Once Upon A Time ~ Book 1

Chapter 109 - Regina's Plans Change

August lay in his bed in Granny's Bed and Breakfast, asleep. The bright morning lit up the the flower patterned wallpaper through the pale vales that hung over the window. Littered on the desk were books and papers, and the wooden box.
Suddenly August's left leg began to shake and shudder vigorously. He awoke and attempted to sit up but he just fell back against the the flower patterned pillows in pain. He pulled the sheets off and threw them aside. He winced in pain as his leg continued to shake. He then tryed to get to his feet and swung his leg over the bed, but he tumbled from the bed and fell against the set of drawers next to his bed, knocking the objects and books from it. He panted heavily.
Eventually he managed to get to his feet and he stumbled to the desk, at the other end of the room and slowly sat down on the chair, wincing and moaning in agony.
He picked up the vintage style telephone on the desk, gasping for air and dialed a few numbers. "Hey, you there?" he said, panting. "......Good. This is taking too long. We need to accelerate the plan."

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August stood opposite Mr. Gold's pawn shop, sheltered behind a building.
"It's almost nine." he said and turned his head to Henry who stood next to him. "You all set? You know what to do?"
"Operation Cobra is always ready." said Henry. "I just......."
He turned fully ti him. "You just what?"
"I don't understand what this has to do with getting Emma to believe."
He glanced over at Mr. Gold's pawn shop again. "Sometimes other priorities assert themselves. Can you handle a little improvisation?"
"Yeah. Can you?"
He smiled. "We're a go." he tapped his shoulder and Henry ran towards Mr. Gold's pawn shop. August then walked after him.
Henry opened the door of the pawn shop, the bell jingling as he stepped inside and closed it behind him. He looked around the pawn shop at the antiques, books and furniture until Mr. Gold walked from the back of the shop.
"Hey, Mr. Gold."
"Good morning, Henry. What can I do for you?" he said standing behind the counter.
"I want to get a gift for Miss. Blanchard."
"Oh, I see." he walked towardshis, limping on his stick.
"Since she didn't kill that woman."
"Good thinking." he smiled.
Ad they spoke in the pawn shop August quitely sneaked through the door at the back of the shop.
"Are these bells?" he heard Henry ask Mr. Gold in the front of the shop. He them shook the bells. "Cool."
August quitely shut the door behind him and he looked around the back shop.
"See anything you fancy?" asked Mr. Gold in the front shop.
"It should be something special, like pretty-sounding, but with authority."
"You're asking a ot from a bell."
"I the first one the best so far." he said, the wound of bells jingling.
"Somethings it's best to go with one's first instinct."
He walked around the back of the shop, staring at the objects, books and ornaments in the shelfs that were even more mysterious then the ones in the front shop.
"This one's good. How much is it?" Henry asked.
"The price is marked."
"Oh......Wow.....I was thinking more like five dollars?"
"I have some tin whistles."
August continued scouring around the shop whilse they spoke.
Then Mr. Gold stepped into the back shop. "May I help you?" he said when he saw August.
August quickly turned around, surprised. "Yeah. I'm looking fir some maps. I'm a bit of a collecter."
"Yes. Well, there's maps through in the shop. This is my office."
"I thought this was the entrance."
"It's not."he said, silent anger in his face. "The shop is through there." he pointed to the door into the front of the shop.
August stepped into the front of the shop and Mr. Gold eyed him, anger in his eyes.

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Emma walked through the hospital and into a room where Kathryn lay, Dr. Whale standing next to her.
"Emma, come on in. Look who's awake."
Emma walked to the bed. "Kathryn, hi." she said, looking down into her pale face. "Listen, imitated don't want to take up a lot of your time. But do you remember what happened?"
"I don't know much. Umm, I was in a car accident and I remember the airbag going off. And the next thing I knew, I was in the dark, in some basement. I didn't see anyone, but there was food and water. And then, I guess I was drugged?" she looked around at Dr. Whale.
"Yeah. We're still trying to flush that out of your system."
"And then I woke up in a field at the edge of town and I started walking. That was it."
"You saw no one? You didn't hear a voice? Smell of perfume? Cologne? Anything?"
"Nothing. No. I'm sorry. I wish I could help. Especially since........ While I was gone, you though I was dead?"
"Your DNA matched the heart we found." Emma explained.
"They're grilling everybody down at the hospital lab, to see who doctored the DNA results." said Dr. Whale.
"Why would anyone do this?" she looked over at Emma.
"I think someone was trying to frame Mary Margaret."
"But why? I mean, who would do something like that?"
They both looked up at Emma inquringly.

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Regina stood in front of Mr. Gold in his shop, leaning against the counter.
"You broke our deal." said Regina.
"I broke one deal in my life, dear. And it certainly wasn't this one." he answered, a old leather ball in his hands.
"Kathryn was supposed to die, and Mary Margaret was to get the blame." she shouted.
"Yeah, murder seems so much worse here, though, doesn't it? You can't just turn someone into a snail and then step on them, can you? You didn't say, kill her. We agreed that something tragic should happen to her. Now, ubduction is tragic."
"The intent was perfectly clear."
"Oh, let's not talk about intent. Intent is meaningless."
"Intent is everything." she argued.
"Please." he said loudly and firmly.
Regina stood silent a little taken aback.
Mr. Gold walked around the counter to the other end of the room with the ball in his hands.
Regina turned around to him at the other end of the room. "This is going to raise all kinds of questions about where she was and how the test results were fake."
He put the ball away into a shelf. "Oh, yes, umm, who put the key in her cell."
Regina held the silver charm on her necklace, her eyes widening in fear. "It's all going to lead to me, isn't it? You bastard!"
He smiled.
"This doesn't make any sense." she stepped closer to him. "You and I, we've been in this together from the start."
"Oh, have we?" he chuckled.
"You created the curse for me, the curse that brought us here and built all this."
"Yes, it's about time you said thank you."
"Why did you do it?"
"Well, you're a smart woman, Your Majesty. Figure it out."

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The children played outside of the cottages in the broad daylight. They played with sticks, pretending to sword fight and Baelfire played with a brown leather ball. Then he kicked accross the road and tripped in front of a cart.
"Hey! Hey!" shouted the man pushing the cart. "What are you doing in the middle of the road, boy?" he said as Bea stood up, limping and moved in from the road.
"I'm sorry! I........" he started, stammering.
"Hey, I know you." he said, staring into Bae's face. "It's fine. It's fine. You know, it was the donkey's fault." he indicated to the donkey that pulled his cart qnd staring around nervously and the peasants that watched fearfully. "You want a chicken or some eggs?"
"That's all right. No. I should probably just......"
"What's going on?" said a voice from by the cottages.
The people looked over a Rumplestiltskin fearfully as he walked towards Bae and the man that pushed she cart. Some of the people shuffled away nervous and some stood still, petrified.
"It was noting. It wad my fault." said the man. "I wasn't looking where I was going but he says he's fine."
"I'm fine, Papa. Really." said Bae, stepping in front of him.
He no longer wore peasants cloths, but a long, grand red cloak with gold dressing the hood.
"Are you sure, Bae?" he asked, staring at him.
"Yes. I'm fine."
The man nodded nervously.
"Well, I suppose it won't happen again." he glared at the man.
"I won't." said Bea.
"No." said the man.
Then suddenly Rumplestiltskin raised his hand and pointed to a bloody scab on Bae's knew. "What's that?"
"It's nothing." sais Bae.
"It's nothing!" let out the man.
Rumplestiltskin stepped forward, interrupting him. "Don't bother." He raised his hand and the man suddenly disappeared in aloof of smoke, but on the ground lay a little snail. The people shuddered and gasped in fear. He stepped closer to it.
"Oh, Papa, no." said Bae. "Please, Papa, don't."
He steped even closer.
"No, Papa! Papa!"
Then with the heal of his boot he stood on the snail.
The people gasped in shock as they heard the squelch of the snail beneath his polished black boot.
He looked up around the peasants and they rushed away in fear. He put his arm around Bae's shoulders and walked away with him.