All Magic Comes With A Price

Selfless, Brave, and True

"Lights will guide you home / And ignite your bones / And I will try to fix you" --Coldplay

Hospitals all looked the same to Castiel, and the one in Storybrooke was no different. He followed Mr. Gold grudgingly, unable to get away from the man. He had tried, but some sort of magic from his world was dampening his ability to get away. For now, he just had to do as the man said. He had spoken to him briefly back at the antique shop about the woman he was having him help, but he was still somewhat confused.

"This woman... Belle. She is important to you." Castiel looked at Gold, trying to see him in a new light. He had never known the man to do anything for anyone other than himself, so the fact that he was trying to help a woman was baffling to him.

Gold looked sideways at the angel, a look of sadness and deep meaningfulness etched in his features. "She is everything to me."

Did this mean that the imp had fallen in love? Love was a foreign concept to Cas, at least romantically. He did not understand the emotions behind romance, but camaraderie he understood perfectly. Perhaps it could even be considered 'brotherly love', what he felt for the Winchesters. But romance... No, there were no such precedents in his existence.

The duo entered a room that looked just like every other one they had passed in the halls, this one occupied by a single bed, rather than some of the others that had two. Sitting in the bed, leisurely reading a book with her feet tucked underneath her, sat a brunette woman, who looked up at them as they entered.

A tentative smile met her lips. "Hello again, Mr. Gold." Her voice had an Australian lilt to it. Strange how so many accents could be found in that other world.

"Evening, Belle."

She brought her eyebrows down slightly, a faint frown on her face. "I've told you, I don't know who Belle is, I'm sorry." Castiel looked at Gold, and the man's pained demeanor at the girl's words, though not visible on his face, was clear in the way his shoulders tensed and his grip on the head of his cane tightened.

"Don't worry about that, dear. This man here is going to help you remember who you are." Gold looked at Castiel coldly, as though daring him to object. "Aren't you."

"I don't understand. How is he going to help me?" The girl who should be Belle was skeptical, and she leaned forward in her bed toward the two men.

Cas stepped toward her, and she shrunk back slightly, not knowing what he was going to do. "I have my ways. Just... Stay still." He reached forward with one hand, and placed two fingers to her forehead. Belle looked up at him expectedly, and when nothing seemed to be happening, she looked sideways at where Gold stood.

"Well?" Gold demanded after a minute of the clearly uneventful attempt.

"It is not working. I think that it isn't as effective as it should be considering the origin of the magic involved." Castiel felt sorry that he could not help the girl regain her memories, and he stepped back, arms falling at his side.

"Wait, did you - did you just say magic?" Belle's eyebrows shot up. Since crossing the town line and forgetting herself, she had completely forgotten magic from their world, and had witnessed some magic, though she couldn't believe it. Hearing someone else speak about magic made her heart race with intrigue.

Castiel, knowing none of the plight of hiding magic from her, due to over excitement, began to answer. "Yes, I did, as your world and this one are-"

"You need your rest, obviously." Gold cut off, stepping forward, his cane clinking loudly. "Castiel here needs to be on his way back to his friends."