Disclaimer: I don't own OUAT
A/N: AU Season 2 takes place after 2x11. Written in 2013, I had this posted before and deleted it. Now I feel I wanna reshare it. Enjoy the AU messed up goodness.
Isn't that what OUAT has become anyway?
Undoing
X -x-x-x-x- X
The cold bitter wind crept up his coat and back down his spine like an old witch's hand beckoning him to her lair. The air was dead and still holding promises of dread in its stale unmoving and he knew today was not going to be a good day.
He trekked along, the expensive gold handled cane his only real friend. His constant companion, it felt at times like it was the only thing in the world that understood him. It knew why he needed it. It knew the truth.
The only thing that did, really.
He continued, ignoring the stares of the townsfolk. The rumors were swirling around about all the new things happening in Storybrooke. It was beginning to feel like a reality show instead of a peaceful fairytale respite. He could hear them now;
"Henry's dad...Henry's grandfather...poor kid...such a sweet boy to be related to him..."
Oh, yes. Everyone felt sorry for Henry. He scoffed as the other rumors repeated in his head;
"Lacey...you know what she did, right?...Racy Lacey...Hilarious...Gold won't be able to control this one..."
He shook his head while holding a growl down in his throat. Yes, those were stinging a bit more these days. It seemed that her cursed self had been repressed by drugs in the sanatorium the last twenty eight years, but now that she was free, it was coming to light. The rumors surrounding her were scandalous and he had to keep himself from leveling the entire town every time he heard a new one.
He had tried. Oh, he had tried. Tried to reason with her, to tell her she wasn't this kind of person, but she wouldn't listen. She would yell and scream and run just like a petulant child and he would always be left alone.
Alone with his cane.
The bell to his shop jingled and he let out a long sigh. He had tried to keep his emotions tucked away in these recent weeks, not letting anyone see how all this was affecting him.
His son was here but not here. Belle was here but not here.
And then there was Henry.
He blinked down at the boy, confusion sweeping his features. He had been so lost in his thoughts he hadn't heard the bell ring again. "Can I help you?" he curtly asked him.
"No, but I think I can help you." He bounced on his heels and Gold then noticed he was holding that insipid book he always used to carry.
"I don't have time right now. Come back, say in..." He wanted to say never but Henry had already ran up to the counter, making the older man have to follow.
"I thought of something cool," the child began, opening the book. "Belle's your true love, right?" Gold sighed in annoyance, glaring down at the boy as he circled the counter to give an appearance of dominance. "Well, I think that's why you're so cranky these days. I mean, you found your son but lost Belle."
"Get to the point," he snapped harshly and Henry simply smiled back.
"See? Cranky," he giggled much like Bae used to and he felt his stomach shiver.
The boy will be your undoing...
'Don't fall. Keep it together,' he told himself.
"See, I think that if you and Belle kiss it'll bring back her memory!" he beamed, searching for the pages that held their Story.
"I already tried that," he admitted, immediately regretting it. "It didn't work."
"Well, duh; she doesn't love you." The way he said it was so blasé and nonchalant it made his whole core heave. He knew that fact but to have a child say it with such ease was...wrenching to say the least. He kept his mask in place however and before he could respond, Henry shook his head. "I mean this Belle doesn't love you. What's her name? Lacey? Anyway, if she loved you I bet it would work."
"Excuse me?"
"Ugh, haven't you seen Shrek Forever After?" Gold stared. "She needs to fall in love with you again. Then True Love's Kiss will work."
Gold rubbed the bridge of his nose. "That's a pretty big assumption."
"True Love can break any curse, right?"
He looked up.
Kiss me again, it's working...Any curse can be broken...
"And what do you suggest I do? She wants nothing to do with me." He couldn't believe he was carrying on this conversation.
"Get to know her. Like, date her or something. I think it could work. And what do you have to lose? If it works you'll have her and your son and, well, me too. A whole big family! You'd want that, right?" he looked up hopeful at his newfound grandfather and Gold felt that blasted pinch in his gut again.
"I...will consider it...but I really am busy today Henry, so if you'll excuse me." He ushered him towards the door and thankfully the boy obeyed.
"Okay, just remember; if it was True Love before, it can be again."
Gold deadpanned. "You're too much like your grandmother..." He gently pushed him out the door and shut it, making sure to lock it. "Oy..." he shook his head with a groan. He walked over to the counter and saw that the book had been left behind. He didn't want to run after him, because then he'd want to talk to him again so he just figured he'd mail it to the Charmings. He had the money to spare, after all.
But as he approached it, he saw the page it had been left on.
Here...If you'll have it...
Why, thank you...
Clear as day in perfect, brilliant color. Quite creepy to see it done this way. It was like a painting over a photograph and he swallowed hard.
He rubbed his face and slammed the book shut, whispers of the past tormenting him.
But...perhaps he could give it a try. What did he have to lose after all? His progress with Neal was slow to say the least and he knew he wouldn't get very far with him. Belle had lost herself trying to help him reach his son and now that he had...
He couldn't let her sacrifice be in vain.
It was this reasoning, he told himself, that convinced him.
Not the boy's.
His entire resolve had been broken when he heard the latest rumor;
"Did you hear?...Racy Lacey has a boyfriend...she sneaks out in the woods to meet him all the time...the woods?...what a slut..."
She was sneaking out into the woods to meet some slimy man? That was unconscionable. There was no way in any world that he was going to tolerate that. No one was going to take advantage of this girl while he was around. It didn't matter if she hated him, he was beyond caring at this point.
He would put an end to this.
The question was how? The obvious choice was magic, but he didn't want to scare her further. No...no this time he'd use an old fashioned method. He had no plans to actually kill anyone, perhaps just frighten them off.
But as his hand gripped the trigger, he knew he'd do more than scare.
Point this, pull this trigger and the gun will do the rest for ya...
The irony, for this was the very same gun he had given her. If he hadn't, Hook never would've gotten a hold of it.
It was like he shot her himself.
He drove to the corner and watched as she ran. He followed with his eyes and secured the gun in his coat. He waited as long as he could then got out of the car to follow on foot.
"I don't know about this," he heard her low voice say.
"It's the only way. You do want to be free, don't you? Well, so do I. I won't be trapped in this pissant town forever. Do you want to be?" the voice was hushed but it was definitely male.
"No..." she replied. "But where will we go?"
"Anywhere but here. You'll be safe anywhere but here."
"Because of him. Gold."
"Yes. He'll hurt you again."
Again? Hurt her again? Who the hell was this man filling her head with pustular lies? He would never hurt her. If anyone was hurting her it was this sleaze, taking advantage of her in this weakened state.
He didn't care anymore.
He sneaked behind the trees and found himself just behind them as they spoke. "I just wish it didn't have to be this way..." she whispered. "I just want to be free."
"You will be. I promise."
Oh, now he was making promises to his Belle? Not gonna happen. He wasn't going to breathe for another second. He cocked the gun and turned around the base of the tree he'd been leaning against.
What he saw would haunt him for all eternity.
She was in his arms, a sensual embrace, kissing as if she had done it a thousand times before. His hand on the small of her back, pulling her in. Her hair all around them, blowing in the breeze as her hand snacked up his neck and into his.
His heart must have been made of glass because it shattered and pierced his insides all the way down.
"I don't believe this," he finally snarled, teeth baring like a dragon ready to blow. She gasped and screamed as her lover turned to face him. "What is this? Some sort of fetish you have? You must bed every woman in my life?!" he wailed, waving the gun at his tormentor.
Hook sneered wickedly. "Honestly, I did wonder if you would ever find out, but this actually has nothing to do with you." He was wearing normal street clothes, and his hook had been replaced with a fake hand, but his eyes were still dark. With all that, something seemed wrong as he looked to Belle.
"What are you doing here?!" she screeched but Hook held her behind him.
"Stay back, Lacey!"
As soon as that name hit his ears, Gold exploded. "Don't call her that!" he roared, aiming the gun.
"That's her name now. You'd better learn that," Hook calmly replied.
Gold looked to Belle. "You need to come with me now."
"Why? So you can shoot me or do whatever it is you do with that fire?" she bit back, venom in her eyes at him.
He looked down. "I would never hurt you, Belle."
"Quite calling me that!" she cried. "My name is Lacey! LACEY! And I'm not going anywhere with you! I'm leaving this town and there's nothing you can do to stop me. If you try, I'll call the cops."
Gold scoffed and rolled his eyes. "What do you mean leaving?" He looked at the pirate for an answer.
"We're leaving Storybrooke," Hook stated as if he was really going to do it. As if he was going to live past this moment.
Gold flashed a cruel grin. "On what? The Jolly Roger? Good luck explaining that to her."
"We'll find a way."
Gold shook in rage, barely containing it. "If you want revenge, fine. Come after me. Don't come after some girl who has no idea what's really going on!"
"Excuse me!" She came in front of Hook. "I'm right here and I know precisely what's going on!"
Gold sighed, pity etching his face. "No...you really don't..."
She spit out some air. "Okay, I may not know what's going on in this town, but I do know I want nothing to do with it or anyone in it. I just..." She paused and looked down. "I just want to be free. I want to be me, me and not this woman everyone else thinks I am. Everyone laughs at me...always talking and pointing...I want to be free..."
"And you will be." Hook placed a hand on her shoulder and Gold snapped, aiming the gun up again.
"Shut up!" He looked at the shadow that was once his love. "You don't need him. You could do so much better."
"Oh, what? Like you?"
Gold laughed, a sardonic ironic chuff. "No, probably not. But you could definitely do better than him."
"I don't want better than him!" she yelled and his stomach went ice cold. His hand was shaking the barrel as he screamed the question he dreaded the answer to;
"Why?!"
"BECAUSE I LOVE HIM!"
The forest went silent. It was as if all the insects had stopped at her admission, along with the wind and any signs of life. The whole area went dead.
"You...what...?" he trembled and she took a deep breath.
"I love him. We've been seeing each other for weeks in secret because of you," she calmly explained.
He looked to the pirate expecting some sort of wicked smile, but all he saw was a look that almost seemed like grief. "So this was your revenge. Get her to love you just like Milah did." He looked at the girl again. "He doesn't love you. He's just using you to get me."
She frowned. "You're lying."
Gold finally lowered the gun. "No, I'm not. This man and I have a past and he wants nothing more than to hurt me deeply. He knows I...care about you and this was his way of getting me."
"I don't believe you!" She backed away from him.
"He's the one that shot you that night in the first place!"
Her eyes widened. "What?"
"He shot you and made you lose your memory. He hurt you! Didn't you see him?"
"No!" she cried, backing away still, Hook holding on to her.
"He was hit by the car!"
"I didn't see that! I didn't see anybody but you!"
Gold shouted in frustration. "He is using you!"
She turned and faced her lover. "That's not true, is it? Tell me he's lying! Tell me!"
Hook sighed and shook his head. "No. I'm done with that. No more lying. I was the one that shot you that night." Her eyes widened as her heart shattered on the ground. "I did pursue you to go after him...but something changed." Gold scoffed in disgust. "I fell in love with you, Lacey. You and not Belle."
"This is pathetic. You honestly expect me to believe this dribble?" Gold spat.
"I don't care what you believe, crocodile. Lacey is a real person whether you want her to be or not."
She backed up and held her head in panic. "I...I don't know what to think anymore!"
Gold held out a hand. "Belle, just come with me. I can help you remember..."
She held her head and shook. "STOP IT! When are you going to get that I'm not Belle?! I'm not her! I'M NOT HER!"
"I KNOW!" he finally admitted as she slowly met his eyes. "I know..." It was silent for a few seconds as Gold realized he what he was saying.
He took a deep breath and sighed it back out. "Belle wouldn't act like this. She wouldn't dress like the town whore." He swept her attire and cringed. Fishnet stockings, short red skirt and revealing black tank top with hair all tussled and far too much makeup on her once flawless face. "She would never stoop so low as to associate with a greasy lowlife like him." He pointed the gun at Hook's face. "She would never give up her body to someone as undeserving as him." He steadied himself for the final blow. "Belle's gone..." he whispered, the first time he had really said it. "She's gone and never coming back. And you...you are nothing like her. Belle had more goodness in one strand of her hair than you do in your entire body."
Her eyes widened, shock filling her gaze as if what he had said hurt her.
But he didn't care anymore.
He continued, "Someone told me that if I wanted Belle back I should try to get you to fall in love with me." Her face showed pure disgust but he laughed it off. "Don't worry. I wouldn't want you if you were the last person on Earth." That same hurt filled her eyes again and he wondered if perhaps something somewhere deep inside her, hidden and repressed, felt pain at his words...but he was beyond anything at this point. "You...will never be my Belle."
She gasped, just a little intake of breath and the smallest part of him hoped that Belle would resurface and push past this harlot, but it was fleeting as she backed away from him. "I wouldn't want to be anyway. I pity any woman that would love you."
It was like his whole body went numb. He was staring at her, slowly feeling something he never thought he would for her.
Hatred.
Pure unfiltered hatred for the woman that wore his love's face. All he wanted was this thing, this shadow gone. "You want to leave Storybrooke? Fine. But he..." and he aimed the gun at the pirate again, "...goes nowhere." His finger went to the trigger but she stepped in front of him.
"NO! Don't! Please! Please!" He looked at her pleading face and heard Belle crying inside her.
There's good in you...I see it...I've always seen it...please...please don't let me be wrong...
He lowered the gun, and Hook chuckled a little under his breath. "Good to see she has the same power over you that Belle did." He walked around the girl and was right in front of him.
Gold was calm as can be as he lowered his voice and spoke. "I will get you for this. It may not be now and it may not be death, but I will get you."
Hook nodded with a small snort. "I'll remember that..." he leaned in close to whisper, "...when I'm stripping off her clothes tonight." He turned and walked back to her as Gold stood with no expression on his face.
It was like he reached a moment of clarity. Everything fell into place. Everything made sense.
He didn't care anymore.
"You know what?" he asked, making them both look at him. "She's not Belle, so I don't care what she feels."
"NOOO!"
Her scream echoed with the gunshot as the whole forest went silent again. The trees seemed to gasp in unison at the horror that had been displayed before them.
She lay on the ground, blood seeping from her midsection.
Hook was bedside her, muttering and cursing but he couldn't hear anything. There was no sound, not even his own breathing.
He just stood, wide eyed and lost.
No sound.
Until...
"HEAL HER!" His eyes snapped to the screaming pirate. "HEAL HER! I know you can, so do it!"
And another moment of clarity hit him. If he healed her she would continue down this path. She would continue to give her body to this man, or whoever else she wanted. She would continue to defile Belle's body and shame her forever.
Belle wouldn't want that. She wouldn't want to be used like this. She would hate this woman for stealing her life. She would want to be saved. Yes, she would want to be saved.
And he could do that. He could finally be her knight in shining armor. He could finally free her from this prison.
And at the same time, he mused as he looked at the horrid man knelt beside her, he could get the revenge he deserved.
"No, I don't think I will." Hook's eyes widened. "You took Belle, so I took Lacey. Quite fitting, don't you think?" And he laughed, flashing a devilish grin like days of old. "You shot Belle and I shoot Lacey. It's almost poetic." He turned a little as Hook jumped up to meet him.
"You're mad! It's still Belle!"
Gold pivoted. "Oh, so now she's Belle when you want me to save her? I don't think so, pirate - you can't have it both ways!" Words failed in the captain's mouth as Gold looked away. "Even if I did save her, she loves you now. That can't be undone. Love can't be forced or cured...and as for you..." his hand snapped around Hook's throat, "You ever come after me again, I'll burn you alive...slowly." Gold dropped him on the ground beside his beloved Lacey and walked off.
"Must you destroy everything that's good in the world?! You truly are a demon with no soul!"
Gold scoffed as he walked. "You just now figure that out?"
He entered the shop slowly, locking the door behind him and pulling the shades.
He stood and held his cane tightly with both hands. Yet again, he was left alone with it. Alone with everything in his shop. All his knick-knacks a plenty. All his magical conquests.
All of his things.
Things were all he had left. Things were all he ever had. Things and not people.
You choosing all this...crap over me...
And all you'll have...is an empty heart...and a chipped cup...
It was like the snap of a finger, the blink of an eye. One second he was standing and the next he was cradling his head, a scream like no other emanating from his mouth.
The cane fell to the floor.
Snap
The front window exploded out into the street.
Bits of glass flying everywhere as everything within the shop became shrapnel propelled outward. Cars toppled over, their alarms ringing as the ground shook from the force of his rage, the final piece being the sign that hung in the front bursting into flames.
He just fucking didn't care anymore.
It should have been a peaceful dinner. She should be laughing with her parents and smiling at her son, hoping for some sort of sign of forgiveness from him. She should be getting a buzz from the wine Neal brought over. She should be relaxing for the first time in like, ever.
But things never go as they should.
Her phone rang, a sharp, shrill tone that made everyone stare at her. She uncomfortably shifted and flipped it open, seeing it was the station. Perhaps taking the sheriff's badge wasn't the best idea she'd ever had.
As she listened to the report, her whole stomach turned to ice and she lost her appetite, which was a shame because David did a hell of a job with that steak.
A woman had been brought into the hospital with a gunshot wound.
The last time she heard of a gun going off, Greg had sped into town...and Gold was involved. She acknowledged the report, shut off her phone and downed the rest of the wine.
"Must be bad," her father commented, making her sigh.
"Yeah, you could say that. I gotta go to the hospital. A gunshot victim was just brought in; Female."
Mary gasped and David stood up. "I'll come with you."
"Someone in Storybrooke...shot a woman?" Henry asked solemnly and Emma put a hand on his shoulder.
"Yeah, it seems that way. I'm sorry, kid. The real world keeps showing up here."
Henry shook his head. "It's okay. You go do your job."
Emma looked to Neal who nodded. "Yeah, I'll stay with him...if you want me to," he added.
She looked at Mary. "I'm coming too. I have a bad feeling about this..."
Emma put on her jacket as she spoke, "Me too. Henry, be good for Neal. I'll be back as soon as I can."
Henry smiled at her, what she had been waiting for, and she returned the gesture as the door shut leaving father and son alone.
"I hope it's no one we know."
Neal chuckled at the boy's comment. "I don't know anyone here except all of them and my father. So a woman...nope - wouldn't know her."
Henry shook his head.
Emma, David and Mary came into the Emergency Room to see doctors frantically working on a young woman.
A young woman with long brown hair...
Emma felt that ice form in her gut again and swallowed. As she did, her eyes fell on a very familiar face standing vigil and yelling at all of them to save her.
"You gotta be kidding me!" She grabbed him by the shoulder and gasped a little at his fearful expression. "What the hell happened?"
"What do you think?" he snarled back. "Rumplestiltskin shot her!"
Emma raised an eyebrow. "He wouldn't have been aiming for you by any chance?" Hook remained silent as David rounded on them.
"You! I can't wait to pay you back for cold-cocking me." He went to get in his face but Mary stopped him.
"Is that...Belle?" she asked in a shaky tone.
"No," Hook responded. "That's Lacey. And your wonderful Mr. Gold shot her because she was in the way."
"In the way of what? You?" Emma asked, receiving a nod. "Uh huh. And why would she protect you? She doesn't even know you." Hook looked down and Emma scoffed, shaking her head. "Oh, my God. Are you serious?"
He shrugged. "It's not like I planned it. Well, actually I did...but...not like this..."
"That is despicable!" Mary spat. "I don't believe you. She doesn't even remember. You took advantage of her!"
"She knew what she was doing," Hook replied. "Trust me."
Mary exclaimed in disgust as Emma grabbed him by the arm. "You're under arrest."
He glared her down. "For what? I've done nothing wrong."
"How about punching my father?" Hook looked at David who wore a smug grin.
"Oh. That." She smiled in victory and pulled out some handcuffs. "Wait. She has no one here for her. At least let me stay until I know she's alright." Both of the blonde's eyebrows went up with that, receiving a glare. "What?"
"Did...you grow a heart?" Hook scoffed at her question. "I think you did." She looked at her parents and back at the room that held the girl. "Fine." She shoved him onto a waiting room chair and cuffed him to it. "And I'll be back."
"I'm shaking with anticipation," was his droll reply.
Dr. Whale came out, rubbing his hands together. "She needs surgery." He looked around nervously and Emma sighed.
"Don't worry; he's not here."
The doctor nodded. "I'll let you know when I'm finished." He went off to scrub in and that's when they felt it.
The whole ground shook, briefly but violently and they all looked at each other. "What the hell was that?" Emma breathed.
"I don't know. We don't get Earthquakes in Storybrooke," Mary answered.
As if on cue, Emma's phone rang, the tone even louder than it did at dinner. "Ugh. Hello?...what...okay...yeah...okay. We'll be there." She hung up with a pale face. "Gold's shop just exploded." Mary gasped with hands over her mouth. "Um...what do I do here?"
"You stop him no matter what it takes. The Dark One will destroy this entire town if you don't," Hook replied in a deadened tone.
Emma looked at her father who nodded. "We need to do this now. We don't have a choice." She nodded in return and sighed.
"This is gonna suck."
Mary looked at them taking Belle to surgery. "I'll stay behind and call if anything changes." She grabbed her husband's shoulder. "Be careful."
"You know I will." They shared a kiss, making the pirate roll his eyes, soon leaving him in his misery.
A large crowd had formed across the street of the pawn shop. Mother Superior was standing in front of them, holding her wand for protection. "What's going on?" Emma asked her, and she sighed heavily looking rather bereft.
"I sense a powerful dark energy coming from inside. I think the true Dark One has returned..." she whispered and her wand trembled in her hands.
Emma and David exchanged a glance as they heard panting come running up. Emma gasped as she saw who it was.. "Neal!"
"What the hell happened?" he breathed heavily.
She frowned at him. "Where's Henry?"
"With Archie. We felt the ground shake and stepped outside hearing someone yell 'Gold's Pawn Shop'. What did my father do now?"
Emma sighed. "Well, that's a long story..."
"He shot Belle," David spat, not caring. Neal simply looked confused and Emma groaned.
"Get ready for this one..."
He could hear them.
Talking and whispering and possibly shooting pictures with their phones. He would be the gossip of the town now. More rumors would circulate. He could hear them now.
"Gold finally lost it...none of us are safe...he's crazy...I always knew it...we need to get rid of him..."
He slowly breathed out as the voices tormented him.
"He needs to die...he needs to die...you need to die..."
His hand tightened the grip. Cold, smooth metal.
His only friend.
"Sorry you fell on the floor..."
Neal sighed, rubbing his hair. "Okay, so...my dad's old girlfriend was shot by Hook and she forgot her memory and he shot her accidentally because he caught her sneaking around...with Hook. Do I have this right?"
Emma blinked. "Yeah, pretty much."
He shook his head and looked to the shop. "I'm goin' in." Emma went to protest but he stopped her."I'm probably the only one here that can go in right now. Just let me see how bad it is."
She sighed. "Okay...just...be careful..." He smirked at her and walked away from the crowd, ignoring their stares.
He could almost hear the agony in the silence that pooled out of the hole that was once his father's shop. He hadn't been there very often but he remembered what it used to look like.
There was not a single thing left on the walls. Where the items inside went was the real question, for what laid in the street was wood and glass from the window. But what was strange; there seemed to be more glass than what the window possessed. Perhaps, even in his rage, he turned everything in the shop to glass so it would make less damage. Or he poofed the evidence away. No one could know for sure.
The wallpaper was burned and singed, peeling off the walls from extreme heat, the counters were reduced to rubble and more glass littered the place. It looked like a grenade had gone off.
The building, however, seemed intact and he also wondered if that had been done on purpose. His father might have lost it but there was still a moniker of control. 'Figures," he thought as he walked to what used to be the back.
He gasped as he beheld his father sitting in the corner, leaning against the wall, legs stretched outward with the cane in his lap. The back room looked the same as the shop and he sighed, coming over to him, the glass beneath his feet cracking and snapping.
He finally made it over to his side and crouched down on his ankles. Gold was staring off at nothing with no expression on his face. Minutes ticked by with neither saying anything before he spoke.
"They were wise to send you in here."
Neal snorted and knelt down fully on his knees. "I chose to come in, actually."
His eyes moved, only slightly to him. "Is she dead?"
Neal took a breath. "No. She's in surgery. We don't know anything yet."
Gold nodded and it went silent again. "I...never told you the truth. In Manhattan, I was flustered because you only gave me three minutes."
Neal snorted. "The great Rumplestiltskin flustered by time restraints."
Gold chuffed at that. "Yes...I blew it. I wanted to tell you...I wanted to tell you that I've always been looking for you. That every deal, plot, and scheme that I've done from the moment I let you go was to find you. I never stopped, not for an instance. I swore I would never love anyone else until I did."
Neal waited a few seconds. "But..."
"I had to wait for the right time...for the curse to be enacted. I was...bored. I got a message from a lonely kingdom to save them from ogres. I didn't need to. It wouldn't have helped my quest. But...I needed something to do. So, I played a game. I tested them. If they wanted their kingdom saved, they'd give me their princess. Simple." Neal adjusted his knees and waited for more. "They declined, of course. It was fun to see their faces. I was going to leave and have it be that, but...she..."
"Belle?" Neal finished for him, finally getting him to look over.
"Yes...Belle." Her name dripped off his tongue, coated in agony. "She agreed. She agreed to go with me forever. And so I went along with it. It was gonna be hilarious; watching the little princess cook and clean." He shook his head. "But she did everything with ease. Every test I gave her she passed with flying colors. The only thing she ever did wrong was...chip...a teacup..." his voice finished in a whisper and Neal felt his father's armor cracking.
"Belle was an accident," Gold continued. "She was never meant to happen."
"Love usually works that way," his son replied, making him smile a little.
"I...let her go...like a fool...and when I found her again...I wasted all the time I did have...trying to fix a mistake that had nothing to do with her. She was so understanding..." He swallowed and shifted where he sat, groaning as the movement irritated his leg. "Belle was the only person in this town that ever believed the good in me...and I kept proving her wrong over...and over...and over..." His hands were gripping the cane to the point of making his knuckles white and Neal watched as it all came crashing down.
"I left her bleeding on the ground like some dog...!" he gasped, a sob building in his throat. "Who does something like that...?!" The tears spilled as he shook in horror.
Neal...Bealfire...didn't see his father cry often, especially after he became the Dark One, but he remembered a time when they were at their poorest, after his mother died, watching his father hunched over a table weeping into his hands with nothing but two dirty coins beneath him. He knew when he saw that there would be no food for one of them that week.
And he knew which one it would be.
The spinner was before him again for the first time in many, many years and he couldn't help it; he reached out and pulled his father in, holding him close, trying to comfort him. "It's okay. It's okay. Shh, it's okay," he eased.
"I'm sorry...!" Gold harshly wept into him. "I'm so sorry...!" Neal kept chanting his mantra over and over in a sour attempt to wash away centuries of pain.
Rumplestiltskin wailed it out this time, changing the words only in the slightest.
But it was that slight he had been waiting for his entire life.
"I'm so sorry, Bae...! I'm so sorry, BAE! I'M SO SORRY!"
And that melted the ice. He held him tighter and soothed his hair back, feeling his eyes burn in turn. "It's okay...it's okay...it's okay, Papa...it's okay, Papa...it's okay, Papa..." he sobbed in between his promises, as his father broke into him.
And together they healed.
When he came out, holding his father up by the shoulders, he was glad to see the crowd had dispersed. Emma and David met them at the front of the disheveled shop. "It's okay now," he told the blonde and she simply stared at Gold, studying him.
Mary came running up and David turned to her, hoping it wasn't bad news she was relaying. "Oh, my God..." she gasped, not at the shop but what she had to say next. "She's out of surgery. She's gonna be fine."
All eyes were on the man that had shot her as he simply looked at the ground, blinking a few times. "Oh. That's...good to hear..."
Neal nodded and patted his shoulder. "See? I told you." He sighed heavily. "Let's get you home..."
"Wait." David stopped him and looked at Emma. "We have to do this."
Emma seemed torn, glancing back from her father to her child's father. "Wait...I..."
"Do what? What's going on?" Neal asked.
"Emma," David pressed and she relented.
She turned to Gold and held out a new pair of cuffs. "You're under arrest." He looked surprised as she continued. "Attempted murder, reckless endangerment, destruction of public property, disturbing the peace and probably a whole bunch of things that I can't think of right now."
Gold blinked. "Public property? That shop was mine."
Emma groaned. "The blast affected people across the street as well as several cars - and it's amazing out of all that, that is the thing you object to."
Neal stepped in. "Wait, you can't do this."
"Yeah, I can. He lost control and I can't let him get away with that." She bore her eyes into Gold's. "There are these things called rules and the world is full of them. You can't just blow things up. I wouldn't take it from Regina and I'm not taking it from you."
Neal watched as his father's control was put firmly back in place as he took a dominate step forward. "And what makes you think I'll let you arrest me, Miss Swan?"
"Because I have this," David announced, holding up the Kris Dagger.
Rumplestiltskin's eyes widened a bit and Neal let out a puff of air. "Where did you get that?"
"Your father told us where to get it, so he only has himself to blame," Charming calmly replied.
"He was dying!" Neal reflected.
David smiled. "Too bad." He and his wife exchanged a glance as he continued. "I command thee, Dark One." Eyes widened again. "From this moment forward you will do exactly as I say. You will not use any magic unless you have my permission. And you will let Emma arrest you, and you'll go where we tell you. Is that understood?"
Eerie silence encroached them as they awaited a response.
Gold took a breath. "Yes, master." His tone was not of the pawn broker, but the Dark One himself and Neal felt his insides shiver.
"Good." David nodded to Emma but Neal stopped them again.
"No. I won't let you do this. That dagger should be mine; he's my father."
"Neal - "
"Give me the knife," he ordered the prince.
"Or what? We'll duel for it?" David countered.
"If I have to, I will." A hand on his shoulder made him pause and turn.
"Son..." the tone was normal again, "...don't." Neal tried to protest but he shook his head. "It'll be okay. What happened in there..." he gestured toward the shop, "I've waited over three hundred years for that. I wouldn't trade that for anything. If I have to sit in a jail cell for the rest of my life for it then...I welcome it." Neal's face softened. "It'll be okay, son." He turned to Emma with a snappy bounce. "Now. Slap 'em on me, sheriff."
He held his hands out forward and she locked the cuffs on him, guiding him to the car. "I'm coming too," Neal followed.
"You can't ride with us," she began but he cut her off.
"I'm coming too." And he did, getting beside his father in the backseat.
Emma sighed and looked at her parents. "This doesn't feel right."
Mary looked away. "Sometimes...doing the right thing feels wrong. Sometimes there is no right or wrong. Sometimes it's just gray." David rubbed her back.
"It still feels terrible. What if we're making a mistake? Locking him up?"
"We'd do the same to Regina. We still might if we can find a way. You'll see, Emma. This is what needs to be done," her father tried to comfort her and she sighed again.
"I was right; this sucks."
"I brought you something," Neal held out a doggy bag of food for his father between the bars of the cell.
"Why thank you, Bae." He limped over and took it with a smile. "What is it?"
Neal shrugged. "Just a hamburger."
Gold's eyes flashed with something sad but he quickly hid it. "Oh, thank you. I'm not very hungry right now, though."
The charming family came in and what followed them were two men in white suits. "What the hell..." Neal gasped.
"Good news, Gold. We found a place safe enough for you to stay locked up in. A place where you can't hurt anyone and no one can hurt you," David explained.
"You'll be safe there," Snow's sweet voice eased to soften the blow.
Realization filled Neal's eyes and he shook his head in disbelief. "The loony bin?"
Gold laughed. "Oh, boy; maybe I'll get the room Belle had for twenty eight years! Won't that be fun?" He laughed again, placing the hamburger on the cot.
"No way in hell," Neal growled as they approached the cell to unlock it.
"Neal, we can't put him in prison," Emma said with regret.
"The only prison is outside of Storybrooke," Mary added.
"And if you do that, he'll loose his memory. Wouldn't you want that?" Neal bit back with venom.
David shook his head as Emma unlocked the cell and opened it. "No. If someone else comes to this town for trouble we'll need Rumplestiltskin."
Neal scoffed. "Oh, I see; keep him locked up till you need him and then let him out, use him and lock him back up like a dog. It's perfect." Nobody said anything as Gold was lead out. "I'll get power of attorney. You won't be able to commit him without my permission."
They all paused at this new threat until David chuckled. "In case you didn't know, this town is different. We don't have to follow normal world rules."
Neal glared him down. "Then I'll make you. I'll bring in camera crews and reporters. Officials and anyone else that would be interested in a corrupt sheriff's family railroading a depressed man whose shop exploded due to an accident. And if they happen to catch something else while they're here, well..." They all looked mortified as Emma grabbed him harshly.
"This is Henry's home. Henry? Your son? Remember him? If you hurt this town, you'll hurt him. You really wanna do that?" Neal seemed conflicted until, once more, Gold approached him with a single word.
"Son...stop. You can't sacrifice your child. If you do, you can never take it back." They locked eyes. "I'll be fine." He came up proudly to his boy and adjusted the collar on his hoodie. "You forget I grew up a poor spinner. There was once a time where in order to feed you I had to eat powdered custard mixed with water for a whole week." Neal looked away. "If I can handle that, I can handle this." He grinned. "After all, I do believe I'll get three meals a day." He looked at the men. "But can we forgo the straitjacket?"
"Depends on if you behave," David replied.
"Ah, but that would depend on you, master," Gold snarled back with a creepy smile.
Neal glared at his child's mother as they followed the men out. "You could've stopped this."
"I'm just protecting my family. And what happened to you hating him? You must've had a real bonding moment in that shop."
Neal stopped dead and just looked at her with disbelief. "Yeah."
Emma groaned as he walked away, slapping her forehead. "I can't believe I said that..."
The monitors form the machines beeped steadily as she breathed, in, out, in, out...
Blue eyes opened slowly, adjusting to the brightness of the room. After a few seconds cognition came back and she knew where she was.
She knew all too well.
"Anh..." Everything was numb and she felt no pain, but she also felt as if she weighed three hundred pounds. She lay in silence, remembering the last image in her mind;
You know what?...She's not Belle, so I don't care what she feels...
That horrible man. He tried to shoot Killian. She saw him aim and ran in front of the barrel. All she remembered next was someone screaming then blackness.
The door opened and a young boy came walking in. "Excuse me?" She blinked at him. "Oh, good. You're awake." He came over to her. "My name is Henry...I'm..." he paused. "Mr. Gold's grandson."
Her eyes widened. "He's...he's not here, is he?"
He shook his head. "No."
She glared. "Where is he? In jail?"
Henry looked around. "I think so." She relaxed. "Anyway, I wanted to talk to you for a little bit."
She sighed. "I'm not really..."
"Just give me a few minutes. If nothing happens, I'll leave you alone." She raised an eyebrow, but due to fatigue, just nodded. "Okay, so...I know you don't believe any of this stuff..." He held out a large brown book. "But I'm gonna read you a story." He opened it and cleared his throat. "Once upon a time, there was a terrible ogre war. The king of this land was desperate and so he called upon a powerful magician, the most powerful in the land to get rid of them; The Dark One." He looked at her face, which simply seemed confused. "The Dark One agreed but for a price; the princess, Belle."
She blinked. "You're joking." He went to say something but she snapped. "Just stop. I want nothing to do with this. Just go away and leave me alone."
Henry just smiled. "Okay, but look at this first." He turned the book around and it showed a scene.
A beautiful young woman in a golden dress was kneeling under a table, holding a...cup in her hands. Sitting at the table was a green impish looking man all dressed in black.
You dropped it in my castle...you were afraid that you had angered me...
"Wait a minute..." Henry turned the page for her revealing the same woman dressed in vibrant blue pulling on some curtains. The next page showed her falling...straight into the man's arms...
She didn't scream, she didn't have time to as her footing was lost beneath her. When she had time to gasp, she was in his arms. He himself seemed distracted by the sunlight pouring in and it wasn't until she said a thank you, that he noticed he was holding her. The way he looked at her with wonderment sent shivers up her spine. Surely this man couldn't be the evil monster everyone thought he was...
Lacey swallowed as another page was turned. He was presenting the girl with a rose...
Here...If you'll have it...
Why, thank you...
The next they were sitting at a spinning wheel and it looked like they were about to kiss...
Why did you come back?
I wasn't going to...but then...something changed my mind...
She gasped.
You're a beautiful woman...who loved an ugly man...
"Oh, my God!" she cried as everything snapped into place. All of it was back in a flash and she held her head.
I'll be here waiting for you when you get back...
Really...really loved me...
"Are you okay?" Henry panicked and she gasped again.
"Henry?" She blinked at him with unshed tears.
He smiled. "Belle?" She nodded. "I knew it was gonna work! Well, okay, I didn't know but I had a feeling!" She went to sit up but shouted in pain. "Oh, wait. You can come in now!"
In walked Mother Superior and she smiled at the girl. "Hello."
"What's..." Belle gasped as the Blue Fairy came over to her.
"I brought her here 'cause I hoped you would remember. She can help you now," Henry explained.
"Help with what?" Belle watched as she held out her wand.
"Healing you." The wand glowed blue and soon her pain was gone, as if nothing had happened to her at all. "Now, Belle," she spoke softly, "all magic comes with a price and what I just did will have to be paid."
Belle swallowed. "What's the price?" Superior looked over at a bouquet that someone had sent to the room, now wilted and dying. She sighed in relief. "Oh."
They smiled briefly before Belle hopped out of bed. "I need to find Rumplestiltskin."
Henry faltered. "Uh..."
"Are you sure about that?" Blue Fairy asked, seeming like she wanted to say more.
"Yes. Where is he? At the jail house?"
"No," Mother replied. "He's being moved."
"Where?" She didn't respond to Belle's question. "Where?"
She sighed. "The sanatorium."
Belle gasped silently and looked down, feeling the tears again. "Why would they do that? Did...did he have a nervous...breakdown...?"
Blue shook her head. "I don't really know. Possibly."
Belle shook with grief. "No, this can't be happening. I just got back - I won't lose him now!"
You make me wanna go back... back to the best version of me...
All the times she yelled and screamed at him. All the times she rejected him. All the hurtful things she said.
You will never be my Belle...
He had been so heartbroken. Lacey had made him miserable.
"Belle, please rethink this. He shot you, remember?" Superior tried to reason.
"No. He wasn't - he was trying to shoot Killi -" she stopped herself. In these recent weeks she had become used to calling him Killian instead of what he really was...and the fact that this habit was staying even now made her resist the urge to vomit. "I'm going to find Rumplestiltskin. No matter what it takes," she stated calmly.
"But now..." and she looked up, nothing but fire shining in her azure orbs. "Where is Captain Hook?"
The squeak of wheels, the chatter of nurses, phones ringing in the background, and the blinding starkness of white. His whole core buckled in on itself at the stale, drear, sterile environment. The chemicals burned his sinuses as they all walked up to the desk.
The nurse looked him directly in the eye, already judging. "Yes?"
He didn't want to say it. He didn't want to say it.
"Mr. Gold is being committed," Nolan did it for him and he was torn between being thankful and wanting to break his jaw off.
The nurse looked shocked, for she apparently knew who he really was and just stared for a few seconds before she spoke. "Alright. I'll get the papers." She left for only a moment and Gold took that moment to look around.
This was the place Belle was locked in for twenty eight years. These are the sights and sounds she was subjected to. And in all the time he spent with her in Storybrooke, she never once mentioned it. She never told him what it was like.
She was so brave.
Her scream before he pulled the trigger echoed in his head and he shut his eyes to rid himself of it.
The nurse was back and slapped the papers on the counter. "Remove everything out of your pockets, take off your coat, suit jacket, any belts and your tie." Gold sighed and went about doing what she instructed but she interrupted him. "And take off your shoes."
He blinked. "My shoes? Why?"
Emma stepped up. "Shoe laces. They're making sure you don't have anything on you that you can..."
He sighed and flashed a sad smile. "I see."
Neal shook his head and helped his father get undressed right in front of everyone. Soon he was in nothing but his dress shirt and pants. "I don't have a belt," he said and held his cane.
"Is that yours?" the nurse asked.
He looked at it. "Yes."
"That too."
Neal scoffed. "He needs that to walk."
"If he truly needs assistance walking we can provide him with a wheelchair or a walker, but that stays."
Neal sighed and Gold shook his head. "Oh, she's right, son. I could use it a weapon. In fact, I already have. Twice." He chuckled a little and went to put his only friend up on the counter but Bae stopped him.
"I'll take it." He did and they shared a smile before two more burly male nurses came up...rolling a wheelchair. "You're kidding," he growled.
"Uh, I can walk to the room, boys," Gold tried to appear confidant, like he was still the most powerful man in town. Like he was still in control. Like he wasn't weak and pathetic once again. Worthless hobble foot.
"Sorry," the nurse sneered, obviously not. "Hospital policy. We can't have you injuring yourself before you actually get to the room."
He sighed and straightened his dress shirt, walking with the aide of his son to the chair. The male nurses went about putting his feet in the rests. He winced as they harshly lifted his bad leg onto one, Neal immediately reacting. "Hey, be careful!" They started fastening a belt around his waist, and the younger man reached his boiling point. "Is that really necessary?"
"Bae, it's alright," Gold tried to comfort him.
"A belt? He's not gonna - "
"Bae - "
"This is bullshit!"
"Baelfire," Gold used his "father" tone to hush him. "Stop. It's alright."
Neal crouched beside the wheelchair and spoke low, "This isn't over. I'm gonna get the dagger back and I'm gonna get you out of here."
Gold smiled proudly, yet sadly at his child. "Aw, son...thank you, but perhaps it's better this way." Neal sighed. "Just remember to visit every once and awhile." They wheeled him off and Neal stood up, running a hand through his hair.
He turned to face Emma, boring nothing but loathing straight at her. She went to speak but he cut her off. "I will never forgive you for this." And he walked off, not caring about her broken expression.
She gasped and turned to her parents. "What have we done?"
"We protected this town," David answered her.
"Yeah? That doesn't help me when I have to look my son in the eye and tell him...I locked his grandfather up in the crazy ward." She left the Charmings who simply held each other's hand and walked out together.
So...Rumplestiltskin had been moved...and someone else had been put in his place. She took a deep breath and walked into the jail house, each step echoing on the floor, matching the heartbeat in her head.
Step, pound...step, pound...
She reached the cell that held him and just watched him for a few seconds. He was laying on the cot, facing the wall and she knew he wasn't asleep. She wanted to feel hatred but at the current moment watching him all she felt was pity. This pitiable creature had nothing real in this life. Nothing but petty revenge and hatred. She cleared her throat and he turned, eyes widening at seeing her and immediately he jumped up.
"Lacey! How did you...?" he went to reach for her but she stepped back.
"Not Lacey."
His face contorted to confusion then realization and finally, misery. "How?'
"That doesn't matter now. What does is I remember. I remember everything, Hook." He sighed and went to speak but she stopped him, glaring daggers at him, now feeling the hatred she should. "You...are despicable. How dare you take advantage of me like that? Lacey had no idea what she was doing and you just...tricked her and used her...You knew I wouldn't want you and..." She steadied herself to keep from falling too much into rage. "You might as well just raped me."
A silent gasp formed on his lips. "I did no such thing. And at first, I admit, I wanted revenge but after a while...I started to like you. And then..."
"Shut up! Just shut up! You don't know love! You don't know anything but anger and hatred and evil!"
He didn't even flinch. "I believe you are describing someone else..."
She narrowed her eyes dangerously. "Don't even go there. Rumplestiltskin has more heart than you could ever have."
"Oh, really?" he scoffed. "Then why did he leave you to die?" Her eyes widened as words failed her. "Oh, didn't know that, did you? Yeah, he left you there. Just walked away."
"You're lying..." she breathed and he chuckled.
"Such a shame. Such a shame that a woman with no real memories had more intelligence than you. If I am lying, then why did you wake up in the hospital? You did right? Injured? Though I am a bit confused why you seem uninjured now..."
She wanted to tell him Rumplestiltskin healed her just to wipe that smug grin off his face, but relented and told the truth. "Blue Fairy healed me."
He chuckled. "Ah, see? Rumplestiltskin could've healed you. He did that night - "
"Oh, you mean the night you shot me?" she threw right back.
He sighed. "Yeah. And he healed you then. So why wouldn't he do it this time? I'll tell you why; because he didn't care. He told me you weren't Belle anymore and he could care less about Lacey. He actually said it was poetic."
She shook with fury. "You're lying! He would never - !"
"Never what?! Pull the heart out a woman and crush it right in front of me?!"
"Now I know you're lying," she smiled at his admission.
"Heh," he swiped his hair coolly. "If I am then why weren't you healed? I asked him to and he said he wouldn't because Lacey loved me and even if he did heal you, he couldn't change that. He's a selfish bastard."
Belle blinked away bitter tears and whispered to herself. "No..."
You make me wanna go back...back to the best version of me...and that never happened before...
"I won't believe you...and even if it is true, I'll hear it from Rumplestiltskin's lips before I believe it. I'll never believe you. Whatever Rumplestiltskin has done, you are just as bad. You are no different than he." She left him with that and walked out as confidant as she could.
And then the tears started.
Her hands covered her face as she trembled and sobbed. How could this be true? How could Rumple have...left her to die? It couldn't be true. She sniffled and composed herself and ran out the door.
And smack into someone else. "Oh! I'm so sorry!" He was not much taller than her with dark hair and eyes; eyes that were so familiar...
He looked at her for a few seconds. "Hey, uh...did you come from inside?"
"Yes. I was...visiting someone in there. Are you going in?"
He shrugged. "I was but...are you...Lacey?"
She shook her head. "No, I'm Belle now. I remembered." His eyes widened. She was sure she didn't know him, which was odd. She just got her memory back, so to feel like this again was unsettling. "Do I know you?"
He shook his head. "No. But we might have someone in common. I'm Neal...Mr. Gold's son."
She gasped. This was his boy. The one she tried so hard to help him find. She was so happy he was here and to see him...she felt her eyes burn with fresh, but happy tears. "You're...Baelfire?" He nodded a bit shy. "Oh...you're very handsome."
He shrugged, nervous. "Thanks. Heh, you're...very pretty."
She smiled but the nice moment was soon lost. "Oh! Do you know where your father is?"
"Unfortunately," he sighed heavily. "The sanatorium."
She swallowed. "I don't understand. Why would he let himself be locked up?"
Neal groaned, rubbing his eyes. He was obviously tired. "Because David Nolan has his dagger."
She gasped. "He's being controlled?" He nodded. "I need to see him. Please, please, can you get me in to see him?"
He smiled a little. "Yeah, I think he would want to see you. I think he needs to. I'm sure I can get you in."
She gave her thanks as they walked to his car.
She would only believe what Hook said if she heard it from Rumplestiltskin himself.
But... the proof in that was she woke up still hurt...
A small part of her held onto the hope that perhaps he broke down and couldn't handle it, and that was the reason they locked him up. But...Baelfire just said that he was being forced by the knife...
She just hoped Hook was wrong.
It was all the same as she remembered. She shivered and held close to Baelfire as he guided her to the desk. She hoped the nurses wouldn't recognize her and held her head down. "We're here to visit my father," Neal said. The nurse glared at Belle and Neal sneered in return. "She's my sister."
"She's not on the list," the nurse stated.
"Well, make her be 'cause she's going in to see him. Unless you want me to bring lawyers in on this." He paused to emphasize. "Real world lawyers."
The nurse swallowed and nodded. "You have five minutes."
They walked to his room and Belle felt her insides quiver as they approached the door. The orderly unlocked it and it creaked as it swung open slowly.
It was dark in that room, just like it had been for her, but the orderly switched on a light and slammed the door behind her.
He was sitting on the edge of the bed looking at the floor, his hands in his lap. He slowly glanced up with no expression on his face. They just stared for a few minutes before he finally spoke. "How did you get here? Aren't you recovering from surgery? You're not even real, are you..."
She sighed. "I'm real. The...Blue Fairy healed me."
He raised an eyebrow. "I thought you didn't believe in magic."
She looked down. "I kinda have to now. She did it right in front of me."
He nodded. "I see. Why are you here?"
She steadied herself. "Why did you leave me there?" He looked down. "You did, right? You...didn't help me. Why?" He said nothing. "You healed me that night on the road. I know that now. And...I wasn't healed in the hospital. So...why didn't you help me this time?" He chuckled, no humor in the tone and shook his head. "Why did you leave me there?"
"Why?" he practically growled out. "Because I couldn't stand it anymore." He locked eyes with her. "All you are is a constant reminder of what I can't have. I can't take it anymore."
Her face broke, the tears forming. "So...you wanted me dead?"
He looked away again. "I didn't want you dead. I just wanted you gone. I wanted you to leave Storybrooke."
She trembled. "But you shot me."
He rubbed his face, the stubble apparent. "It was an accident."
"But you wanted me gone. You said you couldn't take it anymore because I reminded you of Belle. So you left me there...to die."
"It doesn't matter. Why don't you just leave and be on your way? Belle's never coming back and I know that now."
She sniffled. "No. You just never believed. If you had, from the beginning, we wouldn't be standing here right now."
It went dead inside that cell as he, once again, slowly looked up to meet her tear stained gaze. His breathing increased as the words formed on his lips once, twice, and then tumbling out of his mouth. "Belle?"
She wiped away the tears. "Yes." He stood up, not totally convinced, shaking on his bad leg. "I remembered after I woke up from surgery."
He gasped and his whole armor shattered. "Oh, God!" He ran to her, tripping with his limp and falling into her, hands gripping her shoulders as hers pushed against his chest to keep him away. "Oh, God, Belle! BELLE!"
She fully pushed him away and shook her head. "No. It's too late now."
He blinked, his lashes showing wetness. "What?"
"You just said it yourself. You left me there to die." He backed away, stumbling to keep straight.
"That...wasn't..." he whispered.
"What? It was Lacey so it doesn't matter? It doesn't work that way! And even if it did - let's just say that it did - she was an innocent that didn't know what was really going on! You said it yourself!" He shook his head as if to rid himself of the horror before him. "You left a poor girl bleeding on the ground! How can you be so cruel?!"
He sobbed, holding his head and swaying on his bad leg. "I would never...never...hurt you...!" he cried and she shook her head somberly.
"And that's what makes this more awful. I know you would never hurt me. When you thought I betrayed you, you could've done any number of horrible things to me, but you didn't. You locked me away in a dungeon and then you let me go. You let me walk away. So I know you would never hurt me." She swallowed thick saliva from crying. "But you hurt everyone else! You didn't care about Lacey so you left her there! You're still a selfish man who makes wrong choices..." She sniffled. "And I can't keep waiting for you to change." She looked at him. "I can't keep waiting for my prince beneath the beast..."
She sighed and went to the door. "I will always love you, Rumplestiltskin, but it hurts too much to be with you...I...wish I hadn't even remembered. I wish Henry had never shown me that book!" The door opened and he stopped her.
"Wait! What...what did you say about Henry?"
She wiped her eyes. "He came in with this book and when he showed me the pictures, I remembered. I just really wish he hadn't...I'd rather be ignorant than in this pain..." She blinked as fresh tears fell down her red cheeks. "Goodbye, Rumplestiltskin..."
And she was gone.
The door slammed as the light went off, leaving him in darkness once more and he fell upon the bed, groaning in misery. He sobbed openly for a while with his head in his hands.
See, I think that if you and Belle kiss it'll bring back her memory...
His tears stopped as he breathed slow to calm himself.
It all started with that boy.
If Henry hadn't convinced him to go after Belle, maybe he wouldn't have been so upset to find out she had a lover. Sure, it would've hurt but...maybe he would've stepped aside.
Henry was also the reason Bae couldn't help him. He threatened to do so, but if he had done what he promised, Henry would have been collateral damage.
And at last, Henry showed Belle the book which made her regain her memory at the worst opportune time.
The boy will be your undoing...
It had been true after all. He, of course, had no idea it would be like this. The future didn't foretell any of this; just that a boy would be the cause of great pain in his life.
The boy will be your undoing...
Now he was to be forgotten in this lonely place. Now he was to grow old everyday, the only hope of sunlight to be if someone came to town and his power would be needed.
But that wasn't the worst part, no. Now...now...he didn't even have his cane. His only friend. His constant companion. The only thing that understood him.
And even with all that...
He didn't care anymore.
~End