Continuing Tales

The Heart Won't Lie

A Once Upon a Time Story
by Eyes Like Dawn

Part 10 of 25

<< Previous     Home     Next >>
First Truths

"Hi, Emma." Henry greeted with a wide smile as he pushed open the door that led to the small police station headquarters. He was still dressed in his school uniform, his backpack slung carelessly over his shoulder as he raced to his maternal mother.

"Hey, kid." Emma replied absently as she flipped through the pages of Henry's huge story book slowly.

Her boots were propped up on the desk as she perused the odd tome incredulously, her eyes barely glancing over the artfully written words and colorful pictures. It was strange but she hadn't gotten any solid information about the woman Annabelle French other than she had been in a mental institute, and even that she was skeptical about. The newly dubbed sheriff had found herself searching through Henry's book thanks to sheer frustration and boredom, even though she knew it was a ridiculous notion to say the least.

Who knew, getting information from a story book might be a better venue than constantly running into dead ends that had the signature grimy finger prints of the mayor written all over them.

The young boy dumped his backpack on the floor before pulling a steel chair beside Emma to peer over at the page she was on. "Working on Operation Cobra?" He asked curiously.

"Some thing like that." Emma replied with a quick glance towards the ten year old. It was a ludicrous thought that had suddenly popped in to her head, but then again it couldn't be any stranger than all the blocks she was running into with trying to dig into Annabelle French's past. "Tell me, kid, in this other…world… dimension place, was there a woman in Mr. Gold's life?"

"Hmmm." Henry muttered, scratching his dirty brown hair thoughtfully as he bit down on his bottom lip in thought. "I think so, but I don't know what happened to her. When it comes to stories about him they either don't end fully of they're not there at all. Why?"

Emma sighed as she closed the book and placed it back in the locked file drawer in her office. Even in some make believe storybook she found herself running into more tampering and obstacles! "There's this woman, Annabelle French back in town. The moment she pops up the Madame Mayor is all over it, and Gold is acting strange. I trust my gut, kid, and it's telling me something's up."

"So this French lady is back?" Henry asked, the excitement cracking his voice. His eyes were wide and alert, as he stared at Emma expectantly.

The sheriff nodded as she locked the book back in the desk and slipped the key into her pocket. "Yep. Ruby says she's been in a mental institution for a few years. Her father won't talk to me and no one seems to know much about her. The only person who she seems to be acquainted with is Mr.-" Emma paused there, wondering how much to tell the kid, she truly wasn't one to blab about other peoples business, but she knew Henry would never tell anyone else.

"Let's just say Mary Margaret and David won't be the most ostracized couple in town for very long." She dodged tactfully.

"That's great!" Henry blurted, making Emma turn back to him with a slight smile on her face at his excitement.

"What's so great about it?"

Henry was almost bouncing in excitement, as he paused for a moment to find the words to explain. "Mr. Gold was very powerful in the other realm, just like he is here. Thing is he wasn't with my mom, but he wasn't on our side either. He was sort of neutral."

"So…" Emma shrugged in confusion, her voice laced with a trifle annoyance, wanting to get to the point.

"Don't you see, this Annabelle lady might can get him off the fence. He can join us against the queen in Operation Cobra!" Henry clarified. "Mr. Gold would be a great edition to the resistance!"

Emma stared him incredulously her arms crossing in dubiousness. It was hard to believe, but Henry seemed to be making more sense than anything or anyone else had of late. There was just one problem- none of it was real. Here she was discussing queens and sides and curses and all the things that didn't exist. If only she had some real facts then she could make progress.

She barely heard Henry give a quick goodbye and run out of the station saying something about meeting his mom. The blonde haired sheriff was more focused on the now even stronger desire to find out what was truly going on.

Now was the time, Emma knew, to do what she did best. It was time to come terribly close to crossing lines that should not be crossed.

~8~8~

"Mr. Gold, I'm back." Anna announced as she entered the huge and lonely home of Mr. Gold. The young woman carried a beat up bag slung across her shoulder with her sparse possessions stuffed inside as she strode quietly through the vast empty house.

She could still barley believe the amount of kindness Gold had shown her when everyone else in town called him a monster. Anna herself had witnessed a few cold exchanges with some of his debtors, and in those times she saw he had almost relished bringing them near their wits end. She had most certainly believed the whispers at those moments, but now she was beginning to have those feelings change the more she was around the strange Mr. Gold.

Stalking into the living room, Anna dropped her knapsack to the floor, her eyes stapled to the rug in front of the cold hearth. A blush fired through her cheeks again as the images of the night resurfaced with a vivid clarity. Even now she could almost feel his flesh pressed against her own as she rested in his arms, the warmth radiating from the fireplace, and the immersing feeling of peace and not having her thoughts jumbled or mixed like they did when she had an 'episode'. Just thinking of it made Goosebumps rise on her arms; it had in its own way been wonderful to be with him, although she'd never admit anything of that nature aloud.

"You didn't have trouble with your father, I trust." Gold stated calmly, startling Anna from her thoughts.

He was standing at the entryway to the living room, his gray work apron covering a black suit. He looked very much the same as he always did; sharp and always prepared to do business, expect Anna was seeing him in a whole different way now. A way that she didn't quite understand yet had a familiar feeling as well.

Anna flashed him a quick smile shaking her head. "No trouble at all."

In fact Moe had only acknowledged her once to open the door to let her in. There hadn't been a word said between father and daughter as she gathered what things she could and had left. He had watched her the whole time, his eyes nearly pleading for her to renege on her choice and abandon Gold to balm his pride. She had felt no guilt leaving in dead silence, but only a faint pang of regret that resounded through her heart. The only family she had left had shunned her, leaving her truly alone.

Gold watched her expression carefully, looking for any trace of a lie. If her father had done something hurtful to her, then a beating with a gold tipped cane would have been by far the least of his troubles and pains. "Good. I'll show you to your room then." Gold nodded once before limping away.

"My room?" Anna echoed confused her brow knitting in her well known look of confusion. Even though Gold had so graciously gave her a place to stay she had been certain it was going to be only nights spent sleeping on his couch. She was only the help after all.

Gold turned back to face her, a slight upward twitch of the lips to give away his amusement at her surprise. "Miss French I have a vast upper level of guest rooms with no guests. Why on earth would you think I'd make you sleep on a lumpy couch?"

Anna blushed slightly in embarrassment shrugging her shoulders. "I mean it's just that I didn't expect such…"

Gold interrupting her with a derisive snort and began walking away up the stairs despite her mumblings. He couldn't help but chuckle faintly, even years apart she was still the same old Belle.

Cursing herself for being an idiot the brown haired beauty snatched her knapsack up and dutifully followed behind.

As he took the stairs slower than even his normal gait, the cunning Gold mentally went over a picture of the room in his head. It was the best in his whole home with a spectacular view of the lush forest that fringed the town of Storybrooke. It was a quaint room with a bookshelf practically bursting with literature, a window seat, and a sky blue coloring to the drapes and linen.

She had liked that color, a blue like the crisp winter sky, as she had termed it long ago; it was her favorite if memory served. Even all these year after he could still remember the small things about Belle; her quirks and her hobbies, her likes and annoyances. A part of him ached to know if she remembered the same.

Opening the door to the upper room he couldn't help but quickly grin at her gasp of surprise. She loved it, just like he knew she would.

Belle's eyes searched the quaint room in shock, it looked wonderful. She had always liked cleaning that particular room, but she had never believed he would let her stay there. Why would he, the one nearly every body hated in Storybrooke, do this for her; give her a place to stay so lovely and charming?

After all she had been through since her release, it felt wonderful to actually feel as if some one had thought about her, even though she was certain he did not care for her. "Thank you, Gold." With out thinking Anna threw her arms around him in a huge hug, smashing her body against his.

Gold's heart leapt as it always did at such actions, to have her so close; hugging him of all things. He prayed to whatever deity came to mind that she could not feel his body trembling, as she hugged him. But he'd be the biggest liar in Storybrooke to say he didn't love having her so close to him.

The gesture only lasted for a split second before Anna backed away, her face flushed in shock at herself that she had been so brazen to commit such an act. "So sorry." She licked her dry lips with an even dryer tongue, her eyes searching him for some sort of reaction to her foolish moment.

Clearing his throat awkwardly and taking a step back, Gold smoothed out a wrinkle in his suit for lack of anything better to do. "No matter." He replied with a weak smile.

The words seemed all so familiar, as if they had stepped back in time once more, to the first time they had actually felt a spark…? No, Gold forced himself not to think of such a memory that still played with the strings of his soul every time he looked back upon it. The feelings of that moment still felt as real and terrifying as it had then.

Anna narrowed her cobalt eyes slightly as if the words rang a bell, they did seem so familiar as if he had spoken them before. Shaking her head she dismissed it as a misplaced memory come surging thorough now with the overflowing happiness and surprise at Gold's generosity.

"I'll let you get unpacked." Gold finished nervously, then limped out of the room leaving Annabelle alone to explore her new abode.

Sighing, the brown haired woman flung her pack on the bed then fell upon the soft mattress to look up at the white ceiling. The asylum, the motel, heck, not even her fathers old house had made her feel like she was right now. It was a feeling of calmness, and happiness, a contentment she would never get tired of. As she closed her eyes to let the feeling sink it, she knew it was the feeling of home.

~8~8~

Regina let a cruel grin of satisfaction play upon her face as she strutted briskly down the street that was still littered with debris of green leaves yanked off the trees by the wind, and splotches of mud that oozed and baked on the gray cement.

She was feeling rather pleased about the turn of events, having convinced that idiot Moe French, and the annoying shreiff Swann that the misbegotten pair of maid and employer were lovers causing Anna and Mr. Gold to involuntarily come closer together in the midst of the decpetion.

She should have let the events that would happen from their hasty lie run its course, but Regina was having much to much fun with her scheme at the moment to wait till someone in town got wind of the odd pair, and the juicy gossip that automatically came attached with it. The speculation, the guessing, the people who would swear up and down they saw something that truly hadn't been, all would work towards Regina's goal.

Her grin widened to a devious smirk as she looked through the window of the restaurant to the patrons of Storybrooke's most popular diner. They were relaxing and enjoy their midday meals and no doubt chatting about the storm's damage, oblivious to the gossip inferno she about to rain upon their heads.

Through the glass she spotted the usual crimson fashioned waitress scribbling out orders on a note pad, and probably making snippy comments to granny, the owner. Ruby, the most well liked waitress in all of Storybrooke. The fiery server who was known for her red flared style, and spot on gossip. People got more information from the chatty scarlet server, than they did the Storybrooke Chronicle. One careless word tactfully dropped to the crimson clad waitress and it would be halfway across Storybrooke before the mayor even got home to Henry!

As Regina opened the door to the diner, she donned a false warm smile directed at the red waitress and cantered up to the counter. In her mind she couldn't help but fancy the thought that if she ever took up playing chess she would be unbeatable.

The Heart Won't Lie

A Once Upon a Time Story
by Eyes Like Dawn

Part 10 of 25

<< Previous     Home     Next >>