TWICE CURSED
Author's Note: By the way, in this version, Rumple and Belle aren't married yet. ... Previously on Twice Cursed: "Look, Sidney will do what I want him to. He won't hurt your son, and he's done a very good job at helping me so far. We can trust him to figure out where Neal is, and it will be easier for him, since he isn't on the town's most wanted list." How could she have forgotten to keep Henry close to her? His light headedness must have been caused by being outside the town and too far away from the tea cup in her purse. He could have died, easily. She'd have to be more careful about that in the future. Emma rose to see what was going on, and saw Black, with a gun at both Ashley and Sean's heads. Ashley was holding Alexandra. And Sean was holding Neal. Sidney wasn't happy that there was a stranger with Regina, but he didn't comment on it. If she trusted him, than he should, too. "I've been spreading the rumors, and it's working. They fear and hate Black more than you. However, I'm not sure that will stop them from siding with him, especially if he threatens those they love." "Alright, but keep the rumors circulating for now," Regina ordered. It was still a good idea to convince the people Black was the enemy, even with the danger of them siding with him out of fear. It was better than them siding with him because of their hatred of her. Plus, if she offered them protection from Black, the people of Storybrooke would swarm onto her side, giving her the advantage if it came to a full-scale fight. "Anyway, Sidney, this is David. David, Sidney." Both men shook hands, but glared at each other. Apparently, it would take more than her approval to convince Sidney David wasn't a threat, and David would probably never trust Sidney, since his actions were so heavily influenced by her. "Sidney, we need you to find a baby for us. His name is Neal, and we think Black might try to hurt him at some point. We need you to bring him back to us." "Got it. I'll dig around, see what I can find," the mirror agreed. "Bit too late for that, mate." Regina suppressed a groan as she turned around to face the pirate and Savior. "Should have started looking sooner," Killian said, his voice laced with bitterness. "All three of you, hands up," Emma ordered. Charming glanced at Regina as he slowly lifted his arms, waiting for her to use magic. However, to his shock, she shook her head. "Why?" he asked as Killian roughly forced his hands behind his back. "You're sword." Seeing he didn't understand, she decided to elaborate. The others would think she'd gone insane, but she needed Charming to understand the severity of the situation. "I enchanted it so no one can use black magic in its vicinity. Including me. And my light magic isn't that good yet." Sure enough, Sidney and the police were staring at her like she'd lost her mind, but Charming obviously understood. "Why would you do that?" he asked. "It seemed like a good idea at the time," she muttered, and Emma finished handcuffing Sidney and moved over to restrain Regina. "Enough nonsense," Killian said, before grabbing David's arm. Emma grabbed Sidney with one hand and Regina with the other. "It's time for you three to face Black." The police marched their new prisoners off toward the station, both wishing they had joined Regina sooner, before it was too late. … Henry started to feel funny as they reached the end of the book. Almost as if he'd heard the whole thing before. He let Belle's voice tell him the story, while focusing on what was familiar about it. Just as all the pieces were about to slide into place, someone said, "Dr. Hopper?" making Belle close the book. The abrupt halt was rather annoying, Henry thought, as he and Belle followed Archie to the doctor's office. The tension and excitement of discovery was built up, but there was no way to dissipate it without finishing the book. It nagged at him as the doctor asked Archie all sorts of questions. Belle helped answer as many questions as she could, after getting over her surprise that Archie had wanted her and Henry to stay with him in the doctor's office. Maybe he didn't want to be left alone, or maybe he was nervous about it since he'd been living in a forest for what he thought to be several years. Either way, she patiently answered the questions Archie hesitated on, and soon the doctor was feeling his ribs. Then, he listened to his breathing. "You need to get an x-ray, to see if it is broken or just bruised. We'll also be able to see if you have any worse injuries," the doctor informed him. He took Archie to get the x-ray, telling Belle and Henry to wait for them in the office. "Could we read some more?" Henry asked as soon as the door was shut behind the doctor. "Henry, don't you think we should wait for Dr. Hopper? He was enjoying the book as well, and he might have insights we didn't think about." Henry pouted slightly, but he didn't want his friend to miss out, even if he did want to figure out why the book seemed familiar. "Okay, but what else can we do?" Belle heard the unspoken 'to take our minds off Archie's condition,' and tried to think of a good answer. "Uh, we could play eye spy?" she suggested. Henry thought of that as a kid's game, but couldn't think of anything better to do. "Alright, I spy …" He was interrupted as Belle's phone rang. Seeing it was Regina's home number, she answered. "Hello?" It was Gold who answered, and he sounded frantic. "I called Regina, and the Sherriff answered. She and David are both caught. What should I do?" Belle had to take a minute to gather her thoughts. "Just calm down, alright? We'll be back as soon as possible, and we'll think of a plan then." Gold nodded in agreement, before realizing she couldn't see him. "Okay," he said. "Just stay calm. It will be okay," Belle said, before hanging up and turning to face Henry. "You're mom and David have just been caught. We need to start thinking of a plan to rescue them." Before Henry could respond to the terrible news, the doctor and Archie came back in. "Great news," the doctor said. "Nothing is wrong with his lungs or any vital organ, and his rib doesn't appear to be fractured." Archie was nodding along with the man, obviously having heard this before. "However, fractures don't always show up. I'm going to give him pain meds, and ask that he refrains from too much activity. Come back in a week for a checkup, or if anything gets worse. Now, just let me write the prescription." Soon, they were in the waiting room for the prescription medicine, and there were eight people in front of them waiting for medicine. So, it was going to be a pretty long wait. Henry sighed and passed impatiently, thinking only about the trouble his mom was in. Belle filled Archie in quietly, and the psychiatrist tried to convince them he didn't need the pain medication; that they could just forget about it and go back to Storybrooke. He could just take the over the counter stuff, like Advil or Motrin. Both of them argued that he needed the stronger medicine, because they'd notice him wince every time he even just shifted positions. So, Belle called Gold to let him know they would take a while. He didn't answer. She started to panic slightly, and tried calling his cell instead of Regina's house, when she remembered he didn't have a cell; Black never let him get one. "What's wrong?" Henry asked. Both he and Archie were looking at her, concerned. "Gold won't answer. He's left the house, or more likely, been captured." There was a silence for a second, before both of them spoke at once. Archie said he really didn't need the pain meds, while Henry was asking her if she could go back and deal with the crisis on her own. Of course, neither was a good idea. If Archie couldn't even pick up his phone without wincing, he defiantly needed the pain medication. As for Belle returning to town without them, she had a feeling something terrible would happen to both of them if they were away from the cup. "No, Archie, you need the medicine to help you function normally. As for splitting up, I'll need your help to defeat Black. We'll just have to wait here for the medicine, and that's final." The tone of her voice brooked no argument, so they reluctantly fell silent, waiting for the pharmacists to get to them, and hoping their allies were relatively safe. … Belle had sufficiently calmed Gold down during their phone call, to the point where he could think semi-clearly. The sheriff and her deputy had always followed Black's orders reluctantly, but now, all of a sudden, they had captured his enemies without him even there to see what was going on. He knew Black hadn't been there because Sheriff Swan had mentioned something about waiting for him to arrive. Anyway, all this to say that Black must have suddenly obtained leverage over the two of them. And he knew from experience that the best leverage was a person you cared about. So, he could safely come to the conclusion that Black was holding someone, or several people, hostage to ensure that his will was executed. And, since he needed leverage against the police, the prisoners weren't in the station. They'd be in Black's secret prison, where he'd kept Bae … Just the thought of his son sent him into tears, but he was finally able to recover. They'd be in the secret prison, and since Black was on his way to the police station, there was probably no one guarding them. Which gave him the perfect opportunity to rescue them. Except, of course, that he was terrified of Black. If he got caught, Black would punish him severely. But, he owed this to Regina. After all she'd done to help him, he needed to help her with the resistance. Gold walked to Black's house, where the secret prison was, second guessing himself every step of the way. He almost turned around several different times, but always managed to keep going, telling himself that he needed to be brave. However, every ounce of bravery seemed to flee from him as soon as he was standing in front of the house. Gold swallowed, and forced himself to enter. Trying to pretend he wasn't disobeying every rule Black had set in place, Gold opened the trapdoor to the basement, and walked down. Sure enough, behind the bars of the prison, there were two people and two babies. All of them looked healthy enough. They were shocked as he pulled the key off it's hook on the wall and opened the cell, whispering, "Let's go." Sean and Ashley only hesitated for a second before following Gold. They walked upstairs, and were about to leave through the front door, when Gold saw Black approaching the house. Forcing down panic, he led them out the back door instead, closing it a split second before Black opened the front door. Then, he quickly hobbled toward the police station, with the others on his heels, certain Swan and Jones would join the resistance now that Black no longer had a strong hold over them. … Emma sighed as Black left the office, ordering her to kill Regina, and torture the other two. She wasn't a murder, or evil, and she'd told him so in no uncertain terms. He'd just smiled, and said he hoped she could be, for Neal's sake. Then, he'd strode out of the office, leaving Emma in the most difficult decision of her life. She couldn't lose Neal, but she also couldn't in good conscience kill someone in cold blood. "Do you want me to do it, love?" Killian offered, although she knew he despised the prospect as much as she did. He was trying to be a gentleman for her. "No. He told me to do it." Emma said. But, the monster hadn't specified exactly how Emma had to kill the mayor. She should do it properly, giving the woman a chance to say a few final words. Maybe, Emma would even throw her in the river to drown. Maybe Regina could survive that? Anyway, it would make her feel slightly better about this whole catastrophe. Yeah, and then Neal can grow up with a murderer for a mother, the thought slipped into her head. What was she thinking! She couldn't sacrifice her morals, and kill this woman! But then Neal … "Why does life have to be so difficult!" she yelled out, making Killian jump with shock, and then tears began to slip down her face. "It isn't always, dearie," Gold said. Emma whirled around, and saw Sean and Ashley headed toward her, with Neal safely in Sean's arms. She ran over and gently took Neal from him, holding him close and letting tears fall down her face. She was so glad he was safe. Killian came up and stood near her, placing a hand on her shoulder and smiling at his little boy. Gold watched them, feeling like he was intruding on a private moment and wondering where the dearie had come from. From what he could remember, he'd never used that word before, but it had just slipped out somehow. After Emma and Killian hugged Sean, Ashley, and of course, Neal, they turned to talk to Gold. "Thank you for saving them, mate," Killian said. "Well, I was hoping you'd do something for me in return." The deputy's eyes instantly narrowed, and Gold hastened to explain. "Regina and David and their informant. I'm in the resistance, and I was hoping you'd let them go." Killian's gaze softened, and he turned to Emma. "What do you say, love?" he asked. They'd argued about this so much in the past that he wanted to make sure they were on the same page now. "We won't just let them go. We'll join the resistance." Gold smiled with relief, and Sean and Ashley seemed excited about the prospect of standing up to Black as well. The town tyrant would be chasing after them anyway, they might as well do something useful while avoiding his grasp. Soon, Regina, David, and Sidney were let out of their cell, and the entire entourage was headed back to Regina's house, after Regina and David had convinced the others that their talk of magic had been a code. That's when Regina got the idea. Seeing Gold and Emma walking right next to each other, she wondered if she could get the sheriff to say her name. Maybe then Gold would get his memories back, which would be two huge blows in one day to Black's evil plans. "I don't think you've been properly introduced to David," Regina commented to the sheriff. "Oh, you're right. Sorry, I'm Sheriff Swan." Of course, Emma would figure out a way to mess up saying her name. "I don't think you're technically the sheriff anymore." Emma paused, realizing the mayor, or, former mayor, was right. "I guess you're right. I'm Emma Swan. Nice to officially meet you." She shook her father's hand, and only Regina noticed Gold freeze for a second before continuing to walk. "Emma. What a lovely name," he commented, and Regina knew Rumpelstiltskin was back. … Belle pulled into the driveway and hopped out. Henry slipped up to the drivers seat and locked the car from the inside, like she'd told him to. She was going to go into the house, and make sure the coast was clear. If it was, she'd come back and get the boys. If not, Henry was supposed to drive, with lots of instruction from Archie, to a safer parking spot, from which they'd go back to Robin and tell the archer what had happened. Belle tried to quell her nerves as she walked up to the door, and opened it slowly. She heard talking, and inched toward the sound. She heard Emma's voice, and then Rumple's. He was in danger! She peaked around the corner, and sighed with relief when she saw everyone was talking to each other. "You didn't check the answering machine, I see," she said, stepping into the study. They all jumped, but relaxed when they saw who it was. "So," she continued before anyone could respond to her comment, "our resistance has obviously grown. You'll have to fill me in on the details after I get Archie and Henry." She walked back out to the car, and gave Henry a thumbs down, as that was their signal. He'd said Black might force her to come out and give him the thumbs up, so they should have the signal be something the bad guys wouldn't expect it to be. Henry jumped out of the car, and they helped Archie inside. Then, the group explained how Gold had rescued Sean, Ashley, and the babies, so Black no longer had anything to hold over Emma and Killian. Then, Rumple came up, told her he was sorry he hadn't checked the answering machine, and hugged her. She was shocked by his sudden bravery and embrace, but David mouthed Emma, and Belle realized the savior must have gotten Gold's memories back, without even realizing it. "Wow, one rescue mission, and you're suddenly really outgoing," Henry told Gold. "Yes, well, if you do the brave thing, bravery will follow," he commented, grinning at the person he'd learned that from. She smiled at her boyfriend, and hugged him tighter. Now that Rumple was back, nothing could stop them from breaking the curse and defeating Black, she just new it. … She backed away in fear as the man approached her. He wasn't the man who brought her medicine or food, so she didn't know what he wanted with her. He rolled his eyes, and waved his hand in front of her face. Memories came flooding back; she was Zelena, and she was going to defeat Regina and Rumple. "I assume you want out of this dull place," the man said, looking around the insane asylum room. "If you help me defeat Regina, you can get out, and I'll even consider helping you with your goals afterwards. Do we have a deal?" The way he said it was deeper and more menacing, if that was possible, then when Rumple asked if a deal could be made. "Yes we do," Zelena said without a moment's hesitation, and a smile crossed Black's face. Good luck standing up to me now, he thought, and strode out of the room, henchwoman following. Finally, despite the police's betrayal, things were starting to look up.
Back Home Once Upon a Time Main Page Next