No Sound Without Silence

Chapter 17

"Speak up."

"Well... I don't know how to say this..."

Emma grumbled in impatience. "I don't have all night."

"Why don't we start with putting me down?" Tristan said, holding his hands in the air in a sign of surrender.

"Well, why don't we start with, Who are you?" she said shoving him up the wall and earning a grunt. Blood pounded in her ears as she felt the strong hit of alcohol running through her veins and she was as awake as ever. Her grip tightened, completely ignoring that she might crumple and destroy the buttons of his shirt.

Swan...

Then the voice boomed inside her head. Then the alcohol suddenly hit her again, making her world spin. Suddenly the tears started to sting her eyes because why was she hearing his voice? Why now? Her eyebrows furrowed as her vision aligned.

She loosened her grip on his shirt and gave him an extra push for making the alarms in her head go off. Running a hand through the curls of her hair, she closed her eyes and gave a long sigh. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw him straighten up.

"Before I say anything, I want you to promise me something." he started, still a little breathless. "Don't hit me."

She laughed mockingly. Was he serious? "Speak."

He sighed in defeat and stood up straight to look her in the eye. "Killian's under a curse."

She grumbled impatiently. "I already figured that out."

Tristan tilted his head to the side with a ghost of a smile on his lips. To Emma, it almost seemed like he was relieved. "Well, there's nothing left to say then..."

"Except you." she said with a stare to pin him down. If she was right, then she was safe. He couldn't possibly have any magic because there wasn't any form of magic around them. And the only way he could have known Rumpelstiltskin was if he was from the Enchanted Forest. That meant he knew little about the world in which he stood on compared to her. That gave her a higher ground bit her safety wasn't secured. He was a man, after all.

He looked at her with a confused look. "What?"

That was it. She lunged forward and grabbed the front of his shirt, fisting them tight in her hands. She looked straight into his eyes in a glare that sent daggers and guns pointing at him. The slight tremble on his lips made her smirk inwardly. "I don't have all night." she said through gritted teeth as she pressed him against the concrete wall. There was a lot of things she had to do. Like brooding at the corner of the bar with a strong drink.

She shook the thought out of her head. "I know you come from the Enchanted Forest so tell me. Who are you?" she said lacing each word with the irritation and impatience he caused her.

His chuckle brought more anger to her as she pushed him harder onto the wall. "You wouldn't believe."

"Try me." she said in a challenge.

"Quasimodo."

Her eyes widened in surprise. "Quasimodo? As in Hunchback of the Notre Dame?"

"See. I told you." he said in a soft voice as his eyes shifted into sadness at the mention of his real name. He looked at his current state against the wall. "So, um, please?"

When she realized her mouth was hanging open in shock, she quickly regained her senses and let him go. "Don't do anything funny. I'm watching you."

He let out a sad laugh. "I'm not going to, don't worry."

She crossed her arms across her chest as he tried to iron his crumpled shirt with his hands, the eerie silence of the night falling between them while the muted bass from the club pounded by the door.