Fic: The Lesser of Two Evils - Chapter Eight
Title: The Lesser of Two Evils
Rating: PG-13
Pairings/Characters: Mr Gold/Emma Swan, Henry (and later on August and Regina)
Warnings/Spoilers: Spoilers for everything surely XD
Summary: My new Golden Swan continuing drama. Emma and Gold's complicated relationship takes a turn for the worse when potions and magical artifacts become involved. Written from ideas presented by the lovely missbreese
X-Posted to FF.net here
Chapter One :: Chapter Two :: Chapter Three :: Chapter Four :: Chapter Five :: Chapter Six :: Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
I let August in and we settle at the table. Mary Margaret gives him a coy smile and slides away.
“I’ve just seen Henry,” he says, running a finger along the table-top. “He asked me about Rumpelstiltskin. Is that one not in his book?”
“I guess not.” I reply in a measured tone.
Henry. His curious face settles into the front of my mind, and I remember with a sudden dread that he knows about Gold’s vulnerability. After making a note to find him and sort out a few things, I surface to find August studying my face with a smile.
It’s a warm smile, and it makes me feel instantly that I’m doing something wrong by having him here.
Which is ridiculous, of course. Because if August’s company is wrong, that would imply that another company in particular is right. Which it isn’t. Or shouldn’t be, at least.
“You okay Emma?”
He puts a hand on my hand, and my stomach squirms awkwardly. I try to brush it off as a friendly gesture.
“I’ve just got stuff on my mind today,” I try for a calm tone.
August fixes his too-kind eyes on me.
“Anything you want to share?”
There are several things I most definitely do not want to share. Especially not with August, whose opinion of Gold seems to be going down daily for no apparent reason. But one wild idea springs to mind. Of all the people I could question about magic, August strikes me as the least likely to laugh in my face.
“Actually, can I ask you something?”
He nods. “Shoot.”
“Do you believe in… voodoo?”
August raises his eyebrows, eyes suddenly gleaming. I turn my face downward, ready for him to chuckle.
“Absolutely,” he replies.
I dare not look up, because his sincere tone gives me confidence, and I don’t want to ruin it by seeing his face.
“You think it exists?”
“I sure do.”
I chance a look, relieved to see his face is deadly serious. I can’t see any reason why he’d play that expression unless he’s telling the truth, so I take a breath and dive right into the pool of crazy before us.
“I had a weird experience the other night, I saw something…”
His eyes widen. “What?” He asks.
“I can’t tell you,” I reply without even thinking. “I… I promised I wouldn’t give specifics.”
“Okay,” he says, “But you think you saw… magic? Magic actually happening?”
I suppress a sigh. “I don’t know. It’s crazy right?”
He considers this for a moment. “Not really.”
I try not to laugh at his casual tone.
“Well, do you believe that hypnosis works?” He asks.
The question catches me off-guard a little.
“Sure. On some people.”
“Okay, so why not voodoo? Same principle. Telekinetic control.”
He sits back in his chair as though that’s the end of it, and I decide to take the opportunity to get out while I can. Between admitting some sort of feelings for Gold to Mary Margaret and admitting witnessing magic to August, I’m just about ready to hide in my room again for the day.
“So, you were telling me about Henry?”
-----------------------
I stroll the shop floor checking that everything is in its proper place, surprised to the point of a physical jolt when the phone rings. It is sensible to expect bad news, perhaps more kind requests from the Mayor. I consider letting it ring.
Eventually curiosity wins me over, and I reach over the counter to pick up the receiver.
“Hello?”
“Gold?”
I start at Emma’s frightened tone.
“Emma. It’s me. What’s happened?”
She lets out a shaky breath that crackles on the line.
“Sorry, I guess I’m kind of in shock. Or coming out of shock.” There is a brief pause, I listen hard for her brittle voice. “I’m just really mixed up about this dagger thing.”
“It’s shaken you up?” I offer.
“You’re telling me.”
“Is the dagger still protected?”
“Yeah,” she replies. “It’s still in the station safe, and I have the key right here.”
“Well, there’s not much to worry about then.”
I can tell I have said the wrong thing almost immediately, as her next tone is close to tears.
“Oh sure, apart from that… say… magic exists, and you know all about it, and now I have this crazy responsibility to you… not to mention how we-”
She stops there, and I wait tensely on the line, but she does not continue the same line of thought.
“I’m sorry,” she says, “I don’t know why I called you. I’ll just-”
“No,” I jump in quickly, my own eagerness betraying me. “Why don’t you meet me tonight? I… Maybe I can help explain things a little more?”
The temptation must be considerable; I hear her sniffing in a breath on the phone as she considers the proposal.
“Tonight? Tonight where?”
“At the station?”
She leaps in over my sentence as quickly as I can utter it.
“No, I don’t want to be near that thing. I need to be… away from it, if you’re going to calm me down at all.”
“The club then?”
She swallows loudly on the line.
“That sounds better, yeah.”
“Eight-thirty?”
“Sure, okay.”
An awkward moment falls, but she does not end the call. I can hear her tense breaths, like she’s still shaking.
“Emma,” I try, a strange concern welling up in me. I hadn’t expected her shock to be so immense. “It’ll be all right, you know. I’ll be fine, and so will you.”
“Yeah,” she says with a suddenly stronger tone. She takes in a single deep breath. “Yeah. We’ll be fine.”
A little smile forces itself quite unbidden into the corner of my mouth.
“I’ll see you tonight then?”
“Right… Should I meet you outside?” She asks.
“No, you go in,” I reply, the thought of a less lonely evening settling comfortably into my senses, “I’ll find you.”
Chapter Nine