Echoes and Shadows

Chapter 5

        Belle felt the car stop and the small hum of the engine die out, but she stayed staring through the windshield. The entire thing didn't make any sense- after meeting Rumple at the shop they went to the library and over her dinner she searched through every book containing Pandora's Box. They came up with nothing, of course. No spell that could use the box, no potion (though that was a stretch anyway). Nothing. This only left the fact you could trap someone with the Box, but then there was the time-bomb of who they were going to trap and when.

        "Belle?" Rumple said beside her, his seat belt was off and he already had one foot out of the car, "Are you alright?"

        "Hm?" She said, "Sorry, I was just thinking." 

        They were outside the sheriff's station, Emma had called them in this morning; surprisingly asking for their help. Rumple had resisted, but Belle, who was close to done with the heroes herself, forced him to go. 

         With a small sigh, Rumple pulled his leg back into the car and closed the door, "What's wrong?"

         "Oh, nothing's wrong, exactly, I just-" Belle put her head back, burning a hole in the car's ceiling, "I'm puzzled by this entire mystery." 

         Rumple reached for her hand and gave it a small squeeze, "Sweetheart, couldn't we just go home?"

         "We've had this conversation," Belle said, shooting him a mild glare.

         He looked out the window, trying to think of another argument, in a couple seconds he came back with, "It isn't our problem."

        "It isn't our problem?" Belle said incredulously, "They have Pandora's Box, they broke into the shop!" 

         "Well, it isn't a fight with me," Rumple's voice held an increasing hint of snark, setting Belle on edge, "if anything, back in the Enchanted Forest they insulted someone who's a bear with grudges."

         The librarian counted to ten in her head to calm herself down, she laced her fingers through his and leaned over so her head rested on his shoulder.   

         "Let's just hear what they have to say," she said, "then, we can go home and not let them bother us for a week."

         She could feel him thinking about it, "a month."

         "Rumple...."

          "I love you, Belle," he said, a sweet smile appearing on his face. He didn't want to argue with her, especially when he knew he wasn't going to win.

          "I love you, too, Rumplestiltskin," she answered, looking into his eyes and allowing him a tiny kiss, "now, let's go." Believe it or not, and much to Belle's shock, he went in with hardly any fight after that. Although, he did stiffen when they got to the room and she looped her arm through his, hoping to comfort him. Her eyes shifted to the far corner cell where a very disgruntled Dr. Whale was sitting behind bars. She looked at him curiously, wondering what had pushed him lose his normal cool. 

        David had found him the day before tearing through the police files, looking for "information on a patient". Of course, the charming prince didn't believe him and stuck him there, where he had become frozen to his spot, staring off into seemingly nothing. 

         Everyone had already arrived and the talk was short, Belle staying silent for most of it. She only spoke when the Charmings asked her to do a sweep of the library. Giving an apologetic look to her husband, she agreed, hoping he wouldn't be too terribly disappointed. If anything, she would welcome the time to herself. 

        As Belle walked down the street she thought back to her promise to Rumple. She would follow through, of course. The heroes needed to learn that they were human beings and could not be dragged around like ragdolls. Yes, she may even allow him the month he asked for, even if he was half joking. 

        She looked up from her concentrated stare at the sidewalk when a car honked. They had not been trying to signal to her, but her attention had been grabbed and she was warped back to the present. That's when she realized that she was nowhere near the library. A mistake must have been made while she was thinking- a wrong turn, maybe. 

        She was standing next to the hospital, the large brick building looming into the sky. The sign was flickering slightly, which was odd in the broad daylight. Somebody at the front desk must have forgotten it when the sun came up. A moment more of reflection and she stalked forward, the doors sliding open to allow her entrance. She swept over to the receptionist desk, surprised to see that a nurse was on duty instead of, well, a receptionist.  

        The woman was typing away at her computer, completely ignoring the new presence. Belle cleared her throat, but she was not acknowledged. Finally, after about five minutes she decided to start speaking. 

         "Hello, my name is B-" The nurse held up a finger, her nails painted a shockingly bright fire-engine red. 

        "I will be with you in just a second, Mrs. Gold," she said, continuing her typing with even more rigor. "I would suggest a little bit of patience." 

        Belle pressed her lips together, feeling thoroughly snubbed. A few more minutes of standing in almost silence, the only sounds being the keyboard and the large clock on the wall, the nurse pressed the escape key and leaned back in her rolly-chair.  

        "Now," she said, twisting her hair up into a bun and pinning it with a pencil, "what may I do for you?"

        "I was just sent over by the Sheriff," Belle lied, "she wants me to take a look at Dr. Whale's office."

        "Hmph," the nurse said, looking unimpressed. Her lips, which were also the very outrageous shade of red, tugged down into a frown. "I'm sorry, Mrs. Gold, but Dr. Whale locked his office yesterday when he went out at lunch. He hasn't been back since."

        "Okay, thank you," the librarian said reluctantly, "do you know when he'll be back? Or do you perhaps have a backup key?"

        The eerily colored lips turned into a smile, "No can do."

        "You do realize that if you're holding the key from me you can be arrested under obstruction of justice?" Belle grimaced at her own words, where were they coming from? The woman stood and leaned over the counter, talking right into Belle's face. She breathed out her next words, blasting her with the smell of stale cigarettes and potato chips.

        "You may be married to the Dark One, sweetie, but you don't intimidate me." Every word dripped with malice and Belle had a sudden, dreadful thought: What did Rumple do to her?

        That's when the phone rang. The nurse straightened and answered it. The voice on the other end was agitated, yelling something about Dr. Whale. The woman's eyes widened and she slammed down the receiver. Without saying anything else she ran off down the hall, skidding around a corner. 

        Belle was stunned and then, knowing the library would be futile, she followed. She peeked around the corner to find the nurse whispering hurriedly to a male attendant. They sprinted farther down the hall, finally disappearing behind large double doors. Stepping forward, Belle reached where they had been whispering and found a door that said "Dr. Whale, M.D." 

         Resisting a small "Yes!" in victory, she tried the door. The handle turned and it clicked open. Suddenly, her heart was hammering in her chest. She had never really done something like this before. Slipping inside she found that the office was littered with papers and manilla envelopes that were labeled in scribbled sharpie.

          Time to get to work.