmly, "Escort her back to her room."
Odette didn't even hesitate as she turned and walked away. Derek followed her shortly, but the one who left last was Grim as he looked over at Rothbart and noticed him staring after Odette, so Grim narrowed his eyes at him before catching up to Derek and Odette. Grim got annoyed when Derek asked her if she was alright and hurt anywhere, but she told him that she was fine.
By the time Grim caught up to them, he stopped them by grabbing her arm. "What were you even doing there?" Derek tried to calm him down, but it was useless. "Do you have any idea what you were thinking?"
"It's not like I asked to get attacked," she argued.
"Why were you there?"
Odette froze at his blunt question but didn't want to tell him the truth, so she did some quick thinking by telling him a partial truth, "He said he wanted to talk to me about something, so I followed him to the gardens."
"And you willingly went with him without knowing his intentions?"
It sounded a little ridiculous now that he brought it up, but Odette was just glad that Derek defended her, "Grim, it's okay. She didn't know what was going to happen."
"She has to start."
Grim looked back at her, only for Odette to look away from him, making Grim shake his head. She didn't understand why he was so upset. It wasn't his concern.
"Don't take it personally." Odette turned to Derek as they walked down the halls. "It's just his way of saying that he was worried about you. You'd be surprised the things he said to me when we first met."
Odette gave him a genuine smile as she thanked him before heading back to her room. As soon as she shut her door, Derek went to go see Grim, who spent his time practicing his archery. Grim was absolutely amazing as usual.
When Grim hit a bullseye, Derek gave him a cheeky grin as he made his way down to him. "You never miss your target alright." Grim only gave him a quick glance before turning his attention back to the target. "Don't worry. She's safe now. That's what matters."
"It's not just about that." Derek waited for him as he released another arrow and turned to his friend. "The guards here wouldn't just kill anyone unless if they were ordered to."
It soon dawned on Derek as he knew what Grim meant. "Are you saying either Sinbad, Rothbart, or the Queen ordered to kill her?"
"They're the only ones who control them."
Present
It was dead at night, and Graham stood at the back alley where the back entrance of Amir's bar was. All day Graham kept trying to put the pieces together to build up a case against Amir, and he eventually came to a conclusion that the best way was to go for the source. Graham was willing to do whatever it took to find the truth this time.
When one of his employees came out of the door wearing a red-fleeced hat, Graham approached him when he saw him throwing the trash out. "Excuse me," Graham called out to him. "Do you mind answering some questions for me?"
The man seemed rather nervous and nearly stumbled as he slowly backed away from him to head back inside. "Oh, Sheriff Humbert. I really couldn't. I have a lot of work that needs to get done."
"Please. What's your name?"
He paused to tell the sheriff, "William. William Smith."
"Well, Mr. Smith," In a desperate attempt, Graham took out forty dollars, making the man's eyes widen and turned back to Graham, and Graham knew that money was the only way to get him to talk. "That's forty bucks I'm willing to give if you just talk to me."
It took him a moment, and Graham was disappointed to see Smith shake his head. "No. No. I'm sorry, but I-"
"Sixty."
William was completely shocked that Graham raised the price, so he tried to leave again. "I'm sorry, but I can't, sheriff."
"Eighty." William froze as if he was considering taking the money, but he still didn't give in, so Graham betted with, "A hundred, but that's as far as I'll go."
When William saw the sheriff taking out five twenty dollar bills, he hesitantly reached out and took the money before stuffing it in his pocket. "Alright. What do you want to know?"
There it was. Graham was satisfied to hear that. Amir was typically so careful that his employees didn't talk to the sheriff. Whenever Graham tried, Khan always managed a way to stop him by pulling his employees away and telling them that they have more work to do.
Graham then took out the file and showed him the photos inside. "What can you tell me about this case?"
As William looked them over, his eyebrows furrowed in confusion as he commented, "But,...this is Deputy Wright?" At that moment, William looked up at the sheriff and saw the seriousness in his gaze. "He was bitten by a snake."
"Then why do I have a hard time believing that? There's never been any snakes in Storybrooke as far as I'm concerned."
Graham knew that Amir had to have something to do with Derek's death. Before Derek died, he kept trying to convince Graham that something was going on in Amir's bar, but he had no idea what. Graham didn't know what to make of it at the time. He really didn't like Amir like everyone else in Storybrooke, but Graham had no real proof to make an arrest, which was why Derek went out of his way to find one by going behind Graham's back after Graham told him not to do anything without his approval. Now, Derek was dead.
"You work with Amir, and I know that whatever he's been doing, something is going in there. I don't know what, but I know that it's enough for him to go to jail to."
"Well, you can always ask the mayor for a warrant."
"Except that she wasn't too keen about it when I asked her." Graham argued. "You work for him, so you have to know what it is. Tell me. What has he been doing here?"
Graham thought he had him when he opened his mouth to say something only to be cut off by Amir as he made his way down the steps. "Smith. What are you doing?"
William stammered because he got caught his boss. "Well, Mr. Khan, I-"
Amir put a finger up to make him stop talking as he cut him off, "Do you really have to answer that?"
His eyes soon piqued with interest when he saw the cash in his employee hand, so he took it and began counting. Graham just stood there, knowing that Amir was not pleased that he almost had him. When Amir finished counting, all he did was stare back at the sheriff and ordered William to go into the bar, so he did reluctantly.
A sickening grin groomed Khan's face as he handed the money back to him and told him, "Nice try." Amir then put his hands on his pockets as he shook his head at Graham. "I really don't understand. For a long time now, you keep trying to find ways to arrest me only to find nothing. Don't you think that maybe I'm...innocent?"
Grim gave him a cold look as he told him off, "There's nothing innocent about you, Khan."
That earned him a cheeky grin from Amir, and it only grew when Amir finally noticed the photos in his hand. "You still think I did it?"
"Why don't you tell me since you seem to know everything?"
"Oh, I wish I did. Then I would've known that you came here only to threaten my business."
"It must be flawed if a business can be shut down just by talking to the employees, unless if there's something in here that you don't want me to find out."
Amir snickered at him as he took daunting steps towards him and faced him. "Then...prove it."
When Graham had nothing to say, Amir gave him a victorious smirk and headed back inside his bar as he shut the door behind him, leaving the sheriff alone with his thoughts. If there was one thing Graham won't back down from, it's Amir challenging him, and when Graham headed back to the sheriff station, he slammed the file back down his desk. He couldn't stand it whenever Amir pictured himself on a pedestal.
If Amir wanted a fight, then he was going to get one, but Graham knew that it wouldn't be so simple to go up against him. Amir not only had Regina on his side, but he practically had many eyes and ears everywhere in Storybrooke. They must have told Amir about his every move, which was why Graham was never able to catch up to him, but Graham wasn't ready to give up. He owed it to Derek.
Graham then touched his sheriff badge and knew just what to do as a crazy idea came to his head. He swore to himself that he will catch Khan. He didn't come this far just to give up. However, if Graham were to go along with his plan, then he may not see Nora again for a while, but it was a risk he was willing to take. Still, he didn't want her to be anymore upset with him, so he grabbed a piece of paper and pen and started writing.
Past
As the soldier was getting tortured in the dungeons for trying to kill Odette, his screams could be heard throughout the chamber. He was on a wooden frame that was slightly raised from the ground. His wrists were chained up at one end and his ankles were attached to a roller on the other end. He was in excruciating pain by being torn apart as his limbs continued to be pulled by the guard.
To the assassin's relief, the guard stopped when Sinbad entered through the door and made his way over to the victim as he dismissed the guard to go outside and give him a moment with the prisoner. "Oof! That looks painful."
The poor man then looked at him with bloodshot eyes and wheezed out, "My lord,...I only did what you...asked."
Sinbad then smirked as he replied, "I know."
He had no idea what just happened when Sinbad drew his blade so quickly only to stab him in the throat. The man gasped, while Sinbad stared at the man coldly as he drew his last breath so that Sinbad could finally pull his blade out and clean it out with a handkerchief. When he finished cleaning his dagger, he looked at the body one last time before he opened the door and turned to the guard who was patiently waiting for him.
"Throw the body in the river," Sinbad ordered.
The guard bowed his head before Sinbad walked away. Even though the man failed to kill Odette, Sinbad wasn't going to allow her to do as she pleased. Ever since he saw her leaving Rothbart's chamber with the parchment, Sinbad knew she was trouble and that she needed to be disposed of. Still, this little game of cat and mouse was quite enjoyable to him as he will admit that she was quite cunning, which made his game even more interesting.
Present
The next day, Emma entered the sheriff station with two cups of coffee as she called out, "Graham, I got you some coffee."
When there was no answer, Emma called his name again only to still not get an answer. It was strange to her since Graham was always the first one at the sheriff station. Emma then went to his desk when she noticed something on it. She was surprised to find his sheriff badge on his desk and a note that came with it that was addressed to Emma.
Emma,
I'm making you sheriff. I know it's a lot to take in, but I can't
think of anyone else who could take care of the people in this
town. Before I come back, there's something I need to take care
of, so please tell Nora that if she's willing to wait, then I will tell
her everything, but for now, I need to be on my own by being a
better man to the people here. I need to make it right for them,
so please, do what I couldn't do as sheriff by looking out for them.
Sincerely,
Graham Humbert
Emma couldn't believe what she read. Graham appointed her as sheriff? She immediately took her phone out and tried calling him only for it to go straight to voicemail, so she tried again, and it did the same exact thing. Eventually she gave up calling him and read the note over again. Emma needed to tell someone about this, so she visited Mary Margaret and Nora later in the day by telling them everything as she showed them the note that Graham left her.
Both Mary Margaret and Nora were completely stunned by this announcement as Nora said, "I don't understand why he won't just tell me then."
"The note does say that he wants to be a better man. Maybe he feels guilty about what he did to you?"
Emma didn't agree with Mary Margaret as she argued, "I don't think that it's just the affair. He's making it seem like that he's not good enough for this town otherwise why else would he leave his badge?"
"But, why would Graham think he's not good enough?" Mary Margaret asked.
No one had an idea why, but if there was one thing for certain, Graham was not telling them everything, and it made them even more curious towards his action. They wanted to know what was going on, especially Nora as she didn't understand why Graham wouldn't tell her why he was doing all of this. Nora knew that something suspicious was going on when Graham couldn't tell her why he was seeing Regina, and to top it all off, Regina threatened her in her store. It made Nora frustrated over this whole ordeal that now she had to wait for him to explain himself. She didn't even know how much longer she had to wait for him, let alone forgive him for running away instead of telling her the truth.
There's Chapter 7! I hope you all enjoyed the little twist I had by keeping Graham alive, and trust me when I say that I have a lot more surprises planed that I hope you all will like and appreciate. Please let me know what you think in the review section. Stay tuned for more exciting chapters!