Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

The day had started off quiet, a rarity in his line of profession. No burning houses, no bank robberies not even a carjacking had interrupted this overcast day.
So rare were these days, he was able to walk to the park by the waterside at midday, sit on his favourite bench that overlooked Brooklyn Bridge and the East River, and just watch the quiet serenity of the day as it unfolded. He had favoured his old, dusty grey leather jacket and grey hoodie underneath, rather than his usual armour in the hopes of spending the afternoon unrecognised.

He was infinitely glad, thought, that most people wouldn’t typically be looking for The Superhero of New York, known more widely by the moniker of Mr Gold, wearing jeans and a hoodie, sitting in a park on a Tuesday morning.

Bae often laughed when he saw his father in anything other than his usual attire, saying he looked weird. In truth, Gold did feel odd wearing such modern and casual clothes, like he was pretending to be somebody else in their skin.

To his left, running along the gravel park, were two young children chasing leaves that were being lazily dragged by the feeble wind. The children laughed gleefully as they strived to grasp their tiny fingers at the orange leaves.

With a smile on his face, he waved his hand softly and instantly the leaves began to dance around the children, their amusement delighting him.
The children reminded him of Bae’s amusement with autumn leaves when he had been their age. Suddenly his mind was filled with happy images of Bae jumping into the piles of leaves when he had barely learnt to walk, and images of Bae laughing and smiling in joy when he made it snow leaves. Feeling a chill run up his spine from the wind, Gold was reminded on how it would soon be snowing real snow, and he started to think of what he could get his son for Christmas.
His son was the only connection to his old life, the life before he became a hero, before he used his powers to save someone’s life. His son was his grounding in reality, the reminder of what he was fighting for, the reason he was a hero.

Gold did everything for Bae. He didn’t know what he would do without him keeping him sane through all the horror and devastation he saw.

The children on the path had finally grown tired of the dancing leaves and ran to catch up with their parents, and so Gold rose from his park bench and headed away from the water. Bae would finish school soon, maybe the quiet day would turn into a quiet night, and they could go see a movie. He rubbed his hands together before wrapping his arms around himself as the cold started to get to him.

A commotion behind him snapped Gold out of his daydream of a quiet day, when a car tore through the park and directly into the path of the two children. Bystanders and the parents screamed when they realised what was about to happen: the out-of-control silver sedan swerved and sped across the grass.
In a split second, Gold raced from one side of the parkland to the other, standing between the car and the children. In the car was the driver, a middle aged man who looked just as panicked as the children, a woman in the passenger side screaming for help as the man tried desperately to regain control of his renegade car. With a sharp wave of his hand, the other pulling the frightened children to him, Gold materialised again in a swirl of red smoke far away from the path of danger. He let go of the children when their parents rushed to him with tear-filled thank-you’s. He watched on as the car hit the concrete barricade and tumbled into the ocean.

After checking the children he had rescued were alright, he ran towards the barricade. As he arrived, the driver was reaching the surface of the water.

“Please! Help me! My wife and daughter, I couldn’t free them!” he pleaded as Gold reached over the barricade and held out his hand to the man. It took considerable strength, but Gold managed to haul the man with greying hair and a cut on his forehead over the ledge.

“I-I don’t know what happened, the brakes just failed…Please, don’t help me! Save them, I beg you!” he cried again, and with a nod of reassurance Gold tore off his jacket and jumped over the ledge and into the deep, icy water of the river.

The car had already found its resting place on the bottom of the river, the windshield smashed into an intricate spider’s web of glass, and air rushing out of every crack and crevice it could find. He swam to the passengers-side window to see a woman strapped in her seat, unconscious with blood flowing from a gash in her head. Using his powers, he placed his hand to the glass and it instantly shattered at his touch, he reached in to free the woman from her seatbelt and pull her through the window.
As he did so, he looked past her and noticed a young girl in the backseat, her long dark hair flowing in the water like silk and her eyes were closed, arms floating motionless in front of her- one fist clenched tightly. In the girls hand was a necklace, straining to be free from her grasp. He quickly realised he didn’t have enough air to free her and take her and her mother to the surface. He must take the woman up and come back or risk losing both of them.
Each stroke he took to the surface, one arm wrapped securely around the unconscious woman, he prayed the girl he left behind wouldn’t die. He pleaded to every god he could think of to keep her alive until he could come back for her. He had never lost anyone on his watch, and he wasn’t about to today. Heroes didn’t leave anyone behind.

He burst through the surface of the water, and the air felt like ice shards in his lungs as he tried to orient himself to his surroundings. He quickly found the concrete barricade to his right and swam with his free arm, attempting his best to keep the woman afloat. The arms of strangers reached down to help him and pull the woman to the shore, and once he was free, Gold dove immediately back under.

When he returned to the car moments later, the girl had turned a sickening grey-blue that sent fear straight into his heart. Her fist was now open and as lifeless as the rest of her. He was too late. He had failed. He tried to be the superhero too many times, and finally it had cost this poor girl her life.
The necklace she had used the last of her life holding on to now floated past Gold’s face, clearly a memento the family deserved to have of their now lost girl.
His fingers wove the necklace into his firm grasp and he gingerly rescued the girl from her icy tomb. He pulled her from the sunken car and back to the grey world above them, his heart heavy with guilt.

He met the surface again, but this time no hands raced to meet him. They all knew what Gold had saw on his second return to the car- the girl was beyond saving now. He swam to a small dock that was a little ways down from the scene where the car had flown over the wall, there was no rush now. He lifted himself and the girl onto the dock, as tiny and weightless as she had been in the water and laid her gently down as if she was only asleep.
Ambulances now pulled up where the man stood next to his wife- who lay as still as the girl next to Gold. He watched as the man reached a hand to cover his mouth and begin to sob. She was gone, and Gold felt the tears begin to catch in his throat as he realised the man had no idea he had lost not just his wife in one day, but his daughter too.

Gold lay next to the girl as he tried to to catch his breath, before he sat up and looked down at the girl he hadn’t been able to save. He brushed the wet hair glued to her colourless face; she looked maybe 13 or 14- only a few years older than Bae- and already gone. Because of him.

“I’m sorry, I’m so sorry.” He cried over her again and again before looking back up to the father, still crying over his dead wife while paramedics placed a white cloth over her frozen body. Soon they would also come with an identical white sheet for the girl.
What was he kidding himself, he was no hero. He let this girl die, and took a daughter from her father. No parent should have to lose their child, he thought.
Gold sat up, placing his arms on his knees and stared out at the water, wondering how he was going to be able to be the hero everyone expected him to be now, when a little cough sputtered from the lips of a dead girl.
He turned, and saw the tiny creature beside him begin to animate with life, colour start to return to her face. Her eyes flew open in shock, searching the grey sky above her for a sense of her bearings. Gold could have sworn in that instant that her eyes opened, he saw two glowing blue rings around her pupils, shining like the moon on a clear night. Before he could even confirm what he had seen was true, her eyes had returned to a soft, light blue that still flitted manically at the world around her.
Gently, Gold rolled her to her sides as she began to cough the icy water out of her lungs. Relief washed over him as her raggedy breathes grew stronger, and she curled on her side as she grew cold.
After a few moments, he gathered her in his arms and reunited the girl with her father, alive and somewhat well considering her ordeal. The girl was embraced by her father and her face now looked increasingly exhausted. He doubted the girl had seen him, or even registered him- and for that he was relieved. The last thing he needed was this girl remembering him and finding him.

He left before anyone knew he had been there, or could realise it had been him who saved the family, as he did with all his rescues. He was the superhero of New York, but his anonymity was more important than any recognition.
It wasn’t until late that night, after Bae had gone to bed and the news reports about the incident had ceased, that he reached into his pocket, and was surprised to find the necklace tucked away amidst the commotion. It was a simple silver design, with only a tiny silver bead in the shape of a teardrop adorning it. He had no way to find this girl and return what he had accidently taken, without revealing who he was; risking his secret identity and his normal life with his son. Perhaps one day, their paths would cross again, and he could return it without her ever knowing who he was.

Chapter Text

He found the best way, generally, to forget was through whiskey. The apartment held too many memories, and so he conducted his drinking in the small town’s only bar three blocks south. There no one thought to look for him; people had stopped looking for him a long time ago.
Occasionally someone will think they recognise him, stare an extra long second as they search for how they know him. Each time they’ll shake their head and he can almost hear their thoughts “No of course it can’t be him, he isn’t a hero.” And it was true. He wasn’t a hero anymore. All he was now was a man who wore tattered, crinkled suits and a cold gaze blurred by alcohol. His hair was becoming more silver than brown, his skin rougher and his hands shakier.

That night, he left the bar in his alcoholic daze and made his way back to his empty apartment, hoping he would find sleep as soon as he entered. It was about halfway there, that he realised the nagging sensation he felt was a shadow. Lurking in the night watching his every move; attempting to go unnoticed, and failing miserably. He slowed his staggering pace, the cane in his left hand tapping the asphalt lighter than a feather and he felt his fists clench in preparation- he had no intention of letting the shadow explain their intentions. He was in no mood for whoever they were, friend or foe. They should know by now, he was a man who did not want to be found. He had tried to be good, to be the hero. But now the only reason for him to be good was gone, and the darkness had won over.

For the first few years, after he came to the fork in the road of good and evil, he chose the evil path. Being the hero was never who he was meant to be, he was right. It was like living in someone else’s skin pretending to be the person everyone wanted to be. But after awhile, being the villain wasn’t enough to silence the voices that shouted in his head, nothing he did, those he tormented or heroes he defeated could fill that void in his heart. So he resorted to drinking, and drinking and drinking some more.
He moved from the fractured, mess of a city New York and into a small town where he thought his past would not follow, and leave him to drink himself into oblivion in peace. No one would even consider to look for the enigmatic ‘Mr Gold’ in Storybrooke, Maine. Clearly, as he rounded the corner off Main Street and passed the library, he thought wrong. What his shadow didn’t know, was that he knew this town like the back of his hand. He knew every alleyway, every hiding spot, every quick getaway, every single inch of this town that he had inhabited for 4 years.

He slid into a crevice between the buildings and waited for his mystery tail to reveal themselves. He could hear confident footsteps approaching, his ears confirming the sharp taps were the telltale hints of heels; his shadow was a woman. He began to pull out the small dagger he kept in his breast pocket- a habit he had kept from his villain days and his fingers ran across the sharp edge as the figure entered his line of sight.
The woman hunting him was smaller than he expected, and as he had surmised, wearing outrageously high heels. Her tiny figure and face were covered by a hooded, black cloak that billowed in the wind. His hand tightened the grip on the dagger and he bit his lip as he waited for the opportune moment to strike.

The shadow surveyed their surroundings and tried to pick up the disappeared trail again, to no avail. As they turned to walk back the way they had come, he lunged out of the darkness, his cane clattering to the ground and grabbed his shadow from behind.

He held the blade precariously to their jugular, “You have three seconds to tell me why you are following me, how you found me, and who told you where- in that order,” he snarled through his teeth. “Choose your words carefully, dearie.” He added, easing his grip and slowly releasing them, the dagger still pressed to their throat.

They turned slowly with their hands raised and face down, the cloak still obscuring their identity. He had enough of the theatrics, and pulled the hood back from her head. A wave of curls exploded from beneath the hood, which he identified as brown in the dimly lit surroundings. Her eyes flickered to the blade at her throat, fear flashing across her delicate features before settling back to his eyes.

“It’s really you…” she breathed in surprise, staring at him with a strange fascination. He pressed the blade again to her throat.

“Wrong words, dearie. I’ve had a lousy night-make that a lousy decade-and you are not improving it. So tell me what you want with me and I may consider sparing your life.” he growled.

“I’m following you, because I know who you are…Mr Gold” she paused before she said his name, the name everyone had decided to call him in New York, the very name that had become the only one he knew himself by.
It had been the first time he saved someone, so many lifetimes ago.

He had moved to New York only a month earlier, and had already fallen on his feet. With his young son he needed to care for, and tiny bachelor pad in Brooklyn to pay for, desperate times had called for desperate measures.

One night, when his son had been at a friend’s house, he found a 24/7 pawn shop where he took all his precious and not so precious treasures. The cufflinks that had belonged to the father that abandoned him, the broche from the mother he never knew, the wedding band left behind by his estranged wife, and a blue opal ring he had worn for as long as he could remember, but would pay for food for Bae for two months. All together they fetched enough money for him and his son to get by, his family was what mattered more than a few trinkets after all.

He left a fake name, not that the pawn dealer cared, in exchange for his money. He had been on his way to leave with the check, when a man in a ski mask had barged in with a rifle, knocking him to the ground. The robber held the gun to the clerk’s head, while an accomplice forced him and another bystander to the ground. The robber took what he wanted, and aimed the gun at the trembling woman lying beside him.

Adrenaline and courage overtook his mind, he extended his hand and sent a wave of glowing red energy towards the gunman- sending him flying into the glass cabinets behind him. The robber in the ski mask walked over to him, when he sent the butt of the other man’s gun into his temple with the flick of his hand, subduing the man in a second. Then he commanded the steel bars on the windows to entwine themselves around the robber’s hands like handcuffs.

He ran out of the shop once he was sure the criminals could not escape, or the witnesses understand what he had done. The next day there was a minor headline in the newspaper, that two attempted robbers were apprehended by a man who imprisoned them with superpowers. The only record they had of this mysterious man, was a grainy CCTV shot and the name Mr Gold that he left behind on the receipt. Since that moment, all of mysterious, heroic deeds had been attributed to the elusive vigilante called Mr Gold.

It was a name he had gone by, the only one anyone had known him by, and now all these years after that name had fallen to mean nothing more than a faceless superhero, and here this woman spoke of him as if she was seeing a shooting star. Something about her, he observed, seemed oddly familiar. Yet even through his whiskey-soaked brain, he knew he had no chance of uncovering the answer in his current state of mind. There were only two emotions he could conjure in his drunken-state: rage, and annoyance. The mystery woman’s amazement at uncovering the elusive Mr Gold wore off, and she continued her explanation.

“… I found you by following the empty bottles of liquor, and no one told me where you were; no one knows but me.” she said. Her voice was accented, that he struggled to pinpoint if he had heard it before. She spoke in a way that tried to hide her fear- but he could sense it beneath the surface.
He pressed the knife harder to her throat, and that was when a burst of power sent him flying straight back into a brick wall. The wind was knocked out of his lungs, and for a moment he was thankful he was so drunk otherwise he was sure that he would be able to feel his ribs breaking.
As he lay crumpled on the ground, trying to gather his senses, he looked back up at the girl in bewilderment. Her hand glowed with a blue energy, she’s gifted, he realised, she was like him. His eyes wandered back to her face, where her soft blue eyes, now glowed with hauntingly beautiful blue circles. Realisation dawned on Gold, when he remembered where he had seen those eyes before.
He was almost motionless, what were the chances? That the same girl was now standing in front of him, that she had sought him out after all these years?

The drunk ass-hole in the back of his brain hoped she wasn’t back for the necklace, because he had no fucking clue where it was anymore

The woman seemed to misinterpret why he was frozen in place, with a wave of her hand she sent his cane rattling towards him.

“Thank you,” he said with his lip twitching, grabbing his cane as he stumbled back onto his feet, a feat that he was sure he would feel embarrassment over once he was sober again. All the more reason to continue drinking, he thought. The woman’s stance had changed dramatically as her true colours had shown, she was brave and bold, he couldn’t deny. In the back of his mind he cursed that she was able to overpower him. If his own powers weren’t so rusty he sure could have showed her up. As he finally found his way upright and with some level of balance, the glow in her eyes faded away, and returned to normal.

“What is it you want?” he finally asked.

“I want your help.” She replied honestly.

“You must be truly desperate to come to me for help.” He chuckled in a way that had made his enemies squirm, but the girl held her ground and continued to stare into his eyes with fierce determination.
”Well from what it appears, you don’t need my help at all,” he said, gesturing with a wave of his hand to her. With that, he pocketed his dagger and sauntered back in the direction of the bar- whatever she had to say, he wasn’t interested. He was done fighting, for good or for evil. And he knew helping this girl would not be a good idea.

“Besides,” he told her as he walked away,”I’m not in the business anymore.”

But her voice called out to him.

“I have something that will make you interested.” She offered, and his curiosity almost made his feet falter, it was his annoyance and frustration that made him twirl around and snap at the stranger.

“How could you have something that would interest me? What could you possibly offer me that would make me agree to help some foolish, naive girl?”

“We have a common enemy.” She said before adding in a grave tone “Zelena.” Gold felt as though she had dropped an anchor on his chest, and he could feel his blood turn into fire at the mere mention of a name he had tried very hard to obliterate from his mind.

“What do you know of her?” he whispered.

“I know enough, I know that you have crossed paths with her before. That you know how to defeat her?”

Gold didn’t reply, he continued to stare at her in the hopes of catching her bluff. This woman was either very stupid or very brave. Either way he was impressed by her audacity.

“Mr Gold, I need your help to find her. She took something from me, and I need to get it back. You’re the only one who has the power in order to achieve it.
I know who you are, Gold, what you can do. Together, we could defeat her.” The woman said with determination and a fire behind her eyes. Gold searched her face for any kind of trick or game she was trying to play, but he saw the fury and anger he felt within himself inside of her. This girl and he were certainly more alike than he had thought.

“Be careful not to confuse justice with vengeance, dearie. It’s a slippery slope you can’t fight your way back up of, believe me i know it.” he warned her.

“I don’t want justice or vengeance, Gold. I want to understand.” She said.

He waited for her to continue, but her lips only grew tighter and her posture drawn into herself. She was guarding her secrets, a trait Gold knew all too well.

“So do we have a deal, Mr Gold?” she said and held out her hand.

he stared at her hand for a long moment before directing his own to join hers.

“I help you, and you will guarantee Zelena will meet her end?”

"Yes."

"Others have tried and failed, dearie. What makes you think you’ll succeed?"

"I have you.” She said firmly. Gold could almost laugh at her naivety, but what she promised, what too enticing to deny.

“Then we have a deal, Miss…”

“French. Belle French” she added.

“We have a deal.” Gold repeated. “When do we start?”

“We start, when you’re sober and I’ve gotten some sleep.” Belle said before marching off down the empty street. He followed swiftly, cursing himself with every step. Entangling himself with this girl will certainly not end well, he contemplated, but he would do anything to get his revenge.

Chapter Text

For a moment, as he woke up, he tried to remember why there was a young woman with brown hair in his apartment, eating a hamburger at 10am.
The previous night, she had asked him where he lived, and if he wasn’t so fuckstruck about a woman inviting themselves over, or if he wasn’t so drunk, he would have made a quip about it. He entered the living room to find her sitting cross-legged on his dusty old couch, the morning light spilling in from the window that overlooked Storybrooke’s harbour. He had moved here, despite its ridiculous name, mostly because it was by the ocean. Bae had always liked sailing.
Belle didn’t even seem to notice he had entered the room, they were both still wearing clothes from the night before (oh thank god, he muttered), her clothes he noticed were incredibly more well mannered than his own. He looked down at his ratted shirt and torn jeans, suddenly wishing he had thought to wear something more dignifying.

Shaking off his embarrassment and hangover, he interrupted Belle’s feast with a rough,“What the hell are you doing?”

Belle looked up, startled by his apparently sudden appearance, her cheeks filled with food like a chipmunk.

“Eating a hamburger?” she mumbled.

“For breakfast?” Gold questioned.

“So? I was hungry. I got you one.” Belle pointed to the takeaway container on the coffee table in front of her.

Gold cautiously walked over to the seat across from her, and sat down slowly as he watched her continue to eat the hamburger that was almost the size of her face.

He hadn’t seen it the night earlier, his vision obscured by the darkness, and well, the abundance of alcohol in his system, but now in the bright clear-headed light of day, he saw her. Her soft and delicate features still remained, slightly sharper and more defined as the years shaped her, yet he could still see her as clearly see the girl he pulled from the river, cold and motionless.

Gold’s eyes flickered from Belle’s neck to the chest of drawers on the other side of the room, where hidden deep in the top drawer, inside a red box and under old files, was her necklace with a single silver teardrop that he had accidently taken the day he saved her life. And now she sat in front of him, 11 years later, asking for his help, with absolutely no idea that he was the one that saved her. Shit.

“Last night you said Zelena was our common enemy.
So tell me Belle French, what cruel hand of fate made cross paths with the likeness of her?” Gold questioned her as he opened the food container to reveal his non-traditional breakfast. Extra pickles, hm. Then he remembered as of late his breakfast of choosing had been rum and tea, and this was probably one giant leap back to normalcy.

Belle looked up from her hamburger but was careful to avoid eye contact with Gold.

“I told you, she took something from me,” she said carefully.

“And what would that be?” Gold asked, Belle suddenly abandoned her breakfast after catching sight of the bookcase by the chest of drawers. His eyes followed her as she crossed over to the bookcase, and as her fingers touched each cover of the dusty, neglected books. He stiffened as she ventured closer to the drawers that held the necklace and a conversation he was much looking forward to avoiding for as long as possible.

“Miss French, if we are going to work together, a certain amount of trust and honesty is needed.” Gold lectured, and Belle’s hand faltered at the handle of one of the drawers. She spun around and stared at him sceptically.

“Very well Mr Gold, what did she take from you?” Belle proposed, and Gold pursed his lips tighter. She shot him another look that screamed told you so before returning to gazing at the books.

“We all have secrets, Mr Gold. Some secrets are better left buried, don’t you agree?”

“Indeed…” he murmured, before he rose from the chair and waltzed back to his room to find a suitcase and the bottle of gin he hid.

*

After he had sunk back into his room, and Belle had heard a shower start to run, she stood up from her seat on the couch, taking care to clean up her mess on the coffee table, but left behind the second hamburger in case Gold changed his mind. Without his disapproving gaze, Belle’s insatiable curiosity had free reign on the enigma that was Mr Gold.

She had grown up hearing stories of superheroes and villains, of the selfless and brave, of talented people like Gold. Belle had always strived to be something more, for the life she dreamt of filled with heroics, bravery and adventure. And when she had uncovered her powers, she knew more than ever before it was the life she was destined to have. She wanted to be the hero that saved the innocent and kept everyone safe, the silent hero like Gold, who defeated the bad guys.

So far, she had only dreamt of the actual heroic part, of saving people’s lives. But today, everything would change. Gold could help her become the hero she wanted to be. After all, he was a person in need; perhaps she could start with saving the fallen hero.

The apartment the fallen hero lived in was small, cramped and had the air of it that no one had cared for it for many years. All the windows were covered by the blinds shutting out most of the natural light aside for one that overlooked the bay, and almost every surface was covered in dust. Off from the main room that housed a tiny kitchen, living room and dining table by the door, was a tiny hallway that lead to the bedroom and bathroom, and one door at the end of the hall with the door firmly closed.

With one careful shot to the ajar bedroom door confirming Gold was still showering, she tiptoed towards the door and saw a key in the lock. Turning the key quietly, she pushed the door open. When she entered she had the immediate sense that she should not be there. It was a spare bedroom; on first glance a bland and plain room with just a single bed, dresser and chair by the window.

Yet as Belle was driven forward, details began to appear: A basketball under the foot of the bed, a Gameboy on the bedside table, a baseball cap on the chair. When Belle opened the wardrobe she saw it was filled with clothes, some old and some new. The smaller clothes tended to be the most worn, some with tears and holes but otherwise good condition.

The bigger clothes were mostly unworn and still had the tags on them. Adding all the pieces together, Belle realised that this was all items for a boy, a child.

Mr Gold had a son? Belle tried to wrack her mind for any newspaper or story she had read that would have mentioned that, until she shook off the question and remembered Gold wasn’t even his real name, it was simply what he was called. A name to plaster onto the faceless hero.

No one truly knows who he actually was, Belle thought. He had been a man, not just a superhero. They all had secret identities, and a secret for a reason Belle understood as she stood in the middle of the empty room.

She heard the water turn off in the bathroom, and hurriedly left the room, being careful to leave everything as it was. Belle knew, this was not somewhere she was ever meant to see, heroes needed their secrets kept hidden more than anyone.

*

It took him less than twenty minutes to pack up his temporary life in the shabby apartment by the docks. He took what he needed, begrudgingly leaving behind his rum to Belle’s disapproving gaze. As he grabbed his bags by the door, he waited until Belle had walked out the front door and down the steps before placing the bags back down and marching over to the drawers by the window.

He opened the drawer on the left, that held miniature bottles of liquor he quickly stuffed into his bag. Then he gingerly opened the drawer on the right, taking out a worn baseball and the only photograph Gold kept, holding them as though at the slightest disturbance in the room they would cause them to fall from his hands and shatter on the ground. After they were safely hidden in his bag, his eyes fell to the tiny box that held Belle’s buried necklace. With a slight pause of hesitation, he reached in to grab it and tucked it into his breast-pocket.

*

5 minutes later they were driving across the town line. Belle carried very little, simply a large handbag and a change of clothes that she now wore: a dazzling blue blouse and grey geometric skirt and continued to wear her alarmingly high heels.

Not the kind of outfit a superhero would typically wear, he smirked.

He had donned one of his long-since worn suits, which in doing so had him feeling as though the years that had passed were merely a dream. Or a nightmare more accurately. He fiddled with the tie as they headed out of town and onwards back to his long abandoned reality: hunting down villains.

Gold glanced over at his new companion, whose eyes scanned the speeding car and the blurring surroundings. He noticed after a moment, Belle was biting her lip and hands fidgeting manically in her lap.

“You act as though you’ve never been in a car before.” Gold said before looking back to the road ahead. He felt Belle’s eyes on him, but he was careful to not look back over.

“Oh I have, just not since….” He waited for her to finish, but she seemed to have lost her train of thought. Then realised he knew what the sentence ended in already. After all, he had been there. He had seen her car fly into the ocean and to certain death.

“…I tend to avoid car rides where i can.” Belle finished hastily before she too diverted her eyes as well to the road ahead.

“If it bothers you we can-“

“No, no it’s fine. I can deal with it. I just always feel uneasy in cars for some reason.” Belle said. Gold looked back over to her, and saw she no longer bit her lip and her hands lay unnaturally still. She was using every ounce of energy in her body to keep herself still, Gold could see. So focused in her goal, she didn’t notice the way he was staring at her. Gold turned back to face forward with a tiny twitch in his lip. The girl was nothing but adept at facing her fears and conquering them, he admired. They were going to need that on the road they were about to go down. A part of him doubted he would be able to keep his own hands from trembling as Belle was.

After a while, Gold noticed, Belle’s hands began to fiddle again. In an effort to distract her, he began to inquire about their ‘mission’

“If you have crossed paths with this woman before, you will know she doesn’t often leave much mercy with those who wrong her.” Belle did not reply, and started twisting a napkin in her hands. “If you want to defeat her, and I mean truly defeat her I am your best option. But it’s going to take a lot more than just you and me.” Gold said.

“Which is why I have a plan.” Belle informed him.

“Well, you’ve thought of everything haven’t you?”

“Not everything.” Belle replied before falling into silence, Gold chanced a glance back over to her and saw her hands no longer writhed. He quickly threw his gaze back to the road when she continued speaking.

“I have people like us who can help take her down, they’ll help us.” Belle informed him.

“And where might these people be?”

“New York.”

Gold sighed in discontent that escaped Belle’s notice. “Perfect.” he grumbled. They were headed back to the one place Gold never wanted to see again. And also a place a number of disgruntled people didn’t want to see him.

*

They’d been on the road for nearly 3 hours, until Gold could barely stand another second of Belle’s fiddling. It was a 7 hour drive to New York, and Gold had spent every minute since leaving the apartment wishing he had considered how much quicker and easier buying plane tickets would have been. The sooner he could get this escapade over with the better. As much as he craved revenge, Gold knew those two tiny bottles of whiskey weren’t going to last him very long.

They found a diner along the route, where they had stopped for lunch and a reprieve of the awkward silence. Entering the diner, and pretending to be two normal people out for a drive in the countryside proved to be a skill Gold had lost in his isolation in Storybrooke. He felt increasingly out of place as they made their way to a booth by the window, and he would glance up every few moments at the people around him. Gold couldn’t shake the feeling, someone was watching them from the moment they entered.

“Are you nervous, Mr Gold?” Belle laughed as she looked at the menu. Her question and casual nature caught him off guard, she was acting as though they were friends, not as though she had only met him the night before.

“No of course not.” He insisted, but Belle shot him another scolding glance.

“You’re just as bad as I am with cars. Not used to being out of your comfort zone?” Belle asked.

“One can never be too careful.” Gold explained, prompting Belle to laugh to herself slightly.

“Spoken like a true, paranoid ex-superhero.” She said before setting down her menu. “So why did you?” Belle asked.

A waitress came and took their order and Gold waited until she left to respond.

“Why did I what?”

“Stop being a hero.”

Gold suddenly found himself scanning the room for any kind of intervention he could create to avoid her questioning, silently praying the waitress came back with their food just in the nick of time for him to avoid answering. Unluckily, no such occurrence came to his rescue, and Rumple begrudgingly answered.

“I suppose I was never the hero-type, dearie.” Gold said, and Belle tilted her head as if analysing him.

“I don’t think so…I’ve read all the news articles about all the people you have saved. Countless lives! You were a superhero, everyone looked up to you.” Belle informed him. Gold remained silent and continued to stare out the window, pondering whether he could escape to the car before realising even with his bad leg and her heels she would still catch him. Or perhaps she would use them as weapons.

“I think you were a hero. Are a hero.” Belle added.

“I’m nobody’s hero, Miss French. Haven’t been and never will be.” Gold finally retorted.

“Well if you weren’t a hero, why did you agree to help me?” Belle asked with a knowing smile. With an identical smile, Gold leaned in and whispered.

“Like you said, we have a common enemy,” he snarled, leaning back on his seat. “I may not be a hero anymore, but I certainly won’t let someone like Zelena escape justice.”

Belle, sensing the opportunity to question further, leaned forward as the waitress arrived with their food.

“So what did she do…Zelena?” Belle asked. Gold’s stance immediately changed, his shoulders tighter and his posture straighter.

“Was she the one who caused that?” Belle nodded towards his cane, that he gripped tighter and shifted his bad leg from her sight. She knew immediately that she had crossed a line, but curiosity had driven her forward. She knew from the reports and whispers of those who saw the superhero Mr Gold in action that he had no limp, perhaps it was what had driven him into retirement and obscurity. Belle was not naïve, and smart enough to realise there was more to a story than an injury someone as powerful as he could have easily healed.

“She took something from me long ago, that’s all you need to know.” Gold said curtly. At that they fell into silence once again, eating together but more or less alone in their secrets, separated by the table. Gold could not shake the feeling, since they had entered this random diner, that they were being watched.

Scanning the diner, he found nothing out of the ordinary, a tourist looking family, an elderly couple bickering, young parents struggling with a mountain-load of small children, all except two men seated at the counter in the corner of the room. They appeared to be entirely grossed in a deep conversation, food ordered and placed in front of them but ignored. The one facing Gold, would occasionally glance in their direction, Gold being careful to avoid detection. Whoever they were, Gold was certain they knew who he was. It was naïve of him to think he would get this far from his self-imposed prison of Storybrooke and go unnoticed.
Quickly wiping his face elegantly, he threw his napkin to the side and with a quickly muttered “we’re leaving” to his companion, paid for their meals and ushered Belle out the front door.

He could still feel Belle’s curious eyes drilling into the back of his head, as well as the tracking gazes of their tails.

“What’s going on?” Belle blurted as they hastily walked back to Gold’s car, he held the door open for her side as he quickly glanced back to inside the diner, the men noticing they had left and getting up to leave.

“Just get in!” he pleaded before she conceded and got in. Gold ambled to the driver’s side, before hurriedly slamming the door and turning the key.

“Those men are following us aren’t they?” Belle deduced as they tore off the gravel road and back onto the highway, Gold flooring the accelerator.

“Yes they were.” Gold sneered. “Probably since we left Storybrooke.”

“But why?”

“Miss French, I made a lot of enemies being the hero, even more when I became the villain. Trust me, whoever they were you don’t want to find out.” He cautioned, looking over at her as she nodded in understanding, before her gaze flitted back to the road ahead, and her face contorted in shock.

“Look out!”

A large black van was speeding towards them, driven by the men from the diner Gold could clearly see, on a direct collision course with them. Gold swerved to the right, missing clipping the van by milliseconds, the wheels losing their grip on the asphalt and they spiralled off the road. He tried to correct the car and brake, but all efforts were futile as the side of the car slammed into a tree.

The van paused, surveying the damage and the survivability rate, before speedily driving off and into the distance. Belle was the first to come to, only seconds after the van had left, with nothing but a small cut on her forehead. As she regained her bearings, she looked over to see an unconscious Gold slumped over the wheel. Belle quickly lifted his head, careful to not jostle or injure him, and running him over with her eyes. In another life, Belle had once trained to be a nurse, and taught her enough to satisfy her curiosity and understanding of assessing someone’s injuries to know Gold was probably more or less unharmed. Save for the shallow cut on his temple and most likely a bruised rib. Belle exited the dinged up car as gracefully as she could.

Unfortunately she knew even less about diagnosing a car than she did people. The side that had hit the tree, seemed only slightly dented, and the windscreen had miraculously been spared any severe damage. Perhaps the car would run, only minor mishap was that Gold was clearly not going to be useful for driving any time soon.

Opening the driver’s door, Belle realised extraditing an unconscious, hungover and prickly ex-superhero was not going to be an easy feat. He was a slight man, but still considerably heavier than her. She spent a considerable minute considering the logistics of pulling him out by the shoulders and dragging his limp body into the backseat, when she laughed at her own stupidity and simply waved her hand instead. The familiar blue tinge of her powers started to glow in her palms and with her hands placed in front of her, she pulled him from the car by invisible strings. With one hand directing the strings to hold Gold in a rather comical and awkward position liken to a drunk puppet, the other hand Belle ordered the passenger door open. After unceremoniously dumping her companion across the backseat, Belle dusted off her hands with a smug expression before inserting herself in the driver’s seat and easing off onto the highway. “Just like riding a bike”, she muttered.

Chapter Text

They had pulled up to a seemingly abandoned warehouse by the East River, looking as desolate and neglected as the buildings surrounding it.

It almost tricked his mind into thinking they weren’t really in New York, but Gold could feel it in the air, the aura of adventure, treachery and grandness that seemed to fill his mind like no other place in the world.Immediately he was reminded why he had loved this city, and why he had been driven from it. He gingerly extracted his self from the back-seat of the car, as slowly and moving as little as possible.

Gold waved off Belle’s offer to help with a string of curses, though he was normally quick to heal due to his powers, save for his one injury that would never heal, his latest mishap might take a day or two.

“I suppose I should thank you for not putting any more scratches on my Cadillac” Gold hissed through the protesting of his rib cage.

“Or maybe, thank you Belle for saving my life and driving us the rest of the way here.” Belle jested, Gold did not break his unfaltering glare of dissent. She didn’t relent either and continued to smile at him.

Belle walked to the front of the car and watched him staring out at the city skyline, she faltered before closing the distance between them.

“It’s this way.” She said before Gold turned around and followed to the entrance of the shambled warehouse.

Belle had explained to him in the car just before night fell and they reached the city’s limits that they were going to meet her contact in New York, an eccentric fellow named Jefferson who could help them make their next move.

Gold had listened but not commented to her ramblings. He remembered hearing that Jefferson, like them, had talents, but rather kept to himself. Belle had also said he had a friend, a computer genius turned hacker that helped them on minor missions.
She was how they found about Gold, Belle told him. Gold had pursed his lips in annoyance at that. If wannabe-hero-hackers had been able to find him and drag him out of his miserable life, who else could?

Entering the building proved to enlighten Gold to an even more shabby and broken interior, save for the iron spiral staircase on the left side of the wall, that lead to an opening of light spilling from it and the sound of people arguing.

Belle immediately headed to the stairs and Gold followed suit. Upon reaching the second floor, Gold came to realise that this was where all the attention of the building had been drawn to.

The second level of the warehouse had been converted into almost a computer lab merged with a frat-house. The room was scattered with computers and machines, technical looking contraptions all mixed with a mini-fridge, a stereo blasting gods knows what, a kitchen- bean bags and looking further on he saw a hallway that lead on to further squalor.

Gold began to increasingly regret ever getting out of bed and following the pretty girl out of his comfortable life. Belle now stood beside him as two figures, previously engrossed in a computer screen, looked up to realise that they had entered.

“Belle, you’re back!” the man said as he rushed over and then began to notice the blood and the shambled mess of two people. “What happened?” he questioned as he stared at the cut on Belle’s forehead.

“It was nothing, minor hiccup getting here.”

“minor hiccup” Gold protested under his breath, there was nothing minor about driving his car without permission, no matter the state of his ability or consciousness.

“Mr Gold!” the man exclaimed and walked over to where Gold stood and immediately offered his hand. Gold shook it with careful hesitation.

“It’s an honour, to be finally meeting you, I have heard many things about you, we all have.” The man was slightly taller than Gold was, with short spiky, dark hair and manic eyes.

He dressed finely, if not eccentric, Gold noted, and was certainly younger than he was, but older than Belle, Gold thought. He seemed not naïve, but excited and knowledgeable. Belle had not mentioned what his powers were, Gold could sense he had a strong capability but chose not to ask.

“Gold, this is Jefferson. Jefferson, Gold” Belle said with a smile as the woman who Jefferson had been working with walked over to join their gathering. She was almost as petite as Belle, perhaps even shorter given she wore plain sneakers instead Belle’s compensating platforms. The two almost looked like sisters save for the stranger’s straight blonde hair pulled into a messy bun on top of her head.

“And this is Tink.” Belle added, as Tink extended her hand like Jefferson, but her gaze wasn’t as warm or friendly as his. Tink looked up at him with wariness and distrust, her eyes glared with a strong anger at him, a sight Gold almost found hilarious given how small she was.

“Pleasure.” Tink said abruptly before giving a warm glance to Belle and returning to her desk, electively ignoring Gold’s presence.

“Never mind Tink.” Jefferson offered. “She isn’t very forthcoming to new people.” Tink sent a scowl to Jefferson followed by an empty mug, which he caught a millisecond before it collided with his jaw. Jefferson gasped in mock horror before laughing and setting down the previously airborne mug.

“C’mon let’s get you guys cleaned up.”

Gold refused Jefferson’s offers to bandage the cut on his temple, knowing full well it would heal quicker on its own with no intervention and just magic.

Jefferson turned his attentions to Belle, who happily accepted gauze and tape. After a moment Jefferson returned to the desk he shared with Tink, and Gold sat on a faded leather couch coiling his cane in his hands to pass the time.

“Hey, sorry about your car.” Belle offered after a moment, he glanced over to her and saw she was still attempting to clean the cut on her head.

“No matter,” Gold replied before staring back down at the golden hand of his cane. Belle went to clean the wound on her head, and hissed loudly as it met the alcohol soaked wipe.

It was the first time Gold heard her swear, profusely at that, and shocked the crankiness out of him and he walked over to help her.

“Thanks.” She smiled as he took the gauze from her and lightly dabbed the cut.

“For what it’s worth, your car drives great” Belle joked and laughed until he patted the gauze harder and her laughs cut off abruptly.

Gold began to feel a smile creep onto his face, and as Belle met him with an equally guarded smile he felt no need to hide his own.

They fell into a comfortable silence as he finished working on her forehead, taping a clean strip of bandage in place before smiling at his handy work.

“There, all better.” He remarked.

“Thank you.”Belle quipped before extended her hand as he helped her off the bench she had been sitting on. “And you?”

He patted softly at his side with a chuffed smile “All better.” That extracted another laugh from Belle.

Her happiness was almost infectious to be around. He had known her for less than two days and already felt the weights around him being lifted. Had he lived in such anger and solitude for so long, that he had forgotten how pleasant it was to share a joke with someone?

“If you two are finished we have shit to do.” Tink shouted from across the room without so much as a glance from her computer screen.

As Gold followed Belle, he realised that for a split second, arguing with Belle, he had forgotten his pain and his anger.

Something in her eyes, and her smile, seemed so comforting and familiar that he would forget his own name and gladly take whatever name she suggested. She wasn’t afraid of him, and she saw passed his menacing mask.
Belle’s mind was not far behind him, as she chanced a glance over her shoulder to see if Gold was following her, Gold giving a reassuring nod to show he was coming too. What was it about him that she felt so drawn to uncover? He was a mystery, that she felt the strong desire to uncover and understand. They were both strangers stuck on the same path, for very different reasons. Or perhaps they weren’t such strangers after all.

Chapter Text

“I fail to see how attending this event will help us defeat Zelena.” Gold lamented for the fifth time as he began to fidget with the constricting bow tie around his neck. Jefferson sat at his half desk half laboratory, working on a concoction Gold was afraid to go near. Jefferson looked up and removed his safety goggles so he could see Gold standing in the centre of the loft, in an elegant tuxedo.

“Because we need to get in under the radar and find out who Zelena’s new partner is. The more intel on her we can gather before we try to take her down the better.” Jefferson explained, but Gold only pulled on his bow-tie tighter.

“Yes-yes but I fail to see the point in all this” Gold illustrated with a flourish of his hands to his attire

“Half of New York wants me dead, and the other half would gladly watch. We can very well achieve this mission from within these walls so why bother?” he argued.

Jefferson opened his mouth to rebut, when a voice flowed through the room from the hallway.

“Well where’s the fun in that?” a voice sang in a teasing tone. Gold spun around to see Belle enter the room, and take his breathe away without even the need of her powers, simply just standing there was enough to incapacitate any one.

She wore a figure hugging, simply cut yellow satin gown that reached her ankles which displayed her typical stylish and gravity-defying heels. Belle’s hair was pinned at the front but left flowing and softly curled down the back of her neck, and when she walked passed a paralysed Gold, he almost fainted when he saw that the dress was backless.

“Besides, I’ve always wanted to go undercover.” Belle smiled and shot Gold a wink before walking over to him, her hands immediately reaching for his tie.

“Come on, admit it. You’re a little excited to be back in action.” Belle teased. After adjusting his tie, she shot him another quick flash of a mischievous smile before placing her hands briefly on his chest.

“There. Perfect!” she added before walking over to Tink by the kitchen counter.

Yes he most certainly was excited, but not for the ball. As they left the apartment together, laden with perfectly forged invitations, Gold could not have been gladder for undercover missions.

*

The Gala was being held at the Natural History Museum, a charity ball for the city’s most elite, and of course most corrupt.

It was a breeding ground for those who fought their way to the top, by super or natural means. Zelena had been one of the supernatural, using her considerable powers to influence and destroy.

The thought of soon being in the same building as her for the first time in over 9 years made Gold’s skin crawl, but knowing that this was the first step in defeating her calmed him enough to remain focused.

They had barely entered the building before Belle reached beneath his arm to entwine her own along it, Gold flashing her a look of disbelief followed by Belle’s eyebrow raising and eye pointing as if to say we’re undercover! Just go with it!

Champagne was thrust into their hands at one point as they entered the event room, an extravagant room filled with the prized treasures of the museum, shiny, glittery people and food lining an entire wall. In the centre of the grand room, under the most dazzling crystal chandelier, people danced and swayed to the orchestra playing soft and sweet music that filled their ears.

The next time Gold looked over to his companion, he feared her grip on the glass would shatter it into a million pieces. Her fingers glowed a tinge of blue and when his eyes travelled to her face, her eyes sparkled in fascination and concern and her tell-tale luminous blue circles began to grow brighter. Gold carefully extracted the glass from her hand and at his touch, her fingers and eyes returned to their conspicuous colours.

“What the hell are we supposed to do?” Belle exclaimed in concern.

Suddenly she wasn’t so eager for stepping head-long into a mission when she clearly knew nothing about this world and how to go unnoticed in it. Luckily, in that department Gold excelled.

His hand still holding hers that was chilly to the touch from the champagne, entwined itself further into hers and lacing their fingers together. She looked down at his hand in surprise, and now it was his turn to flash her a devious smile.

“We blend in.” he grinned before leading her out to the dance floor.

It wasn’t until they reached the centre of the marble floor did Gold move his hand from lightly grasping Belle’s, and placing it slowly on her back as Belle’s other hand reached to meet Gold’s held up for her.

It wasn’t until Belle’s eyes came up to meet his did his hand fully relax against her back, and he told his feet to move. It wasn’t particularly graceful, given his limp and how it pained him without his cane, but he bared through it as they found a rhythm with the music and each other.

With each second that passed, all Gold could think of was his hand touching the bare, exposed skin of Belle’s back, and how soft it was under his course hands. Little did he know, all Belle could concentrate on was his hand gracing her, the warmth from him and how each little movement of his fingers felt like electricity shooting up and down her spine.

He pulled her slightly closer, Belle’s eyes lighting up for a split second in alarm before he pulled their arms up over their hands and turned her into a graceful spin, her satin gown flowing around her ankles.

Gold could have danced with her all night, and it took him a decent 10 minutes before he actually remembered why they were here. Hating to break this golden moment between the, and bring up business, Gold let out a sigh before he shattered their little bubble of champagne and string music.

“She should be arriving any minute. Zelena likes nothing better than making an entrance.” Gold informed Belle. Belle looked up at him and for a moment Gold thought she hadn’t heard him, before shaking off whatever thought lingered in her head and snapping back into business mode.

“What if she sees you? Then we will lose our element of surprise.”

“Well I’ve never been one much for surprises, dearie” Gold joked, extracting a soft laugh from Belle.

They had grown comfortable in their dancing, their movements and footing almost instinctive and reactive to each other. Belle was surprised at how pleasant his company was, the real Gold was nothing like the stories of the vigilante she heard of, or the drunken fury of a man she found in Storybrooke. She found his quips easy to laugh at enjoy, without having to force so much as a chuckle.

Gold felt the same, and wondered how this girl had crawled under his skin so quickly and made her home there. Staring at her now, her eyes were filled with such friendliness and acceptance, a sight he had not seen since his own son had gazed upon him like that. It made his chest feel full and his heart light, Belle had been a surprise he hadn’t imagine ever coming across, or ever finding him.

“You know, we’ve come this far already.” Belle began “escaped death, on the run from the bad guys…” Gold had wanted to quip that technically he was included in the latter category, but decided to not interrupt Belle’s epiphany.

“…and here we are: undercover op, you’re wearing a tux, I’m wearing a backless dress.” He raised an eyebrow at that to say oh really? I hadn’t noticed and her eyebrow arching with a replying don’t pretend you’re not enjoying the backless dress.

“All of that, and I still don’t know your name.”

“Well it’s Mr Gold, of course!” he jeered.

“Your first name, your real name.” Belle corrected.

She waited for him to answer, but instead watched as he pretended to survey the room for the twentieth time before her mind focused back on their dancing, which had considerably slowed since she had asked him that question.

“James.” He finally whispered, yanking Belle back out of her daydream.

“What?”

“My name, it’s James.” He sighed as if a weight was lifted off his chest.

“James Gold?”

“Yeah.”

“Huh…After all this mystery and allure I thought it would be Archibald or Reginald, something more extravagant and different. James is so…”

“Normal? Plain? Like everyone else?
Names have a way of defining us, which is why I never liked it. It never felt like me.”

“I don’t think it’s plain or normal. The name doesn’t have to make you ordinary, you make the name extraordinary.” Belle deliberated.

An emotion fluttered across Belle’s features, like the one that had made a snapshot of an appearance before, and her red lips parted slightly before staring at his own lips.

Gold had gone to lean into her, his hand slipping lower down her back as soft as the silk she wore- before he snapped out of his illusion, convincing himself he had been seeing what he wanted to see.

They continued to dance, but now Gold avoided Belle’s eyes as he surveyed the room. Finding his target, just now entering the room as he felt something drain from the room.

“She’s here.” He muttered under his breath loud enough for Belle to hear, but not react.

Belle turned to look slyly over her shoulder at their target. Zelena was certainly a force to be reckoned with, that much was certain from the mere glance in her direction. Her light red hair was pulled into a low bun at the base of her neck, red pursing lips and frightening eyes that scanned over her minions.

Gold was careful to turn in their dancing at the feel of her stare flying across the room, giving Belle a slightly better look at their enemy.

She wore an electric green cocktail dress with dark lace wrapping around it to break up the colour, and a matching emerald pendant around her neck like a choker. As Zelena stood flanked by a man at least a head shorter than her, several men wearing black suits and ties began to circle the room, each paying careful attention to each dancing guest.

“She knows we’re here.” Gold surmised, and his hand holding Belle’s clutched hers tighter. Belle’s eyes began flitting around the room for a way out, a potential escape route or diversion, something to avoid attention or deflect it. Her eyes flew back to Gold’s.

“Kiss me. Now.”

“What?!” perhaps he had been right in his earlier assumptions, Gold pondered, but now was most definitely not the time for it.

“Public displays of affection make people very uncomfortable” Belle argued.

“Yes, they do!” Gold asserted.

But before he could protest any further, Belle’s hands were around his neck and pulling herself up to Gold’s lips. His hand reached to brush her cheek, obscuring her face as her own hand did his at the exact moment one of Zelena’s men passed them.

The man quickly averted his gaze as Gold’s other hand began to fall lower and lower down Belle’s back as she leaned further into him. The second the man had reached a safe distance from them, Belle’s lips finally parted from his and Gold felt incredibly out of breathe. Her hand lingered on his cheek as his lingered precariously near the end of her backless dress and into dangerous territory.

She smiled wickedly at him before they quickly resumed their casual dancing as if no dangerously passionate kiss had occurred.

“You still uncomfortable?” Belle inquired with a raised brow, and all Gold could do was stare at her with the same frozen look of surprise.

“Not exactly the word I would use.” Gold finally retorted. He chanced a glance back at their target, who had now found her way to the champagne fountain, closely followed by the slight gentleman who seemed like a mouse hiding between a cat’s legs.

“That man she is with.” Gold pointed out to Belle. “His name is Walsh, the CEO of Oz Enterprises.”

“I’ve heard of it, they own almost every lab on the East Coast.” Belle added.

“Indeed, and most of New York.”

“Zelena owning the other half” Belle gathered. “She must be trying to align herself with him.”

“Walsh has made no known secret that he despises people like us.” Gold told Belle, who shot him an inquisitive look.

“people with powers. He must be truly desperate for something to enter into a deal with Zelena.” Gold elaborated and Belle nodded in understanding. They both now turned a sly eye to watch Walsh now talking to his security, and hand them a small device. Suddenly, Belle felt Gold stiffen in front of her.

“We have to go. Now.” He said curtly, they immediately stopped dancing and he began to pull her away from the dance floor and to the doors, his hand still remaining entwined with hers.

“What is it? What’s going on??” she flustered, but he made no reply- just walked faster. They made their way down the marble steps, but instead of turning to the way they had entered, they fled through an unlit, narrow hallway. It wasn’t until several minutes later, Belle’s frustration and nerves overrode her and she pulled her arm from his grasp.

“Stop! Tell me what’s going on!” Belle could see the compulsion of his desire to keep running, and Belle was the rope around his hand keeping him still.

“I’ve already told you, that man is not a friend to us, he isn’t even a friend to our enemies! If he finds out we’re here…we’ll all be in a lot of trouble” he warned. Realisation seemed to dawn across Belle, and the urgency seemed to return to her mind.

“Then we better get going, lead the way Mr Gold.” She said with a theatrical wave of her hand, he flashed her a grin before they continued on.

They didn’t get any further than the end of that hallway, when Belle felt what seemed like lightning strike pierce through her skull. She collapsed at the sudden onburst of the sharp, electric pain, screaming out for Gold to help her. But Gold couldn’t hear her cries for help, as he too clutched his head and gritted his teeth. The last image she saw, was of Gold lying on the floor motionless, before the pain became too much, and she fell to the floor beside him.

Chapter Text

Gold began to feel the unsettling notion that he was being watched as he slept, or was unconscious. His brain was still attempting to interpret what had happened.

He remembered a sharp pain in the side of head, like a thousand tiny knives had stabbed his temples. He remembered Belle, crying out for him and falling on her knees. Gold had wanted to go to her, to save her from the pain but he could barely see through his own before he blacked out. They had been attacked. Zelena knew he would be there, and knew Walsh had the technology to take him down. Suddenly their alliance seemed rather convenient.

He opened his eyes slowly, the pain still lingering and eventually his vision returned as he became aware of his surroundings, first of all being someone tied to his back.

He was in a dark hotel room, tied to a chair in the centre of the room. He tried to turn his head to see who it was, but his head protested loudly at even the slightest movement.

Gold caught the scent of Belle’s perfume, and the feel of her long curls pressed to his neck. She didn’t move, and chancing another turn of his despite the pain, he saw her head was bent to her chest. He felt the relief wash over him, when he heard Belle exhaling tiny, soft breaths.

“Ah, good. You’re finally awake.” A voice trilled from the shadows of the hotel room that made the pain in his head feel like child’s play. He hadn’t that voice in a very long time, and had desired the next time he had it would be it begging for them to spare their life.

Zelena emerged from her dark hiding spot, the room now illuminated by her glowing green pendant around her neck, her devilish glowing eyes matching the same eerie colour. On Belle, the glowing circles seemed fierce yet kind, in Zelena all they were was malice.

“I was hoping your new little friend would also join us, but it appears we stunned her a little too much. Poor thing, she’ll probably be asleep for hours.” Zelena mocked as she circled her hostages, pausing in front of Belle and reaching out to touch her.

Gold snarled and fought against the ropes, and Zelena laughed in her childlike glee, like a 6 year old who caught two bugs under a glass.

“Stay away from her!” he yelled and tried to use his powers to blast the ropes into oblivion, which only made Zelena laugh harder.

“There’s no use, Gold. You can’t fight your way out of this one. Another gift from my new partner, Walsh. It’s quite similar to the gift I gave you last time we met.” Zelena purred as she glanced down at Gold’s leg, to his damaged ankle that no magic or superpower would ever fix. “Though not quite as permanent. It inhibits magic, anyone who touches it becomes powerless.”

“What do you want?” he barked at her, and her child like enjoyment of torture switch back to her professional, steely eyed killer demeanour he had known so well.

“I thought the terms we parted on 10 years ago were quite clear. I gave you your life, and in return you could never return to New York.” She scorned. “So you can imagine my surprise when my informant told me that you had left your pathetic little town, and turned up to my gala event! And with a new little friend.”

“If you hurt her-“

“Oh trust me Gold, if I wanted to hurt her or you I would have done so by now.”

“And why haven’t you?”

“Oh now where’s the fun in that?” Zelena pouted with a piercing giggle that made his eyes cringe, before she once again flipped personalities and leaned in to face him.

“You should not have come back, Gold. I have no use for broken toys like you, you served your purpose for me all of those years ago and I have no need of you anymore. If you have any brains, you will leave this city before dawn, or I will not be so merciful.” She warned before stalking out of the room. As she passed by, Gold heard a slight whimper from the slumped over figure tied to him, and felt Belle begin to move her head.

“And unless you want your new little pet to meet the same fate as your son” Zelena called out “I would keep her far away, my dear Gold. The people you love tend to be the people you lose, after all.”

*

“What happened?” she asked him groggily, he could feel her try to fight feebly against the ropes around her, before giving up and sighing in exhaustion.

“Zelena happened.” Gold explained. “Giving me a so gentle and subtle reminder that I am not welcome in New York.”

“You really are good at making friends aren’t you?” Belle asked as they both joined in a short laugh, and both winced at the pain of it immediately after.

“Well, we seem to make good friends.” Belle offered. “I only endangered your life once.”

“Indeed you are.” Gold smiled freely, knowing Belle had no way to see it in the darkness and with their backs to one another.

“I’m so sorry, Belle. For getting you tied up in this.” He offered, and behind him he felt her head rise again and pause, until he too also realised his mistake, and they laughed softly together again.

“I should have realised, I work best alone. The people I drag into my life always end up hurt.” He confessed.

“Just because you work best alone doesn’t mean you have to, James.” She whispered, her using his name made him feel stings and pangs in parts of his heart he hadn’t felt in decades.

“I’m in this Gold, I’m as much a part of this as you are.” Belle told him, taking in shaky and unstable breathes before she blurted out “Zelena did take something from me…
you know what she can do.” Belle posed.

It finally dawned on Gold, the reason she couldn’t confess to him her secrets, and her reasons for going after Zelena: she didn’t even know her secrets herself.

“She manipulates memories. She can make you forget your greatest fears, create memories that were never there, even change the memories…”

“…or erase them all together.” He heard Belle sniff and breathe deeper, trying to control her breathing and most likely her tears. Gold wished he could comfort her, but all he could do was lean his head against the back of hers, and know all too well the pain Zelena’s powers could inflict, or not using them could do as well

“She erased all the memories of my parents, of my childhood, of where I come from. All I remember is her, when I try to remember them, all I see are her glowing eyes like mine. That’s how I know she is the one that took them. And I have to find out why, and who they were” Belle said determinedly “She knows, and she took them away for a reason and I have to find out why.”

After her confession, Gold was infinitely more relieved that she could not see the shock now spreading across his face, when he realised that he held memories of Belle and her parents that even she no longer has.

She had no memory of her parents, did that mean she had no memory of the day- the first day- they had actually met? When he had saved her life? And the necklace, the necklace he had not intended to keep, would she even know it?

He wiggled a hand constricted by the ropes, to reach out to Belle’s as he begin to hear her sob, and wrap it around hers.

Gold wanted so badly to confess he had a memory of her parents that he could give her, but how could he give it to her? It was a harsh memory, a tragic one. Surely none would be better than only being able to remember the day her mother died and she almost joined her.

Would he spare her the pain of knowing her mother was dead? That Gold had been there and seen it all, or did Belle deserve to know the truth no matter how hard it would be to hear.

“We have to get out of these ropes.” Belle shook off her tears and now, with returned strength tried to get her way out.

“It’s no use, they’re enchanted. They stop our powers.” Gold relayed to Belle.

“Well, then. We’ll just have to use our wits to get out of this predicament.” Belle struggled as she tried every way possible to untie or unravel the ropes. Gold tried his best to help, but for all their struggling and wiggling, the ropes seemed to get tighter.

“Wait! My bracelet!” Belle exclaimed. “Can you reach it with your hand?” She had worn a rather bulky and sharp diamond bracelet, with sharp corners, Gold remembered. He knew that his tied hand could reach Belle’s, now all he had to do was get the bracelet off it. It took several minutes of manoeuvring, but eventually he was able to undo the clasp and catch the falling bangle before it fell out of his reach.

“Yes! Okay now use it to cut the rope.” Belle instructed.

“Really? I thought you wanted me to try it on!” he snorted.

“Just get us out of here, Gold!” Belle replied exasperated.

Gold eventually found the ideal angle for friction and began to use the bracelet as an impromptu knife to saw at the frayed rope. After 5 minutes of making slowly agonizing progress, Gold’s hand cramped and he dropped the bangle out of reach. Gold then proceeded to introduce Belle to a new string of swear words and profanities.

“Well, now what?” Belle proclaimed after Gold’s outburst of annoyance ended. They formulated a new plan, of slowly tipping themselves to the side, and pick up the bracelet. Their second plan was doomed for failure, and they both ended up tumbling to the ground in a painful thud. Both in a rather precarious and awkward situation, Gold perhaps should have reconsidered his next sentence before speaking up.

“Well I can think of at least 3 other ways lying on the floor and being tied up together could be taken.”

*

Two hours later and the use of an ‘Emergency Distress Button’ on Belle’s necklace, a contraption invented by Tink and used after the rope debacle-“which you could have remembered before we ended up being tied to chairs in a hotel room!” “Well forgive me for being knocked unconscious and forgetting that I was wearing it!- they were rescued by a valiant Jefferson.

He had appeared in the hotel room within a half-second of the button being pressed-“why didn’t you tell me he could teleport this would have saved so much-““Oh, shut up, Gold!”- and returned to the apartment rubbing their sore wrists and shooting accusing glares at one another from across the room.

“So the gala seemed like a lot of fun.” Tink observed from her computer as she worked on a strange looking contraption that Jefferson had assured on their entry wasn’t explosive….anymore, Gold still had his doubts and stayed very far away from Tink and her desk.

“That was a total waste! All we did was find out Zelena is powerful and had powerful allies, which we already knew” Belle lamented as she threw her purse onto the couch and then collapsed dramatically next to it, slouching in a way that seemed comical, still in her designer, gold gown.

“Well I wouldn’t say that.” Gold contended “we learnt one very important thing.”

“And what would they be?” Belle asked sceptically

“That Zelena still wears her pendant.” Gold informed them. Jefferson chose at this point to join Belle on the couch, captivated by the new piece of information.

“What pendant?” Jefferson asked.

“The green necklace she wears, she had worn it since I have known her. It was amplifies her powers, makes her even more powerful than all of us.” Gold explained.

“How is that…good for us? That’s more the opposite for us.” Jefferson said confoundedly.

“It’s good, because without it, she would be powerless.” At that, Jefferson and Belle both sat up attentively. “The price of it magnifying her powers, is that it stores all it inside it, if it was destroyed or taken from her she will have nothing.”

“So that’s it! That’s how we defeat her! We take the necklace.” Belle replied ecstatically.

“Indeed. The only problem is-“

“-getting the necklace off her.” Belle finished. At that, Jefferson jumped up from his seat and pranced back to his workbench and began to rattle off to Tink about how they can invent a contraption to extract the necklace from Zelena. Belle had followed soon after, leaving Gold alone in the living room area, pondering Zelena’s words over and over in his head.

“…you will leave this city before tomorrow evening…or your new little pet will meet the same fate as your son.”

Gold glanced back over to the three working in the kitchen, Belle looking up and giving him a hopeful smile. He returned half-heartedly, unsure of what to do.

Running away had been his go-to response for the last 10 years. He had a nasty habit of self-preservation after what had happened to Bae, he had nothing but himself to lose, which in the end he did through a bottle.
Now, as he watched Belle’s eyes fill with hope over finding the questions she had long sought, her bravery at wanting to become the hero and defeat the villain; Gold began to realize….now he had something to lose.

Chapter Text

The next evening, Belle climbed up the fire escape and found him on the roof of the apartment, leaning on the ledge and looking over at the New York skyline.
In his hands he held the tiny necklace, running its thin chain between his fingers before he hurriedly stuffed it into his coat pocket as he heard Belle approach him.

“Hey.” She uttered and hovered around the ledge, waiting to see if she was welcome to join him.

“Hey.” He repeated as a sign she was welcome.

She came to lean next to him, not watching him but watching the skyline as he had been a moment before. Now all Gold could stare at was how close her arm was to his on the ledge.

“I haven’t seen you since last night, is everything alright?” Belle asked, still watching the horizon.

“Oh, everything’s perfect.” He replied sarcastically.

“Jefferson follows me around like a puppy and I think Tink has considered more than once poisoning my food or smothering me in my sleep.” Belle laughed at that.

“Yeah, she is a bit of a hard-ass” Belle joked and looked to Gold. He glanced back at her, but almost felt dizzy when he realised how close their faces were when they were both staring at each other, so close that he could kiss the tip of her nose. He smiled back at her and turned away before he would faint.

“It’s so beautiful here.” Belle sighed. Gold nodded in agreement, and the two watched the night for a moment in silence as Gold worked up his courage. He would be needing all of it for what he was about to tell her.

“Belle…” he breathed, and stared down at his hands. She moved away slightly from the ledge, straightening up and leaning against the wall with her hip.

“Yeah?” she crossed her arms across her body, and drew her jacket tighter around her as a cool breeze began to sweep through the air.

“After what happened yesterday…what you told me…”

“Look, I know you said that some secrets we shouldn’t know about each other but I needed you to-“

“-no, no that’s not what this is about,” Gold tried to explain. “I wanted to..I…I want to return the favour.”

Belle shot him a confused glance. He pulled himself up off the ledge, and grabbed his cane. With his free hand he gestured to the seats that were by the fire escape. Belle took one seat, and Gold hovered for a slight moment before taking the other directly opposite her.

“I wanted to tell you the truth. About everything.” Gold said.

“How you know Zelena?”

Gold nodded. “She wasn’t always like the way she is. I knew her very long ago, before I was a villain, when I was a hero.” He had stuttered as he referred to himself as such.

“She had just found out she had powers, no idea what to do or how to control them. I took her under my wing, taught her everything I knew. But some people, I believe are destined to be good or bad.” Gold said as his voice trailed off as he considered which he was.

He had had good intentions in all that he done, but with the nasty method of thinking the end would justify the means, no matter what the means entailed. Circumstance had made him cruel, the life he had led and the loss he had endured may have driven him to commit unspeakable and ruthless acts, but a flame couldn’t start without a spark.

He watched that spark engulf Zelena, and some years later he saw it happen to himself.

“And she became bad?” Belle pulled him out of abyss of self-reflection, and he found his train of thought again.

“When her sister, Regina, also came into her powers I began to train her to. Jealousy and competition was always a part of their relationship, and Zelena had always compared herself to her younger sister. One day, Zelena had enough and wanted to become better than her once and for all, more powerful.”

“The pendant.” Belle realised.

“Yes, she uncovered it and thought…with it she could be unbeatable, incomparable to her sister. She was power hungry, driven by her desire to be better.” Gold reflected.

“So what happened?”

“What always happened to the villains, they try to destroy the heroes.” Gold told Belle, careful to avoid her eyes and fixated on a spot of concrete where a weed protruded through.

“I was no longer her mentor or friend, I was her enemy. I was a threat. A threat she saw to eliminate in the cruellest way possible.”

He could feel Belle’s shoulder’s drop and a sigh escape her lips as she pieced it together in your mind.

“Your son.” She whispered so softly, if Gold hadn’t known what she was realising he wouldn’t have heard it. Belle remembered the room she had found in Gold’s apartment back in Storybrooke, filled with worn clothes and new, unused toys as if their owner would return any day now. Belle, now realising, they never would.

“One day, I came home planning on taking him out to get pizza. He loved the pizza here in New York.” The memory pained him, and it must have shown, as Belle chose that moment to reach out and wrap her tiny hand around his resting on his knee.

“I couldn’t find him, he was nowhere to be found, I knew immediately it was her- so I confronted her. She told me it wasn’t her that took him, and I was blinded by grief and fear that I believed her, even when she told me who took him instead.”

Gold paused as he looked up from the ground and into Belle’s eyes, which he now saw were filling with tears, and she bit her bottom lip. “Pan,” he uttered, and he watched carefully for her reaction, for a hint of recognition of the name, and her jaw fell slightly and she blinked profusely.

“Pan…I remember him. I…I was young but I remember what happened. Who he was. He attacked New York…”

“…about 9 years ago. Zelena saw him as another threat to her claiming New York. It was the first time, and I thought it would be the only time, I aligned myself with the villains so we could take down a common enemy. I was trying to get my son back, Zelena was trying to get more power.”

“You killed him?” Belle questioned.

Gold seemed to struggle with an unknown emotion that only made Belle hold his hand tighter.

Gold knew that she could sense there was more to the story about Pan, and though here he was, baring his secrets and soul, that was a door he would always keep closed and locked. The rest he wanted her to know, to understand him.

“We defeated him.” Gold replied concisely. “It wasn’t until after I realised the full scale of what Zelena had manipulated me to do.”

“She never had him did she? Your son?”

“No…she just used me to help get rid of her competition. Without me, she never would have stood a chance against Pan.” Gold replied.

“I wanted to keep him safe, which was I kept my identity a secret, to protect him. But I failed.” Gold said and pulled away from Belle’s touch, standing up and walking back to the ledge. Gold could feel Belle’s eyes following him, but she stayed firmly in her seat.

“That was when everything changed, when I stopped being the hero. Being good had cost me what I cared for most, because I was too busy saving myself he slipped through my fingers, and now he’s gone forever, because of me. When I finally realised Zelena had him all along, I tried everything to get my son back. I searched for him all across the world, but it was too late. She killed him, and I tried to avenge him, but I failed. And for that she gave me this.” He added and tapped his bad leg with the cane.

“After that, being the hero had no point, I became the villain that I felt like. After a while, even being evil couldn’t fill the void. I became a hero to save people, I became a villain to save my son, and after he was gone I became nothing instead. Not a hero, not a villain, not a father. Just a monster.” He closed his eyes, and felt hot tears spill out as hard as he fought to keep them in.

Gold wasn’t certain at what point during his story Belle had left her seat, but after a moment in his solace he felt her soft and comforting hand reach his shoulder and rest her face on his arm; letting him know without words he wasn’t alone, and she was there for him.

Gold hadn’t told anyone what had happened to Bae for over 10 years, and he couldn’t believe the weight of it had been on his heart, or how big the void was that was left inside of him. He had gotten used to the pain and the emptiness, and now he could fill that whole slowly being filled again- and he could no longer pretend it was because of her, because of Belle.

“You’re not a monster, James.” Belle whispered. “And you are a hero, I wish the world could see that.”

“In Bae’s eyes, I was a superhero. That was all the recognition I ever needed. It was all for him.” Gold told her, before turning to face Belle, her face was half illuminated by the city lights, and her eyes were glassy from her own tears, as she gazed up at him expectedly.

“And now it’s all for you, Belle. I can never get back what I lost, but I can promise you, I will help you get back what you have lost.” Gold vowed. She smiled through her tears up at him, as she took his hands in hers.

“You’re a hero in my eyes too, for what it’s worth.” Belle said, before she let go of one of this hands laid it to rest against his scarred and coarse face, before drawing herself towards him.

He leaned into her gravity, their lips meeting softly at first, slowly and carefully as though they both feared they would break the other at their intimate touch.

It was nothing like their first kiss, rushed, passionate and for the purpose of their undercover mission. This kiss was their real first kiss, where they had bared their souls and their scars for the other to see, to know each other deeper and more than two strangers thrown onto a path together.

Gold realised now, as she breathed his name, that their path was one. He was as much a part of her story as she was his. Belle smiled to him with a face full of happiness, and all he could muster was awe.

His hand, still poised in his pocket from where it had been prepared to pull out his other secret, released the necklace from its grasp as placed both his hands on Belle’s face and kissed her again.

One secret was left below the surface, the one that would destroy her the most, the necklace. Gold could not ignore the irony, that he held her happiness as he kissed her, but also held the one thing that would destroy her, the truth.

As darkness came and went, and Belle slept soundly in his arms, Zelena’s warning was what haunted him again.

Soon, and he didn’t doubt that, should would find out he didn’t heed her words and leave. If Zelena had learnt anything from him, it was that no action goes without punishment, and he will gladly pay it, no matter the cost.

Today had forced his secrets to be released and remind him of his failures, and also why he no longer had a son. He was reminded why he became a hero, to bring those who had wronged others to justice, he may not wear a cape and his hands were most certainly no longer clean, but he would it for his son, he would do it for Belle. He would defeat Zelena and bring her to justice.

Chapter Text

Belle awoke drowned in sunshine, and a smile on her face as she remembered the night before. She glanced over to the comatose Gold, whose lay on his back face down. Belle briefly checked that he was able to breathe, tried to movie him but was met with half-asleep grunting and swearing before she gave up and tried to find something to wear. She opted for one of Gold’s shirts laying near the bed, a soft, light blue dress-shirt that contrasted all the other dark colours he always wore.

Careful to not make a noise and interrupt his slumber, Belle curiously looked around the small, spare room that had become his temporary home. Like in his apartment, the windows were covered and the only light that came in was from a single window that shone light onto half of the bed Belle had slept on, shrouding Gold in the darkness. Perhaps he liked the darkness, but not enough to shut it completely out, she noted. He had taken very little with him on their trip, two small suitcases, filled with clothes and bare necessities. “I’m not sentimental” he had grumbled when she had inquired about it in the car, but the shrine for a lost son back home begged to differ. Gold hadn’t been anything like Belle imagined, and perhaps that was a good thing. Before she had met him, he seemed like an all-powerful, unbreakable superhero that could help her fix the world, but in reality he was just a broken and scared human.

Deciding rather than snooping through his limited belongings, Belle decided to set order right in the tiny bedroom while she waited for him to wake up. She placed the shoes at the foot of the bed, folded his clothes on the dresser, opened another blind to let light into the room, and he still slept. Belle could have knocked over a lamp or sent a marching band through the apartment and he still wouldn’t wake. She sighed in frustration and bent to pick up his suit jacket that lay discarded on the floor. As she went to lay it neatly on the dresser by the other clothes, Belle’s eye caught the glimpse of a silver flash of light and a tiny thump as something fell to the ground.

She bent down to pick it up, and placed in her hand a tiny silver necklace that had fallen out of his pocket. It was incredibly simple, but beautiful in its design, a thin chain adorned by only a silver bead in the shape of a teardrop. Belle pondered why he would have this, if he had bought it and intended to give it to her or had simply found it. As she fingered the tiny silver bead, Belle’s mind was for an instant someplace else. For a moment, she thought she felt cold, and water filling her lungs. The pain in her chest felt as real as the sun on her face, and she could feel arms wrapping around her torso and pulling her up.

But when Belle stood up, she blinked her eyes and she was still standing in the spare bedroom of Jefferson’s apartment, and Gold began to snore slightly. She clutched at the necklace tighter for a moment, overwhelmed by the sensation that she had seen it somewhere before, that it meant something other than her finding it in Gold’s jacket. She heard Gold begin to stir in the bed behind her, as she quickly wiped the tears off her checks and fled the room, but not before placing the necklace back where she had found it- and trying her best to erase it from her mind. Instead, she decided to make breakfast for them. She smiled to herself as she worked, wondering when the last time someone had made Gold breakfast. If his son had done it for Gold’s birthday. She was so lost in her daydream, as she carried the tray carrying coffee and toast, that she didn’t notice the two dark figures lurking in the shadows as they reach out for her. She was gone before the tray even hit the floor.

*

Gold was distinctly aware upon waking up that he was alone in his bed, just like the night before and countless nights before that, but as he opened his eyes and saw from the corner of his eye Belle’s jacket lying on the floor by the window that last night was most certainly not a dream. He hadn’t felt happiness like this in such a long time that he lay staring up at the ceiling, smiling like a schoolboy with a crush on the prettiest girl in the class. And the prettiest girl liked him back. It startled him to think that only a week ago, his life had been empty, full of darkness, and now there was light. Belle was the light that opened the windows, that smiled at him and saw him as a hero, that chased away all the darkness. She was someone who understood who he was, they both had powers they struggled with and uncovering who they were. But together they found themselves.

Gold’s blissful thoughts were interrupted by the sound of something being dropped and shattered in the kitchen downstairs. Initially he shrugged it off and Jefferson or Tink, until he heard more commotion and more things breaking when he remembered that Belle was nowhere to be seen. He flung on the sweatpants he left lying on his suitcase, and as fast as his damaged leg would let him he bolted down the hallway and to the balcony of the apartment’s second floor that overlooked the kitchen and living room. He saw no movement down below, and a glance in the kitchen saw a tray of shattered plates and mugs scattered on the floor. The apartment door was wide open, and as Gold called out for Belle as he raced down the spiral stairs, he found Jefferson and Tink unconscious on the floor by their work station.

He leaned over as best as he could to shake Jefferson’s shoulder violently until his eyes began to flutter open.

“Jefferson. Jefferson!”

He blank profusely until he became aware that he was lying on the floor, and his eyes immediately slammed shut as he reached a hand up in pain to his temple.

“Jefferson, what happened?” Gold questioned as Jefferson began to sat up, and whose eyes now fell onto Tink laying by his side.

“Tink! Tink wake up!” Jefferson called out as he shook her tiny shoulder to no avail. Jefferson then stood up and gestured for Gold to help him with Tink, and together the two managed to lift her and lay her on the couch gently. Jefferson immediately crouched by her side and began to push the hair away that was falling on her face, as Gold began to look around the apartment.

“Where’s Belle?” Gold asked and he began to walk to the kitchen.

“I thought she was upstairs with you.”

Gold reached where the broken pieces of china were scattered on the ground, before realising the stains surrounding them were blood. Gold felt his feet falter as he stumbled back, and raised a hand to cover his mouth. Only one person could have been responsible for this. And Gold could feel the anger in his blood begin to boil.

“Zelena.” Gold snarled in fury, and then proceeded to smash a vase in his immediate vicinity with his cane. Jefferson stood up like a startled deer.

“Zelena took her? Why?” Jefferson came over to obverse the crime scene as Gold began to pace back and forth.

“Because I didn’t heed her warning. Because I didn’t leave like I was supposed to.” Gold realised. It was his fault, Belle had been taken because he thought he called Zelena’s bluff. Gold thought, if he disobeyed the rules the one that would be punished was him. “I should have known.” He whispered to himself, Zelena never fights fair. Belle had nothing to do with their quarrel, and yet she still got caught in the crossfire, because of him.

“We have to find her!” Gold said manically. “Jefferson we have to go, now! We need to find her take us to her!”

“Whoa, slow down Gold. We don’t know where she is!” Jefferson tried to argue.

“But you can teleport, we can find her!”

“It’s not like Google Maps I can’t find her that way!” Jefferson yelled. “I have to know the exact location to teleport to I can’t teleport to a person.”

“You have no idea what Zelena is capable of!” Gold roared. “We have to save Belle!”

Jefferson marched over to the frantic Gold and placed a steady hand on his shoulder. “We will, I promise Gold. We’ll find her.” He said looking straight into his eyes.

Gold nodded and began to calm down, but continued pacing as Jefferson went back to check on Tink.

The thought of Belle being at the mercy of something as wicked and merciless at Zelena was enough to make Gold go insane. Zelena had already cost him the chance of seeing his son grow up, and now cost him the chance at finding happiness once again. Now Belle has paid the price for his mistake, he had to find her. He had to find Belle before it was too late.

*

Belle’s eyes opened and she knew that she was no longer in the apartment, and she looked down to see she was lying tied to a table, bound by the same rope she and Gold had been entwined in 3 days before. She was powerless once again, and this time with no one beside her to help free her, and her necklace that could call Jefferson lay on her dresser back at the apartment. No one knew she was gone, and no one could find her. She was alone, and helpless. No one could save her, so she had to find a way to save herself.

She was in a dimly light room with dark and grimy walls, with a mirror on the wall parallel to her, immediately reminding her of a police interrogation room. She saw her reflection, the only colour that broke up the bland charcoal of the room. Belle felt a sharp and hot pain in her forearm, and used the mirror to investigate its cause, seeing a long and deep cut stretching from the inside of her elbow to her wrist. It bled slightly, dripping onto the floor.

“And so we meet again, my dear Belle.” A woman’s voice snapped Belle’s head to face the door, where a woman dressed in green and black stood with an expression like a cat finally catching the elusive mouse. On her neck hung a giant green pendant that glowed every so slightly.

“Zelena.” Belle interpreted.

“Indeed I am, and it is so nice to finally see you again.” She said as she walked to stand in front of the mirror, nodding her head to the man that stood in the doorway. He nodded back to her and closed the door behind him, Belle heard a lock turn.

“I imagine you probably don’t remember our reunion last week, with our mutual friend, Gold.” Zelena said. Belle was entirely ready to haul insult and accusation after accusation, but one word of Zelena’s speech caught her attention and derailed her verbal assault.

“R-Reunion?”

“Why, yes!” Zelena said matter-of-factly. “Last week was not the first time we have ever encountered one another, but of course you don’t remember that either do you?” she pouted. Belle could no longer take her smug nature and condescending tone.

“How do we know each other? Why did you take my memories of my parents?! What happened to them?!”

Zelena twirled on her heels and her jaw dropped open in mock horror.

“So many questions! My, my you really are a curious one aren’t you?” Zelena questioned as she observed her prey on the table, Belle tried to fight against the binds, but gave up almost immediately. There was no point in pointless fighting and squirming when it would only make Zelena feel more victorious.

“You and Mr Gold are becoming an increasing annoyance to me, Belle.” Zelena informed her, as she turned to watch herself in the mirror, slowly tracing her fingers along her face and eventually, to her pendant.

“I tried to warn your dear James what would happen if he didn’t give up his foolish attempt at revenge.” She droned. “And now both of you will pay the price of defying me.” Zelena left her reflection and now leant over Belle, so that they were face to face, and she lowered her voice to a menacing whisper.

“Our history, my sweet princess, shall unfortunately remain a secret. Those answers you seek about your parents shall remained buried until there will be no one left to dig them up.” Belle could feel tears escaping the corners of her eyes, she had wanted to be brave and strong, unbending. Zelena had wanted to break her, and she was dangerously close.

“You know what I can do, what my powers are?” Zelena spat. Belle nodded, trying with all her might to keep her voice strong and not catch in her throat.

“You take memories.” Belle said and Zelena smiled mischievously. “Indeed, a little game we have danced before, and will again.”

“You’re going to take my memories.” Belle resigned.

“Indeed I am, oh but I’m going to do so much more than just take the memories of your precious parents.” Zelena now moved to stand at Belle’s feet, and she could see Zelena’s fingers start to spark green as she stretched her hands out in anticipation. Belle’s eyes returned to watch Zelena’s, that glowed in terrifying green circles to match her hands and pendant.

“I’m going to take them all.” Zelena threatened.

“Every single memory you have collected in that pretty head of yours. Every memory of your life, your friends, your happiness. I will take all of them until you forget your powers, how to talk, forget how to talk…until you simple forget how to breathe. Even the memories of the man you love. And trust me, it won’t be gentle.”

Her voice changed to that of a spoiled child by the end, that sent chills across Belle’s skin and she could no longer hide her fear, and her chest began to shake in sobs.

Zelena drove out her hand, and Belle could feel her grasp inside her mind, pulling away her very life, one recollection at a time. It hurt more than a thousand knives piercing her skull, she screamed out even though no one would come for her. She begged for mercy even though none would be granted. She cried for him even though…in a few moments, she wouldn’t remember him.

*

They appeared within Zelena’s stronghold in a swirl of purple smoke, thanks to Jefferson, within a matter of seconds of locating where Zelena had Belle.

Jefferson tailed behind Gold as men after men stormed towards them with guns and glowing hands of various shades. None were a match for Gold on a good day, let alone when he was furious and Belle was in danger. They were taken care of within 20 seconds of the start of their rescue mission, taken Gold simply violent waves of his hands to incapacitate and send the soldiers flying through a brick wall.

It was in a tiny room hidden in the basement he found her, lying tied to a table, completely still and her arm covered in blood. His heart felt as though it had broken in two, when he looked at her pale and ashen face, eyes glazed over staring into nothing, and he feared the worst. He rushed to her side, and titled his face so that they were in line with her fixed gaze. He patted her hair repeatedly to try and extract some response, but she remained as still as a statue.

“Belle? Belle.” He cried and continued to rustle her soft and matted hair. “It’s me, its Gold.” He tried, and after a slow and weak blink of her eyes, they began to move and found his.

“Gold…” she whispered, but he couldn’t decipher if she knew who he was, or was simply repeating him. Her eyes were helplessly lost and he could see her brain try to reconnect what Zelena had undone. Gold feared how much damage she had been able to inflict on his poor Belle, and how much would be permanent.

“She’s not quite so pretty and shiny without her memories is she?”

Gold hurled around to see Zelena watching them from the corner of the room, twiddling with her glowing pendant. He didn’t want to hear another word escape her mouth, he ran towards her and wrapped his hands around her throat.

For a split second, Zelena actually seemed surprised, that he had taken such a physical and violet act of retaliation rather than his powers. His haste and desire for revenge blinded him, and Zelena’s surprise turned to manic laughing.

“Oh Gold, will ever learn? You can’t defeat me!” Gold tried to wrap his hands tighter around her neck, until he realised each time he tried, the pendant grew brighter, protecting its holder. Zelena reached a hand up to brush Gold’s face, that made his skin cringe with every fibre. His vision was so blurred by his hate, he didn’t see Zelena reach down and clamp something onto his wrist.

“And now you never will.” He looked down at his wrist, and saw a leather cuff now attached to it, a pit in his stomach dropping as he released Zelena and stumbled back.

He tried to pull it off, with all his strength and focus, tried to use his powers- hovering his free hand over the cuff, but nothing happened. He knew it was futile, he was no stranger to this cuff. It was only his pathetic attempts at hope that gave Zelena more to cackle at.

“Ah, so you remember it now do you? The same cuff we used on dear, old Pan. I thought it would be fitting, he wore it so we could defeat him, and now you shall wear it as I defeat you! Forever as a reminder of your failures.”

Gold fell to his knees, clutching his cuffed wrist. Zelena continued to revel in her glee and smug satisfaction.

“I should have done this years ago, but now seems just as fitting.” At that, she spun on her heels and stormed out the door.

“Enjoy the rest of your powerless, miserable life my old friend.”

He felt her shadow leave, and 5 minutes later he still couldn’t bring himself to stand. The leather cuff felt like an anchor tying him to the floor, without his powers he could barely stand on his own two feet without feeling weak. It felt as though someone had stolen an organ as essential as his heart or lungs, a part of him that had always been there suddenly taken away and knocked the wind out of him.

Eventually his breathing calmed and his tears slowed, and he found a small ounce of courage left behind in the absence of his powers. He looked over at Belle, whose eyes were now closed but chest raised and dropped very slightly. Belle needed him, Gold remembered. She was more broken and damaged than he was, and he could not wallow in his own loss any longer after what happened to her because of him. Belle needed to someone to put her back together, and for that Gold could be her strength, even if he had none of his own.

Pulling himself to her feet, he found his way back to her, and as he ran his finger softly along her cheek, her eyes flew open and filled with tears.

“Hey-Hey you’re okay, it’s alright, I’ll get you out of here.” He promised her and began to frantically untie the ropes around her. Her head followed him weakly, until he reached the last rope that encased her fragile wrist; she reached with feeble fingers to pause his desperate hand.

“James” she said softly with sobs catching in her voice, and that was when he realised something was terribly wrong. “…I can’t move my legs.”

Chapter Text

They returned to the still dishevelled apartment, glass and blood and chaos strewn everywhere, shortly after nightfall. Jefferson teleported them all straight into the living room, carrying an unconscious Belle in his arms and placed her gingerly onto the couch.

Gold followed helplessly behind them, not taking his eyes off Belle for a second. A recovered but still shaken Tink appeared behind them with bandages, offering one to Gold with a small smile before she took to treating Belle’s arm. Gold applied the bandage to the small cut on his arm, all the while watching over Belle like a hawk. Jefferson sat pouring a drink, and once Tink finished treating Belle, Jefferson poured a second drink.

They all sat at their respective posts in their respective states of exhaustion and pain, Gold was the first to break the silence.

“We have to leave here.” He said, and when the others looked up for an explanation, he elaborated. “Zelena knows we’re here, it isn’t safe anymore.”

Jefferson and Tink nodded in unison, falling into another heavy silence as they deliberated their next move.

“Where?” Tink asked Jefferson, who merely shrugged and poured another scotch. Gold was tempted to ask for a glass, but stopped himself before he could walk over and drown in the familiar drink. If he started now, he was sure he’d never stop.

“I know where we can go.” Gold offered, and stood up from his seat on the edge of the chair by the couch. “We’ll leave in the morning.” He started to walk towards the stairs and retreat into the darkness, when Jefferson continued to ask him questions.

“Is she going to be okay?” All eyes fell onto Belle, who lay asleep on the couch, now shrouded by a blanket and looking as though the day had aged her five years.

“I hope so.” Gold answered truthfully, for really he had no idea what Zelena’s powers had done to Belle’s brain and their lasting repercussions.

“Will she be able to walk again?” Tink whispered, as if afraid of the answer. Gold didn’t have the heart to confess the truth, or rather confess half a truth that it may or may not. Better to give her hope than fear.

“Yes” He half-lied. “I believe with time, Zelena was interrupted in her handy-work so she did not finish whatever she planned for Belle. We can only help that will pay in our favour.”

With that, he climbed up the spiral stairs and disappeared into the darkness. As much as he wanted to stay by Belle’s side and make sure she was alright, he could do no more for her there or on the roof watching the city pass by.

He spent most of the night up there, despite the cold that crept over him at around 3am. normally, watching the city roll by, the lights calmed him, but now all they did was remind him of when Belle stood beside him admiring them, and smiling at him. Her smile had shone brighter than any of those lights out there, and now they all seemed brighter without Belle’s smile to dim them.

He heard someone climbing up the fire escape behind him, and his heart raced faster than his mind in thinking Belle had come up to join him, until his head caught up with him and reminded him Belle probably would never come back up here with him again.

Tink stumbled on the last step and Gold turned back to watch the city, dawn was about to break. There was no hint of sunlight yet, and Gold had no concept of what time it was, but he knew it was fast approaching.

“No change, she’s still asleep.” Tink reported on Gold’s unasked questions, and he exhaled a breath he didn’t even know he had been holding.

They came to an awkward silence, Gold continued to fidget with the cuff and Tink found a loose corner of brick to pick at. The two hadn’t gotten off on the best start, and were only mutually tolerable for Belle’s sake.

“How are you?” Gold attempted to ease the tension. He’d been so caught up in worrying for Belle, he forgot she too suffered a blow and unlike the rest of them-well not Gold, anymore-they had powers they could bounce back on. She wasn’t a superhero, she just tinkered with things.

“I’m okay, I manage.” She muttered. “Belle and I have been friends for so long, and she’s always been….” Tink seemed to struggle for the right word and couldn’t seem to find it.

“The strong one.” Gold offered and Tink nodded, sniffling and doing her best to limit her tears.

“I’m used to being the weak and useless human in the superheroes story, the faithful sidekick with the cool gadgets. I never have to worry about the superhero, and now….” Gold changed his stance as he felt unintended guilt for Belle’s friend.

He hadn’t meant to accidentally shun her, even if he didn’t particularly like her or her steely eyed glare, he didn’t feel her life was any less valuable just because she didn’t have powers. She was right in one regard, the normal humans never fared well in their world.

“I don’t think you’re weak or useless, for what it’s worth.” Gold said and they both laughed for a beat, the hostility between them slowly thawing. “And I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay.” Tink said and they both began to watch the skyline as light began to return.

“I know she’ll be alright, and I know you care about her, a lot. I just don’t want to see her get hurt any more.”

“Trust me, the one thing I never wanted to do was ever hurt her.” Gold confessed, and now it was his turn to stifle the tears. Tink turned to face him, realising what he meant.

“What Zelena did wasn’t your fault, Gold. You saved her.”

“She wouldn’t have needed to be saved if I hadn’t put her in danger in the first place.” Gold pointed out, and Tink fell silent again. Both knew it was the truth, and there was no sugar coating it.

“I suppose none of that matters now.” Gold muttered under his breath and stared at the leather bracelet.

“We can still fight her!” Tink countered. “There are other ways to take down the villains, we simple, normal people have some sneaky ways.” She smiled playfully and Gold humoured her for a small grin.

“We’ll find a way to regroup, Gold. We’ll leave tomorrow, we’ll wait for Belle to get better and we can find a way to win. Together. Humans and Superheroes against the Villains.” Tink added enthusiastically before she marched back to descend the ladder of the fire escape.

Gold tried to share her hope, but all the he feel was the weight of the leather handcuff. Power was all he has known, and now he had none. It had been as much of a crutch as the cane that he leant on. Without it, he was nothing.

*

Belle continued to sleep and let her brain rebuild itself as they packed their belongings, and Jefferson and Tink turned their gadget station into a mobile unit, and by the time morning had started, they all left Jefferson’s apartment in a puff of purple smoke. They materialised into a new apartment, this time the sounds of the city were more prominent and the traffic louder, signifying they were no longer on the outskirts of the great city, still remained well hidden in obscurity.

“Zelena won’t be able to find us here.” Gold reassured Tink and Jefferson, who carried Belle in his arms as he had the day before.

“How can you be so sure?” Tink asked cautiously looking at their surroundings.

“Trust me, she won’t look for us here.” Gold repeated before directing Jefferson to where Belle could rest.

Jefferson and Tink found a suitable location in the kitchen/dining room of the apartment to set up their new computer lab, and were immediately busy at work on assembling a weapon that could attack Zelena’s pendant.

Gold left them to do their work, and found himself wandering the apartment and trying to avoid looking at anything in it. The only place he could keep his mind from awaking dormant memories, was watching over Belle in the bedroom.

After a few hours after settling in, he was beginning to worry that she wasn’t waking up, when he began to hear soft whimpers and the rustling of sheets. He turned around to see her observing her surroundings and trying to figure out where she was.

“Gold?” He rushed over and sat on the side of the bed, careful to give her space, but also close enough to reach out to her hand and grasp it affectionately.

“Hey.” He smiled and she returned with a weak beam that let the old Belle still shine through.

“Hey…where are we?”

“My old apartment. It was where I lived before….before I left New York.” Gold finished and Belle’s eyes opened a little more as she realised where they were.

“You lived here?” she asked incredulously. “Indeed I did” he smiled and for a moment his mind was filled with happy memories instead of the sad ones.

“Bae loved the city, and this was as close to the heart of it as I could afford. It’s not much but, it was enough for us.” He said. Belle began to look around more feverishly, and it panged Gold to realise how much it was probably killing her that she couldn’t stand up and investigate on her feet.

“It’s nice, cosy.” She commented. “Bit dusty though” Belle smiled and the two laughed.

Gold almost forgot all their troubles and injuries, Belle’s laugh had a habit of making him forget everything in the world, but soon enough it all returned to them after their moment of joking.

“Will I be able to walk again?” she asked softly, like a child who had been scolded for sneaking out after bedtime.

“Of course you will sweetheart.” He whispered back and placed his hand against her cheek, trying to give her an encouraging smile.

“I remember how to walk” she said firmly. “I just…I can’t-“

“It’s alright love, the memory is there. Zelena just severed the connection to it. But the brain, it has back up files, it will find a new way around the problem and fix you.” Gold reassured her. “Nothing is truly gone, just lost.”

She smiled again, and Gold was so astounded, after all she had been through, after all he had out her through. He averted her gaze and fell instead to his helpless hands lying on the bed.

“Hey, James! It’s okay, I’ll get better. Be better than new before you know it.” Now she comforted him.

“But I did this to you.” His voice broke. “I put you in harm’s way. I brought this darkness and danger into your life!” he refused to look up at her, no matter how many time she tried to pull him up with her hand on his chin.

“You didn’t bring darkness into my life, James. My life already had it!
I have been on this path ever since I first crossed paths with her. And don’t for one second, think that I blame you for what happened to me. I blame Zelena.” Belle said, and finally Gold met her gaze again, seeing that the words she spoke were truthful.

She believed in him with all her heart, she could see the hero in him. He only wished he could see what she saw in himself. Belle pulled him gently by the scruff of his jacket to kiss him quickly and softly on the lips, as if to reaffirm her mantra. Belle’s happiness and hopeful glow faded when her eyes fell to Gold’s left wrist.

“Gold…what is that?” Gold sighed, and Belle’s eyes rushed to meet his, screaming for an explanation or a refusal that it was she believed it to be.

“When I came to rescue you, Zelena…she…I tried to attack her but she tricked me.”

“Please don’t tell me that’s what I think it is.”

Gold bit his lip to force himself to not give her the answer, as much as she desired it. He couldn’t tell her, if he did he would burst into tears.

“Gold, tell me. Please.” Belle affirmed, and Gold nodded freely, as if her uttering the simple world please commanded him to obey her every request.

“It’s like the rope, and the magic that Zelena used to damage my leg. It renders anyone like us utterly powerless. It will block my powers, as long as it is on my wrist.” Gold described.

“So it can come off right? You can’t take it off yourself, right? Well, here I’ll do it-“Belle said as she reached out to grab the leather cuff, and Gold yanked his arm away like she had shoved needles under his fingernails “You can’t!” he screamed as he recoiled off the bed.

“Why not?” Belle asked, and waited until Gold had calmed out from his brief outburst. She patted on the bed beside her and he obeyed and sat back down.

“Zelena and I had used it against Pan, it was a contraption we created together. It can only be taken off by someone with powers, but there’s a price for it.” Gold said and looked up at Belle, to see realisation dawn across her face.

“They lose their powers in return.” Belle finished and Gold nodded. “They must wear the bracelet in return.” Gold reiterated.

“I’m so sorry, James.” Belle whispered and took his shackled hand in her free one.

“We’re a right mess aren’t we?” Gold joked and Belle managed a teary laugh.

“Yeah we are.” She admitted. “But we can help each other.” Belle said hopefully, and Gold believed it with all his heart. They would get through it, together. Somehow. For now they’d just have to find a way to walk and defeat a wicked witch.

“Perhaps no 6-inch heels for a while, though?” Gold teased, earning him a hard slap from a pillow, but it was all worth it to see Belle so happy and optimistic despite all they had been through.

Chapter Text

A week had passed, and the four unlikely teammates had found a strange complacency in their new Homebase.

Jefferson and Tink would build, destroy, rebuild and argue. Gold would supply coffee, dodge projectiles and bring Belle books, and Belle would listen to Gold recanting the adventures of the others downstairs and their progress.

They drank tea, and Gold began to open the blinds in the apartment, one morning he even ventured out of the apartment and surprised Belle with hamburgers and iced tea for breakfast. She laughed for 5 minutes before they ate in bed together.

After 3 days, Belle began to seem more like herself, despite her limitations. telekinetic powers seemed to be quite useful when one was restricted to Bedrest and limited mobility in their lower extremities. Each day, the damage Zelena had inflicted seemed to be erased inch by inch, but Belle still struggled to even stand without falling over if someone wasn’t there to catch her everytime she tried. She was immensely stubborn, but Gold would be there to stop her from falling each time.

Gold thought she might have not even noticed anything out of the ordinary with herself with a book in her hands; so lost in the worlds of her books he hoped that the fact she couldn’t walk was temporarily forgotten.

As Belle began to wrestle back control of her legs, together Gold and Belle found an intricate method of moving from the bedroom to the living room. With only one fully-functioning leg between them it proved to be a challenge, and it was miracle they didn’t find themselves stumbling onto the floor in an awkward mess at least once.

Belle had lamented about being cut off from the others in the other room and thus the reason for relocating to the centre of the action rather that pointless relaying of messages from one room to another.

With Gold holding her up on one side, Belle took his cane in the other and they find a slight rhythm to the chaos. He found it slightly amusing and touching that she now relied on his trusted cane, yet proved problematic when he also had to rely on it. Though he relented it willingly to Belle without question, she needed it much more than he did for the moment.

Gold answered to her every need, it was the least he could do for her until she got better, plus it made him feel useful. The cuff still weighed heavily on his arm, like iron shackles, reminding him every second that he was weak, defenceless, useless if Zelena found them and attacked.

How could he protect Belle this time? Belle’s own powers were still slightly effected by Zelena’s torture, how would they stand a chance? Jefferson could teleport them out, but how far would running and appearing and disappearing get them? Running was fruitless, Zelena wouldn’t let any of them escape her retribution now. The time had come for her to be taken down once and for all. And for that, they needed back-up.

In retrospect-on the morning of their 8th day in Gold’s apartment-as Gold heard the expectant knock on the door that made Jefferson and Tink freeze in shock and Belle peak up from her book in idle curiosity, he probably should have considered informing the others on his idea before it turned up at their door.

Tink answered it, and Gold was amazed and amused at how quickly her steely-eyed glare disintegrated as it met its match, who stood impatiently in the doorway dressed as though she had escaped a film noir, down to the pursing, red lips.

“Well I hope you were planning on inviting me in or I just wasted a plane ticket.” The woman drawled in a husky voice, before lazily rolling her eyes and pushing past a stunned Tink. Jefferson was the first to stand and rush to stand before her, perhaps on the defensive, to which Gold chortled. What kind of attacker rang the doorbell first.

“Regina.” Gold offered as a form of hello, she returned the favour with an equally brisk “Gold.”

“Wait…” Belle chimed and set aside her book, pushing herself further up on her mountain of pillows on the sofa. “You’re Regina?!”

“I thought we already covered this.” She sighed in annoyance.

“Anyone care to fill me in on what is happening right now?” Jefferson inquired, his body still frozen but his hand glowed his familiar purple- ready to apparate everyone the hell out of here.

“She’s Zelena’s sister!” Belle exclaimed, more in amazement than fear, but Jefferson and Tink reacted in the latter emotion. Tink rushing to stand in front of Belle who began to strain to see what was happening from around her; and Jefferson’s hand began to spark and smoke began to fill the room.

“Jefferson! It’s alright, I asked her to come here.” Gold hollered and held out a hand to stop Tink from launching her tiny self onto the very fierce Regina.

“What?!”

“WHAT?!”

“Tink, I can’t see what’s going on, move!!!”

“Is this really the company you’re keeping now, Gold?” Regina laughed incredulously. “Who died and made you babysitter?”

Jefferson and Tink both began to throw retorts and insults and Belle began to struggle at the anchors of her legs to join in on the action, and Gold snapped and held up his hands to the now warring two sides of the room.

“Enough!!!”

Everyone fell silent at his outburst and retreated to their designated areas. Tink and Jefferson skulking back to their computers and Belle lowering herself back to her previously slouched position, Gold still stood between his people and Regina who lingered just before the doorway, her eye momentarily focusing on the bottle of liquor by the refrigerator.

“I asked Regina to join us and help defeat Zelena. Regina has valuable information about her that can help us.” Gold explained, and Tink and Jefferson still casted distrustful glances over to Regina, who returned each with a glowering scowl.

“Well it does certainly seem like you need my help, quite the team you have assembled to defeat my sister.” Regina observed, and Gold turned to see Belle hiding a rather aggravated frown behind her book.

“Regina is like us, she has powers very similar to Zelena’s and not only that- she knows how Zelena’s brain works. Not to mention her offices, buildings, safe houses and her circle of trusted few.” Gold described, and Regina’s wandering eye finally led her to the bottle of red wine amongst the whiskey and rum.

“We may share the same mother, but trust me; Zelena and I are two very different sides of two very separate coins.” Regina implored as she poured a generous amount of wine into her glass.

At noticing Tink’s disapproving eye, she sarcastically offered her a glass but didn’t wait for a response as she continued to pour more. Regina took a long sip before turning and facing the group.

“I can help you take her down, my sister has been spoilt enough. She needs a time out and I am more than happy to oblige.” Regina said in a bloodthirsty tone before she sauntered to sit in the chair opposite Belle.

Gold watched her carefully, though she was (for now) their ally, Gold knew Regina very well. Her hands were not untouched by the murky waters of morality, much alike his own. Though Gold did believe beneath all her hostility and malevolence there was a decent shred of humanity, a part of her was still Zelena’s sister. Gold knew only too well, sometimes when blood ties become enemies ties, the switch between the two becomes too easy.

Regina pointedly dusted off the arms of the chair for a decent few seconds before settling in as if the apartment was now her home. Gold’s skin felt uneasy as Regina eyed-down Belle, who kept her book firmly in front of her face and tried to ignore her.

“What happened to you?” Regina asked insensitively, and Gold bared his teeth and clenched his cane tighter in his hand. Belle threw her head to side in an annoyed glance and replied angrily. “Your sister happened.” Before she casually went back to reading.

“Oh. Sorry.” Regina offered half-heartedly and took another long swig of drink. “Rest assured that her damages won’t be permanent. If they were you would know.”

“I know.” Belle said indifferently and resumed her reading, actively ignoring Regina’s existence with every fibre of her body. Gold had never been more proud of her.

Chapter Text

As night fell, Regina’s presence had transitioned from panic to complacency to sheer annoyance.
While Gold was more than used to her petty jabs and snide remarks, Jefferson’s good will and Tink’s short fuse made the situation unfriendly more than once during the course of the day.

Gold eventually got tired of playing teacher holding each naughty student by the ear to stop them from fighting, and one quick mental conversation to Belle signified she had had enough too.

Employing their now well-practiced technique of stumbling, cane and wall reliant walking style that made Gold feel like he was playing a 3-legged race with a drunk person. Though it was far from comfortable and embarrassing for both of them, they both found relief from the awkward situation by laughing over their attempts at helping each other.

“Maybe I should have gone to a doctor or something, I don’t think they’re getting any better.” She said miserably as she stared at her immobile legs lying on the bed.

Gold was so used to seeing her confident and optimistic about everything, it pained him to see the few moments when her spirit dampened. Though to be honest, he had thought by now whatever damage Zelena had done would have been repaired by now.

“I don’t know how much doctors or medicine could have fixed this. Zelena’s magic did this, and I don’t think there is a surgery for that.” Gold said as he sat on the bed in front of her and stroked her hair.

He wanted to make her feel better, but he also wanted to be honest with her. Another reason why he now had his other hand hidden in his jacket pocket, holding the necklace firmly in between his fingers.

“What if I don’t ever walk again?” she mumbled and he felt his heart tighten as her bottom lip began to tremble.

“Oh sweetheart, don’t think that. Things like this take time, it doesn’t mean they won’t ever be healed. We just have to have faith.” He assured her, but Belle still didn’t seem to calm down.

“Will you still want to be with me if I can’t walk?” she began to cry, and Gold realised that was what she was truly afraid of. That he wouldn’t love her if she was broken. What a silly girl, Gold thought, and he kissed her forehead lightly.

“Of course I will, Belle. If you still want to be with me and my ruined leg. We can get matching canes.” He joked and finally she began to ease back into her old self, her insecurities forgotten through their banter and he kissed her once more to chase away her doubts.

“I promise you Belle, I won’t ever leave you.” He swore and meant with all his heart. No matter what the future held for them, and where their path to defeat Zelena led them, one thing he was sure of was his love for Belle.

“I won’t leave you either, James. Never.” Belle vowed and looked up to him with a beaming smile that reached her eyes, before she pulled him down for a passionate and longing kiss.

After they broke apart, gasping for air and Gold waited for his head to stop spinning, he rested his forehead against Belle’s and caressed her cheek, and felt her hand warm his own cheek.

They stayed pressed together for a moment like statues, neither wanting to pull out of the other’s embrace. As Gold took him some steadying breathes, he finally pulled himself up and decided on how he was going to say what he had to divulge next.

“What is it?” Belle questioned, and she leaned back against the headboard of the bed and waited for Gold to answer.

“I have to tell you something Belle, and I’m not quite sure how to say it.” He said truthfully. She quickly reached out and took his hand in hers, holding it firmly.

“James, you can tell me anything.” She said honestly in her sweet, unwavering voice. He savoured each word she spoke, knowing each to be true. He could tell her anything. Belle was strong, she could handle Zelena’s torture and facing an unknown future. Surely she could handle this.

“I must confess to you about the day we met. What really happened.” He started. Belle looked at him qith a puzzled expression.

“In Storybrooke?”

“That wasn’t the first time we met, Belle.” He said softly, and looked up to watch her expression. As expected, he saw shock mixed with her usual trait of curiosity. Instead of continuing, he pulled his hand out of his pocket, and dangled the necklace in front of Belle. She reached a questioning hand out to touch the tiny silver bead, and tilted her head slightly.

“I saw it in your room the other day…”she trailed off, momentarily lost in her thoughts watching the shiny necklace. “But what does it have to do with how we met?” Belle asked.

“Because it’s yours.” He exposed, the secret he had held onto for 11 years, in one breathe of a sentence.

“You may not have any memories of your parents, Belle, or your childhood…but I do.” He confessed, and Belle sat up slowly, leaning in towards him with a careful expression.

“11 years ago, I was at a park while Bae was in school, simply enjoying the day and no burning buildings or villainous egos trying to take over the city. It was a quiet day when this car came out of nowhere…”

suddenly Gold felt entirely immersed in the memory he hadn’t visited since that day. He was surprised at how well he could recall every detail, the smell of rain in the air and the crisp sound of the leaves on the grass. The screeching of the tires and the pounding sound of the metal car meeting the concrete sea wall.

“…the car went over the edge, into the river. I raced to rescue the people inside the car, the driver had already escaped but told me his wife and daughter were still trapped inside.” He heard Belle take in a sharp gasp of breathe, as she began to realise-or maybe remember- what he was telling her.
“By the time I reached the car, the woman in the front passenger’s seat was unconscious, as was the girl in the back seat. I didn’t have enough air to save them both at once, so I took the woman first and came back for her daughter. In her hand, was a necklace.” Gold said and now touched it still in Belle’s hands, and ran the thin silver through his fingers as he had countless times before.

“It was me?” Belle breathed, and Gold saw the tears filling her eyes beginning to spill over and her finger began to paw over the frail necklace as though it would disintegrate at her touch.

“Yes, it was. You were about 14, 15 maybe. You had been in the car with your parents, spending time together, being a family…and then it all vanished in one day, one mistake. And I was there to witness it.” He revealed, his guilt weighing heavily on his words, Belle face began to fall as Gold continued.

“When I came back for you, you were as white as a ghost and colder than ice. I knew…I knew as soon as I saw you, I thought you were gone. I thought because of me, because I couldn’t save you, you died. All that was left of you, was that necklace; I thought I could at least give that back to your parents, so they would have something to remember you by.” Gold felt Belle’s hand reach out and placed gently on his knee, when he realised he had also started to tear.

“Somehow, and I have no idea how, you came back. I saw a flash of bright light in your eyes and then you started to breathe again. In the chaos that followed, I didn’t realise I still had the necklace.
I told myself if I ever found you again I would return it, and I never found you…until you turned up in Storybrooke all these years later, and found me.” Gold said, and he felt the rest of the truth catch in his throat. A part of him prayed Belle would believe that to be all of it, and not drag the worst of it out of him. perhaps he could still spare her the heartache.

“What happened….to my parents?” she faltered as she saw the anguish on Gold’s face, he had to tell her- she couldn’t live the rest of her life never knowing.

“Your mother died, from the car crash…and your father I don’t know,” Gold exhaled.

There it was, the anchor that weighed down his chest lifted, and now came crashing down onto Belle’s. She raised a hand to cover her mouth, and shortly after the one that had held onto Gold joined it.

She began to sob silently, he wanted to reach out and comfort her as she always did him. Now he felt an impenetrable barrier between them, a wall he was so used to creating and she had brought tumbling down rising back up and sending him back into the dark.

“You knew, this whole time? What happened to my parents, why Zelena took all my memories of them!?” she whistled through her teeth, her disbelief turning her voice just slightly louder than a whisper.

“I don’t know why Zelena took all your memories of your mother and father, I only know about your mother because I was there. I doubt even Zelena knows that I was the one who saved you. No one did. There is more to the story of them, Belle, and I didn’t want to burden you with the darkest one. I didn’t want that to be the only memory you had of them, Belle I’m so sorry.” He pleaded.

“Get out.” She uttered. “Please, Gold.” She added in a weak beg, not meeting his eyes.
Gold didn’t detest his banishment, Belle wanted to be alone and process what he had unloaded onto her. He closed the door softly behind him, and tried to pretend he hadn’t heard her break out into deep sobs the second the latch clicked.

Every part of him wanted to barge back through the door and hold her through each cry and wipe away every tear. Yet his feet carried him away from the door, and let her be alone in her grief as she wished.

*

Gold didn’t sleep that night, instead he returned to his old pastime, drinking, and found himself alone in the deserted living room of the small apartment despite 3 other inhabitants also residing here. None crossed his path, and Gold suspected Jefferson and Tink had sensed the need to stay well away, Regina needing no convincing to avoid people.

As morning returned, they all eventually had no option but to emerge and cross paths with the monster. Tink was the first to cautiously tip-toe around the knocked-out Gold who slept slumped over the counter.

She woke the monster by waving a steaming mug of coffee near his nose, which elicited a slight response and eventually Tink relented for the most effective methods of waking a drunk-Gold, and began to pour the coffee on his head.

He recoiled violently and swore as though his entire skin was set on fire and Tink quickly placed the rest of the coffee in front of him and ran to her computer.

After Gold’s senses began to return and he recognised the scent of coffee, he grumbled a reluctant ‘thanks’ in Tink’s direction, before Jefferson came storming, too exuberant for so early in the morning.

“We have a plan!” he announced proudly.

“Does the plan involve duct-taping your mouth shut?” Gold hissed through a building headache in his temple.

“As excellent of a plan that is…” Regina’s voice drawled from behind Gold. It was too early in the morning to look at her, so he continued to gobble down his coffee. “…his other plan is pretty reasonable too.” Regina admitted.

“And what exactly is it?” he grumbled and he turned to face Regina reluctantly.

“Right now, Zelena’s supply line for everything from her terrible taste in fashion to her millions to exploit the city is Walsh.” Regina began to explain. “For whatever reason, Walsh is turning a blind eye to the fact Zelena is the thing he hates most-people with mutations- in order to get something in return.”

“Whatever he wants it can’t be good.” Tink added. “For any of us.”

“I agree with the computer-fairy.” Regina commented, and Tink managed to hide her frown before Regina continued.

“Walsh is her weakness, if we cut him off she’ll lose her foundation- she’ll have no choice but to fall onto her reserves.”

“Oh how perfect, the plan is realising Zelena has a plan for everything.” Gold remarked. “We’re off to a fantastic start.”

“Her reserves, are her safe houses- which I know the locations of.” Regina enlightened. “And which she is more likely to go to.” Gold ears perked up as he realised they might actually have thought this through.

“We catch her off guard, disable her systems and security with the help of the two computer geeks”-“Hey!”-“…without them she is defenceless.”

“Not entirely, dearie.” Gold reminded her. “Are we forgetting about her pendant?”

“Leave that to me, Gold. I can get it off her.” Regina grinned devilishly

“I don’t like leaving things to chance, especially on someone as unreliable as yourself.” Gold declared.

“Such hostility!” Regina remarked in mock-fear. “You forget who has the power around here, Gold.” And she glanced down at the leather bind encasing his left wrist.

“And who doesn’t.” Gold clenched his teeth to stop himself from ripping out Regina’s throat, and she walked back across the room with a sinister grin creeping across her face.

“Rest assured, when I get the opportunity to take down dear, old sissy, I won’t hesitate. You two get me in…” Regina cast a stare to Jefferson and Tink. “…and I will give you the pendant myself.” She directed to Gold. And for once Gold joined Regina in her ominous grin as they toasted to defeating their mutual enemy.

“So when do we start?”

All heads swivelled around faster than humanly possible to see Belle standing in the doorway, with a triumphant smile illuminating the room.

She stood with the extensive help of Gold’s cane that he had left in her room the previous night and leaning on the wall. Gold felt his heart stop, and then fill with joy as Belle pushed herself off the doorframe and took the first step towards him, and then another, shaky and wobbly one yet still as confident as the first until she stood in front of Gold.

Her beaming smile was all he needed to see, but the sight of her walking to him was just as warming to his heart.

“I don’t think my reunion with the platforms will be today, but I think everything will be okay.” Belle said assertively, as she continued her first steps that began to grow stronger as she found her balance, and focused her eyes on Gold’s. Belle looked like she walked on a trapeze, and he was the solid ground she was chasing.

She wrapped her arms around him the same second he reached for her, and they clung to each other as if afraid the other would fall away. For Gold the fear was more real that she would fall if he let her go again.

“I don’t blame you.” She whispered into his ear as she petted his hair and wove her fingers through its matted mess. Relief washed over him and quenched the fear that he had broken her fragile trust. All was forgiven. All was healed.

Chapter Text

“Belle…Absolutely not!”

“I wasn’t asking your permission, Gold.”

“You just got better!”

“Exactly! Which is why I’m coming.”

They continued to argue ever since Belle announced she was joining Gold and the others as they planned to infiltrate Zelena’s safe house the next night.

It hadn’t taken much spy work on Jefferson and Tink’s part to disintegrate the business relationship between Zelena and Walsh. A man who slept with his enemies “figuratively I hope…” “Jefferson, I swear to god-“ didn’t take much more convincing than a forged email to sever their ties with Zelena.

Gold couldn’t help but admire the ingenious in its simplicity, a paranoid man hellbent on destroying his enemies could be fooled by less. The plan was equally as simple. Break in, disable all threats, trap Zelena and take her power. Belle and Gold had their own little extension on what would happen next, Gold hadn’t forgotten that he had promised her to help her get her memories back.

“Belle!” he screamed exasperated, even though he knew he was losing the fight.

“James!” she replied with equal frustration. They had reached a stalemate. She wouldn’t take no for an answer, and to be honest Gold didn’t think he would stand a chance. Belle’s powers had returned to full capacity, and her legs were still slightly weak but could hold her up; and that was enough for her to fight with.

“I’ll be okay, you don’t have to worry about me.” She reassured him as she placed her hand on his face.

“I know.” He mumbled into her hand and kissed it before encasing his hand around hers. “Doesn’t mean I won’t.”

“We’re going to be okay, Zelena won’t get away.” Belle told him. “You’re doing this for Bae, to honour him. He won’t have died in vain.”

“I know.” Gold pulled Belle into a hug, and stroked her hair softly to calm his racing mind. They stayed in eachother’s embrace until there was a soft knock at the door.

“Time to go.” Gold told Belle, and he took her hand as they walked out of the door. As confident as he was in their plan, and in their success, Gold couldn’t shake the feeling something was off. The nagging pit in his stomach that had been boiling since this plan was set in motion, that something was about to go terribly wrong.

*

Regina had led them to what appeared to be an abandoned science lab on the outskirts of the city, supposedly Zelena’s safe house.

“Ok first off, why is a science lab her safe house? Second, why does it have to be abandoned? Sneaking into places like this are creepy enough in the middle of the night without it having to be-“

“I will kill him, Gold. Don’t doubt that I will.” Regina screamed in her whisper and Jefferson continued to babble before Tink slapped him on the back of his head with an echoing thump.

On the outside, the place seemed silent and still, with no hint of any recent inhabitants.

“It appears you have led us to the wrong safe house, Regina.” Gold observed, and turned to see Regina shake her head.

“She’s here, trust me.”

“What makes you so sure?” Regina shot him an incredulous look.

“She’s my sister, I know her.” She assured him and stood up and walked from where they all crouched behind a black van. Gold and Belle followed suit, flanked by Tink and Jefferson.

As they reached the doors, they became aware of several barriers blocking them from their mission, the primary being Jefferson’s inability to go incognito as he elaborated on the expansive history of the building they were about to infiltrate, down to the architect.

“Can I at least tape his mouth shut?” Regina muttered from the corner of her mouth, and Gold was sorely tempted to accept her offer, as Tink stepped forward to observe the security keypad to accessing the front doors. Gold couldn’t help but catch her hesitation as she analysed the contraption.

“Can you do it?” Gold questioned, and she looked up at him with a patronizing frown, Gold stepped back and raised his hands as if to say sorry I asked! Tink pulled a small device out of her pocket, one Gold recognised as the one she had been tinkering with for the last few days.

“Is that going to unlock the door?” Belle asked, staring inquisitively at the contraption Tink was now attaching to the keypad that would unlock the doors.

“In a manner of speaking.” Tink replied before flipping a switch, and a red light started to blink, and Regina’s face coloured with surprise and concern before Tink started sprinting away from the door and crouched back behind the van. The others followed swiftly, Regina leading the retreat from Tink’s explosive plan.

“I thought you were some computer wiz-kid.” Regina muttered as she went to cover her ears with her hands.

“That’s Jefferson’s trade, I prefer a more effective approach.” Tink enlightened before a small *BOOM* rattled the windows of the van they all crouched behind. One by one, they all poked their heads around the sides of the van to see a slight plume of smoke, and the keypad and think glass doors more or less unchanged.

“Was that it?” Gold asked.

“I thought it would be bigger.” Belle pouted.

Regina scoffed loudly. “This is what I get for working with you idiots-“

*BOOOOOOOM*

The shockwaves of the second blast sent them all splattering to the ground and their ears ringing copiously. They all fell in an awkward and messy heap, Jefferson landing on a very irritated Regina, and Gold reaching to protect Belle as shards of glass flew in their direction, before pulling her to land on him and cushion the fall. She smiled in thanks for his valiant act and kissed him sneakily before anyone noticed, and helped pull him to his feet.

The delayed action of Tink’s device certainly proved to be worth the wait, on their second approach they discovered all of the great, bulky steel and glass doors were all but obliterated from existence, the security pad nothing but smouldering dust. Jefferson let out a low whistle.

“Remind me never to get on your bad side.” He remarked to Tink, who smiled proudly.

“Come on, we don’t have much time until the security team responds.” Tink reported and led the march into the dimlit building.

The room inside was incredibly sparse, what few machines or furniture that filled the giant atrium were covered in white sheets. Gold caught a quick glance at the buildings map that detailed the size of the area they were infiltrating.

The room they now marched through led to more labs and office space, attached to more empty space and what Gold believed was a diagram of a boiler or filtering room.

“Past the labs are a set of stairs that lead to the office space Zelena has taken up in.” Regina said pointing to a light spilling from a hallway at the back of the room. “They’ll know we’re here after Tink’s little outburst. We need to disable the security systems in and around her sealed off section, I’ll take care of her henchmen.” Regina declared and cracked her knuckles.

“I’ll come with you.” Belle piped up, and walked to stand by Regina, who looked down at her with a bewildered look.

“What?! Belle-“ Gold began to protest.

“I can help take the men down, I’m the only one else with powers- I should go where I’m needed.” Belle enthused, as much as Gold hated the idea of being separated from her, she was right. Gold and his leather shackle didn’t have much use for them at the moment. He bit his tongue and nodded to Belle, who tried to reassure him with her gaze that she would be alright.

“Alright then.” Regina agreed to her new partner before directing her attention to Jefferson and Belle, who had already begun to assemble a makeshift hacking-station nearby.

“The two idiots are on cyber duty, they’ll attack the security systems while we attack the real security, how are you at fighting with your powers?” Regina added to Belle, who shrugged nonchalantly.

“I took Gold down when we first met.” Regina seemed somewhat impressed.

“Huh, bookworms got teeth.” She commented. Gold scowled at Regina’s approval of his defeat.

“In my defence I was drunk”

“That’s not much of a defence, Gold.” Regina spited, and Gold began to dislike this new plan of him staying behind.

“So I’m babysitting the two idiots then.” He refuted.

“Hey!”

“We’re not idiots!”

“Let us take care of the guards, unless you want to try to win them over with your charming personality.” Regina sneered. Belle interrupted before Gold had a chance to throw another insult.

“Come on, we’re wasting time. Let’s just get Zelena and then deal with who gets to punch her in the face first.” Belle argued, giving Gold’s have another reassuring squeeze, before letting him go.

“Take care of Tink and Jeff. Please.” She implored him, and who was he to deny her most simple request of making sure her friends would be alright. He nodded softly.

“I’ll see you soon.” She promised, before giving him a final kiss and walking away with Regina.

“See you soon” he repeated after her, and watched until she was out of his sight before turning his attention to Jefferson and Tink.

*

“I’m surprised I was able to separate you from him. He’s taken quite a shining to you.” Regina said in a tone that seemed to imply more than she let on. They had walked past the desolate labs and office space, and were now heading in the direction of the boiler room.

“And that surprises you? That he cares about me? Or that I care about him?” Belle questioned further.

Regina pushed open the door to the long neglected boiler room, Belle and Regina walked through to the centre of the room and noticed large barrels of filtering water, the size of swimming pools. When she gazed down into them, they were as dark as night, Belle began to wonder how deep they went.

“It surprises me….”Regina began. “…that he let you go with me without him.”

“He trusts me.” Belle said simply.

“Yes he does, but he doesn’t trust me….for good reasons.” Regina’s voice contorted from her sweet, innocent inquisitive tone, to a more dark and sinister undertone that made Belle’s footsteps slow.

Belle sent a glowing blue orb in her direction, which Regina shattered with her own powers- sending a bright flash of light through the whole room. Regina let out a cruel laugh before swirling her hands in Belle’s direction, sending a purple haze wrapping around her before Belle even had a chance to defend herself.

Regina had tricked them. All along this had been a trap. Regina hadn’t ever betrayed her sister, she had betrayed them. Belle had to warn the others. She had to warn Gold.

The purple smoke began to solidify and grow heavier and tighter around her body, and when he looked down she saw they had transformed into chains that began to coil around her like a snake. She looked back up to see Regina continue to laugh at her achievement, Belle could barely let out half of Gold’s name before another chain covered her mouth.

*

Gold watched on intently as Jefferson hacked the mainframe of the buildings systems in a matter of minutes. He was able to locate Zelena’s safe haven in the buildings south side on the 3rd floor. It was simple enough, to shut down the security systems, disable the locks and barrier alarms and set up a new system that would seal Zelena off and trap her until her security team was dealt with by Regina and Belle.

“That seemed almost too simple.” Gold commented as Tink and Jefferson finished and admired their cyber-handywork.

“Well not everyone is as smart as me.” Jefferson gloated, but something still sat wrong on Gold’s chest. He tried to write it off and simply his concern for Belle, but deep down- something about this whole siege felt too simple, too quick. Too perfect.

“Something is not right.” Gold muttered out loud, Jefferson dismissing him with a cough, but Tink sensing Gold’s concern’s in his tone.

Suddenly, from the light spilling from the adjoining room- a flash of blue light raced across the large atrium, briefly dousing them in a blinding light. Gold would recognise that surge of power anywhere, and felt his fear rise from the bottom of his stomach to the back of his throat. It came out in a panicking scream when he heard Belle call out his name, before being cut off and the light faded almost instantly.

“BELLE!” His body seemed to react before his brain, and before he had even realised he must get to Belle and find her, he was already running as fast as he could, despite his leg and pounding pain that shot through his entire right side.

He wished for every muscle in his body to response faster to his urgency, for all his strength and energy to reach his legs and propel him faster and faster.

Gold reached the boiler room and found Regina sitting with her legs crossed and admiring her reflection in the water. Behind her, Belle was forced to stand on the ledge of a very dark and a very deep pool of water, thick iron chains that probably weighed twice as much as his precious Belle wrapping her body and pining her arms to her sides. Regina’s distinct purple mist of magic animating the chains, tightening them and holding Belle up over the edge of the deep abyss.

“Oh good you’re here! Just in time.” Zelena rejoiced as she entered his line of sight, admiring Regina’s handy work before standing opposite her sister.

“Good work little sis! I didn’t think you’d be able to fool him, I’m impressed.” She giggled, and Gold felt paralysed with fear. He had no power, and Belle was trapped. Regina and Zelena stood in between them, both with a desire for evil burning in their eyes.

“Did you really think it would be that easy to defeat me, Gold? A couple of hackers and my sister?” Zelena implored, Gold said nothing. If he opened his mouth, his fear would escape.

“Just give up, Gold.” Regina jeered. “You can’t beat us.”

“Especially not without your powers, or courage for that matter. You have no chance at winning in this scenario. Can’t you see? I’ve already won. I have exactly what I wanted.” Zelena said as she stared at Belle, who began to whimper as the chains constricted tighter. Gold felt a breathe escape his lips, and his small sliver of bravery was undone.

“Please, Zelena.” He begged. “Let Belle go, you can have me, just let her go. Kill me, I beg you- not Belle, she has nothing to do with this.”

“Now why would you want that, Gold? When I can reunite you with your lost son.” Zelena revealed, and Gold felt his blood run cold.

“My son isn’t lost. He’s dead. You killed him!” he pointed to Zelena with anger.

“Or did I?” Zelena posed, and Gold felt his stance falter.

“You know me, Gold. Death is so final, why would I kill….when I could keep your sweet Bae alive, a valuable chess piece wouldn’t you agree?” Zelena asked Belle, and Regina used her hand to tighten the chain around Belle’s neck. She let out a weak gasp, and Gold took an instinctive step forward.

“It’s quite simple, Gold. I’m offering you a choice, all you have to do is pick one, and let go of the other.” Zelena taunted and moved to observe Belle and her chains, running her fingers across them as though at any second- she would push her hand out and send Belle spiralling into the darkness of the water. With a twirl of her hand, she stretched out her arm and offered Gold a flash drive.

“Pick, Gold. Information on your very much alive son, or your precious Belle.”

Before Gold could even process her proposition, her hand pushed out, and the purple mist around the chains vanished at her touch, gravity no longer inhibited, and Belle fell like a stone into the water- vanishing in seconds.

Gold lurched forward as though the chains were attached to him, but his feet were glued to the floor. Each second he took to respond was another taken from Belle as she plummeted into the dark water, each second he took to decide meant a second she was closer to death.

But his son. His son had been the whole reason he was here, the reason he became a hero, he became a villain, he became James again, the reason he met Belle. His whole brain screamed Belle!! Save Belle! But saving Belle meant his son would most definitely be lost to him forever.

“Too long, Gold.” Zelena lamented, and she dropped the flash drive in front of her glittering, green heels.

That’s it! He could have both! He lunged out to reach the tiny usb lying on the floor, then he would safely secure it before saving Belle! He could be the hero, he could save them both.

Zelena waited until his fingers were mere inches from the lifeline to his son, before stomping on it with her pointed heels.

“Now because of your greediness to have everything, you’ll have nothing.” She sneered at him, before disappearing in a cloud of green smoke, Regina following in her purple waves engulfing her.

Gold was transfixed on the broken shards of the flashdrive, as he realised for 30 seconds- his son as alive, and he had lost his only hope of saving him, and now Belle.

Belle! He raced to the side of the black pool, only a few bubbles breaking to the surface, he couldn’t figure out how deep it was, or even make out where Belle was, until he saw a brief flicker of light amidst an ocean of darkness…calling out to him. Belle. He dived in without another second to waste.

*

Left, right, up, down, all seemed rather hazy terms in this freezing abyss, but Belle’s light guided him to her at the bottom of the endless night.

The only light coming from her frantic hands as she tried to use her powers to free herself to no avail, the chains were too heavy and her air was running out. She caught sight of him, and he immediately put his hands to her to try and calm her, nodding and telling her through his eyes that everything will be alright.

After she had calmed enough to stop her panicking struggles, Gold now went to work to free the chains from her. With only the light of her hands and eyes to lead him in his rescue, Gold fought with the heavy chains that wrapped Belle’s legs, her torso, arms and chest, working relentlessly to release her and bring her back into the light.

Gold’s mind was filled with images of a park in New York. A shadow following him in Storybrooke. Belle’s glowing blue eyes. Belle’s normal eyes. A car careening over a sea wall. A necklace. Chains. Kisses. City lights. Hamburgers. Fading light.

Finally, the chains fell free and continued to sink on their own, leaving Belle and Gold floating on their own, her eyes closed and her hands only the faintest of glow emanating. He wrapped his arm around her and began to kick furiously, his arm waving through the water hoping to find the surface with each stroke.

The light continued to fade, faster and faster, until they were halfway to the surface, and there was only darkness.

Gold pierced through the surface and back into the world of the abandoned warehouse, drawing in a breath he could feel fill every inch of his lungs that immediately protested the uncomfortable feeling of being without oxygen for too long. Belle was quiet, Gold imagined catching her breathe softly after her ordeal. He pulled her head further up over the water’s edge so she could get more. He found the ledge of the pool and stumbled his way out, never letting go of Belle.

He laid her on the ground by the tank, her eyes still closed. They would open any minute, she just needed to catch her breath first. She would be fine, she would move soon. Belle just needed a minute.

Gold waited and counted every second for her to draw in a breath and flutter her eyes until she found his and would relax. He waited another minute when he decided she needed more time, he stroked her hair and waited patiently, she just needed another minute, and she would be fine.

Gold thought he heard Jefferson and Tink run into the room and fall short as they found Gold cradling Belle’s limp body, but he ignored them as he always did. Belle can scold him for being rude once she woke up. Any minute now.

Her hands no longer glowed, but she was probably just saving her strength. Her lips were blue and cold, Gold lowered his own to warm them with a soft kiss, Belle would giggle as his stubble would tickle her face. He stroked her hair again, pushing the wet hair from her frozen, porcelain face that was as motionless as a picture. She was beautiful, the most beautiful thing in his life, she just needed one more minute.

Several more passed, and Gold began to caress her cheek, asking her to wake up. Please wake up, Belle. Wake up, please wake up. Why won’t she wake up?

“Gold.” He felt Tink’s hand lie on his shoulder, her voice sounded sympathetic, soft and morose. That’s odd, Tink was being nice to him.

“Gold, she’s gone.” She isn’t gone, she just needs a minute. She’ll be back, she hasn’t gone anywhere. Belle’s hair fell off her shoulder, and he felt her head slump backwards, and he accommodated to hold it up for her, and he saw she wore the silver bead necklace. She wore it the day she died, when he saved her life. And she wore it today….only Gold hadn’t saved her….she wasn’t coming back…..she was dead. He didn’t understand, Belle couldn’t be dead. No, this was a mistake. But his senses began to return, his eyes cleared from the shock, and realisation hit him like a baseball bat to his stomach. Belle was dead. She had died, in his arms.

“Oh, Belle.” He cried and pulled her lifeless body closer, cradling her tiny head. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry, Belle.” He wept over and over, holding onto what was left of her for as long as he could. Eventually his whispers morphed from apologies to “I love you, don’t leave me, please.” and other confessions she would never hear.

Grief had a funny way of morphing too. Anguish and sorrow quickly swallowing Gold, and transforming into anger, rage, vengeful. He lowered her with care and gentleness, giving her one final kiss goodbye, before he stormed out of the warehouse and into the night, ignoring Jefferson and Tink’s pleas. He couldn’t feel the pain in his leg, only the pain in his heart as it directed him to who caused it- Zelena.

Chapter Text

He wasn’t how he found her, perhaps Regina had revealed too much information in her bid to appear on their side and unknowingly fed him the answers he needed now to find her, but Gold found himself at Zelena’s home in New York’s Upper West Side. How he got there, how his mangled brain connected the dots of information to find this place, didn’t matter. All that mattered was taking Zelena’s life. The door was unlocked, or perhaps he knocked it down with an unknown strength, all that mattered was that Belle was dead, because of her. No guards stopped him or put a bullet in his shoulder, or perhaps Zelena knew he would find her, and knew he would be walking into his own death. None of it mattered, he was going to kill her, even if he died in the process.

She sat in her living room by a toasting fire, feet tucked up beneath her as she drank a glass of wine like it was a typical Thursday night. She seemed to acknowledge his presence he thought through his red, blurring gaze, but didn’t at all seem surprised.

“Well it took you long enough.” Zelena prompted, before she rose and poured herself another glass of wine. She took a long and purposeful sip as she watched Gold’s reaction.

“Why?” was the first word to escape his lips.

“Why did I what? Kill your little pet?” Zelena probed, and Gold’s lip twitched.

“She was a loose end from a very long time ago that I needed to tie up, and how fitting it turned out to be with her and you. All the little pieces of my puzzle fell into place, and I didn’t even have to lift a finger.” Zelena rejoiced.

“Why did you take her memories?” Gold asked, Belle never got the answer to the question she sought, Gold had to at least get them out of Zelena for her, even if no one would ever hear them.

“Well I suppose there’s no harm in telling you now.” Zelena frowned. “Belle was a threat to my happy ending, to undoing what I had started to build. Belle was like us, Regina and I, cut from the same cloth of superpowers you could argue. Not related, but we share a common origin.”

“And how did that threaten your happy ending?” Gold snarled, Zelena didn’t deserve a happy ending, she had taken Belle’s, and thus taken his own.

“Because I hid your son in a place only people like Belle could find.” Zelena informed him. “If she was alive, she would always be able to find it. I was simply eliminating any chance of my undoing.”

“There’s more you are not telling, dearie.”

“Well a good villain never reveals all their secrets, you should know that Gold. I learnt it from you.”

“You’ve forgotten another lesson I taught you.”

“And what lesson is that?” Gold lunged forward and heard her wine glass shatter to the ground, he wrapped his hands around her throat, and she gasped for air as his fingers clenched tighter. Like the chains had wrung all the life out of Belle.

“Never talk when you have the opportunity to kill your enemy.”

Chapter Text

Tink and Jefferson sat on the cold ground of the warehouse, with no idea how to get back up. Belle lay in between them, and Tink held her fallen friend’s cold and lifeless hand.

They sat in silence, staring at the ceiling and crying silent tears- letting their misery wash over them. Tink eventually let go of Belle’s hand, and could no longer sit and do nothing. She was the first to stand and run her fingers through her hair, hoping to brush away the hysterical sobs building in her chest as she paced up and down.

Jefferson remained where he sat next to Belle, staring at the holes in the roof above him, where the stars poked through the faded glass.

Neither of them noticed the blue light that began to grow, not until it illuminated the entire space- lighting every surface it touched with its luminous glow.

Tink turned slowly to see its origin, all the colour in the wind stemming from the space over Belle’s heart. Blue wisps of smoke seemed to seep through every inch of Belle’s skin, until it flowed like a cloud above Belle’s body. Jefferson edged away from the mystical sight, and faltered as she went to stand by Tink- who grabbed his hand in fear.

The cloud of glittering, sapphire energy seemed to linger in space for a moment, before it shot up into the air like a lightning bolt, and flew like an eagle back down to earth, and shot through Belle’s chest.

Belle’s eyes flew open and another surge of light burst from her eyes, knocking Jefferson and Tink to their knees in shock. Her first breath back in the land of the living wasn’t a sharp or deep draw of oxygen like she had been without it for hours, but a soft and shallow wisp like she had awoken from a nap.

Tink felt herself collapse onto her hands, as she witnessed the miracle of Belle sit up and look at them in confusion.

“Belle?!” Jefferson breathed in a shudder as his eyes filled with heavy tears.

“Jefferson? Tink?” Belle looked at their faces as she tried to understand what it was they were seeing, what had happened. They looked as though they had seen a shooting star.

“Belle!” Tink pulled her into a tight embrace, and Belle took a moment to reciprocate and rub her hand up and down Tink’s back comfortingly. Jefferson joined them, and pulled the two into an even tighter hug.

“Guys, I love you and everything, but I feel a little creeped out to be honest.” Belle mumbled into Tink’s shoulder, and eventually the two relented and let Belle have her space.

“Belle….you were dead.” Tink whispered, and Belle rubbed her arms in soreness, her mind trying to scramble on the events of the night.

“I….I drowned.” She realised, she remembered everything. She remembered falling, and darkness, and fighting at the chains on her arms and legs. That was why they ached, she figured out. She remembered Gold trying to tell her everything will be alright.

“James….Gold, where is he?” she asked urgently flitting from Jefferson’s face to Tink’s and back.

“He- he left.” Tink said, and Jefferson added “He went after Zelena.” Belle felt horror and fear race over her skin. She touched her hand to the teardrop necklace and held it tightly in her grasp.

“He doesn’t have his powers, he won’t stand a chance against her! He’s walking into a death trap, we have to help him!” Belle pleaded to them.

“Belle-“ Jefferson started, but Tink cut him off.

“I know how we can find him, find where he’s gone.” Tink affirmed, Belle nodded frantically and they helped Belle to her feet, before all three of them raced to find Tink’s laptop.

*

Gold hadn’t expected Zelena wouldn’t fight back, in fact he counted on it. For each second she exerted her powers on him, for each shot of electricity she sent into his veins or each memory of fake pain she inserted into his brain, meant Gold was one second closer to a level playing field.

“I’m beginning to think you like the pain Gold.” Zelena jeered as she paced around his convulsing body, as the after effects of her torture pricked at his nerve’s senses over and over.

“Pain is a powerful motivator.” Gold said through gritted teeth.

“Pain is pain, Gold. Power is a powerful motivator. It was why I did all of this, to be the best. So I would never have to suffer at the hands of others.” Zelena declared. She sent another wave of torture through his veins, and he contorted and twisted in response to every atom in his body reacting to the pain. He cried out in his torment, and Zelena revelled in it. After she was satisfied, she released him once again and he let out a sigh of relief as Zelena turned her back to stare at the flames licking the fireplace.

“You are….forgetting….one more important motivator.” Gold panted as he caught sight of a shard of glass on the floor from Zelena’s wine glass. Zelena didn’t turn around at his voice, instead she seemed entranced by the dancing of the flames.

“And what is that?” Zelena said absent-mindedly.

“Justice.” He snarled into her ear, and Zelena swivelled around to see Gold standing weakly on his feet, balancing precariously on his good leg, before he stabbed the shard of glass into Zelena’s chest.

She stumbled backwards and fell onto a table, shattering it beneath her. She shrieked in fury, and sent green lightning bolts in every direction in her anger, Gold hiding behind the couch to dodge the random blasts.

He reached for another shard nearby, preparing his next attack. If he could gradually weaken his opponent, he might stand a chance. Gold readied himself to jump up from behind the couch, when a wave of blue energy shot from the doorway to the living room, and Gold heard Zelena become airborne and come crashing through glass doors and out into the hallway.

Gold walked out from his hiding spot, to see Zelena struggling to her feet, as she pulled tiny shard of glass from her arms. A hand came into Gold’s line of vision, glowing an electric azure and pulled into a tiny fist as Zelena was flung again like a doll into the air and crashing onto the wall by the stairs. Gold limped to stand in the doorway, as his mystery saviour came into view.

Belle held her fist in the air as she pulled Zelena’s strings like a marionette to hand in the air, before Belle once again surged a stream of power and Zelena through two walls and a dining table. Gold stumbled back as Belle turned to face him, her glowing eyes fierce with power.

“Belle…” he inhaled, and at the sound of her name, her eyes ceased their eery glow and instead lit up with affection.

“James…” Belle beamed. She was alive, unless this was Zelena’s doing, and implanting cruel memories of Belle coming to his rescue and saving him from himself.

Perhaps it was all another method of continuing torture…to hell with it. If it was fake he was at least going to drive head on into it. He raced across the room and pulled Belle into a passionate, conscious altering, kiss that he held for as long as he could.

Once they parted and his head danced with delirium until he could barely remember his name, he dove right back in and kissed her again. Yep, definitely real.

“Was that a ‘I’m glad you’re not dead kiss?’ Otherwise I might have to accuse you of holding out on me, James.” Belle teased, and as punishment, he kissed her again.

“It is most definitely a I’m-Glad-You’re-Not-Dead-Kiss.” He added after kissing her forehead swiftly.

“Well I couldn’t let you off that easy, somebody has to stick around and make you grumpy.” Belle smiled, and her laugh shattered his heart in its beauty and put it back together all in the same syllable.

“I love you, Belle.” He confessed, not wanting Belle to wait another second for her to know how he felt.

“And I love you, James.” Belle radiated, but her emotion immediately changing as she remembered a furious and injured Zelena. “But we should probably take care of that.” Belle reminded him.

Zelena emerged from the rubble that was her kitchen to find herself face to face with Gold and Belle, and Belle’s power-ready blue orb floating above her hand. Gold could see indecision race through Zelena’s eyes, as she considered her chances of attacking them versus Belle sending that orb through her chest versus running like hell. Zelena chose wisely, and sunk back down lower where she held herself up.

“Wise move, Zelena.” Gold snarled. And Belle dissipated the orb, but her hand and eyes still glowed furiously, just waiting for a reason to attack.

“Now you have a choice, Zelena.” Gold proposed, before he knelt down slowly to be eye level with Zelena’s glowering scowl.
“Either we kill you, or you live.” Gold said carefully.

“If you’re smart, which I know you are, you will choose to live. You will choose to take this” Gold waved his wrist covered with the magic-binding cuff in front of Zelena’s eyes “And you will leave New York. You will run to the farthest corner of the earth and pray to every god you can think of, that we won’t find you. Because trust me when I say, if you step a foot in New York, or anywhere on the East Coast again….I will not be so merciful.”

Gold began to reach out to rip the glowing pendant from Zelena’s neck, when Gold and Belle were picked up by a purple gust of wind and dragged back on the floor away from their victory.

Regina now stood over Zelena as they began to scramble to their feet, and Gold felt for sure they were done for. Regina would help her sister to her feet, and together would attack Belle and himself. They stood no chance against the wicked sisters. Zelena smirked in triumph as her sister came to her rescue, who now held out a hand for her older sister to pull up off the ground. Zelena clamped her hand around Regina’s wrist, and began to chuckle sinisterly. Regina smirked back at her, before she turned to face Gold and Belle.

"I told you, Gold. If anyone’s going to defeat my sister…it would be me." Regina growled as she yanked the green jewel from Zelena’s neck- who fell back to the ground in a shocked heap, her powers escaping into the air in a green mist that faded into obscurity.

Gold and Belle stood with their mouths open in surprise, and Regina observed the jewel in her hand for a moment, before throwing it to Gold.

He fumbled to catch it and stop the diamond from falling to the floor and smashing, before looking back up at Regina in confusion.

"Just whose side are you on, Regina?" He asked her, she replied with yet another smirk of discontent.

"The side i’ve always been on, Gold." Regina flicked her hair from her face and straighten her shoulders, flexing her hands as she directed her power through them. Gold felt Belle grab his arms as she began to anticipate an assault.

"My own." Regina finished before flicking her hands towards herself and vanishing into nothing, sweeping up her defeated sister in tow.

Gold stoop back up, with the help of Belle, who looped her arm around his and gave him an encouraging smile that lifted a weight off his chest. A weight he had carried around for 10 years, and as Zelena was defeated, he realised that disappeared instantly. They won. The villain was conquered, Gold was a hero again.

Chapter Text

Belle returned where she had left a contemplating Gold, looking out over the East River and toward the city from his vantage point by the sea wall, the park behind him steaming with life as children played by the trees. Belle casually touched Gold’s shoulder to alert him of her return, and he grinned with anticipation as he saw the take-away container in her arms, offering to carry them for her.

They walked to sit on a rusted old park bench a little ways down the path, the wind starting to pick up and make Belle’s cheeks flush at its cold’s touch, but she didn’t mind the cold. Especially if Gold was there to keep her warm. Gold opened the takeaway container like a child on Christmas, a cheeky grin pulling his face into a carefree smile as he saw what laid inside. A hamburger with extra pickles.

“Well this looks delicious, Belle.” He praised. “However….it seems to be missing something….” At his prompt, Belle flashed a matching smirk, and pulled out a thermos from her coat’s outrageously large pocket.

“Iced-tea to go!” she chirped, and he laughed more freely than he had in a very long time. They ate in contently silence, snacking on hamburger, sipping iced tea and watching the day go by. Gold would occasionally absently rub his naked left wrist, and try to chase away the phantom sensation of the leather shackle that had left its mark.

After they had finished eating, and Gold still fumbled with his wrist, Belle caught notice.

“You can still feel it?” Gold nodded in response.

“Perhaps I’m just tricking myself into thinking I can, scaring myself into thinking it’s back on there.” Gold confessed, and Belle took his hand.

“I’m not afraid of being powerless, Belle. I’m afraid of being helpless.” He added, and she leant her head against his shoulder.

“I think we all are, but if you ever lost your power again, I’ll use mine for the both of us.” Belle vowed, and he leant his head on top of hers as the day continued to bustle around them, unbeknownst to the two superheroes who sat on an ordinary park bench thinking about ordinary things, or perhaps not so ordinary.

After a while, the wind began to die down and the people in the park began to pack up and go home; until eventually they were the only two in the park. Belle felt herself become too comfortable lying on Gold’s shoulder, and if she closed her eyes she knew she would doze off.

“I could stay here forever with you.” Belle contemplated.

“Ah, but alas! We are superheroes now, and we cannot save the world from this park bench.” Gold joked, and Belle pulled herself away to look up at Gold.

“I know banishing Zelena meant giving up the last chance at finding Bae, I know how hard that was, James.” Belle told him, and Gold shrugged.

“At least now I know he has been alive all this time, that he is out there somewhere. Now I have hope. And I have you.” Gold said and kissed the top of Belle’s head.

“How will be find him?” Belle asked.

“The same way we shall do everything.” Gold said. “Together.” And he placed a finger under her chin to angle her face to his and kiss her lips lovingly. As he pulled away from her embrace, with a spark of magic, he flourished a full and vibrant red rose and held it out to Belle, who smiled and blushed as red as its petals.

“Why, Thank you.” She delighted, taking the rose and pulled on Gold’s hand as they got up and left the park as night began to fall. Belle led him all the way home, and he never let go of her hand.

—-