The Rose and the Dagger

Chapter 11: The reflection in the mirror

Storybrooke, mayor's office,

- I took care of the girl and she will not bother us anymore. Regina said, addressing the person who occupied her chair with her back to her.

-Why would you have just not killed him, would have been simpler, asked the voice

-Because here, to kill someone, would not go unnoticed. And I'm the mayor, not the queen with the right to life and death over her subjects. We must remain discreet.

-And was it he, who sated your thirst for revenge?

-Yes of course it was

The chair turned, revealing a very distinguished old woman

-The problem with you, dear, is that you did not go far enough. You want to break her heart? But we need to break him too, Cora said.

-What do you mean, mother?

-We will bring magic back to storybrook, but first, we need to find a very important object, she said with a sly smile.

Storybrooke, Mr. Gold's shop,

After a few days without Belle, Gold had not opened his shop. Nothing made him feel, he was numb. His shop was in a sad state since he had his fit of anger and rage, and he did not have the desire to clean anything up. He sat in the back room, a glass of whisky in hand, just letting time pass listening to the ticks of the clock that echoed in his head. He was alone again, as it had always been. The Sunshine that had been brought back to him since the day he met Belle, had faded to darkness. The sound of the belle rang suddenly.

-We are closed! Gold shot out without even moving to see who it was.

-Oh good you are here, the man said, raising the curtains to the back room

It was David Nolan, the town sheriff.

-What do you want from me ? Gold said dryly.

-I have news about what you asked me to look into

Gold was suddenly very attentive to what he had to say. He had asked the Sheriff to do some research on Lacey French and the article.

-I have done a lot of searches, and no Lacey French appears in any police records. And in looking more closely, I also discovered the newspaper photograph is a montage, and an extremely good one at that. The article is a fake.

Gold heaved a sigh of relief.

-But the photo of you and her, is real.

-I know, grumbled, Gold softly.

-Sorry.

Gold thought for a moment.

-The author of the article, Sidney Glass, is he the one dating the mayor? He asked.

-Yes it appears so, David replied thoughtfully.

Gold took his cane and stood up: « sorry but I have to go, I know what I have to do » he said.

-I don't want any problems with this Sidney Glass, David said.

-Oh, it is not him I am going to visit!

***

Dark Castle,

Rumple was still sitting on the floor, his head still on the edge of the bed, where Belle lay His grief was immense; he realized how much he loved her, and the tears were constantly streaming down his face, as he had just lost the love of his life. He could not save her; he the dark one, was powerless to save her. He had tried, but was not able to protect her. His regrets started to overwhelm his mind, not giving her, her freedom. And he blamed himself. And for not having the strength to tell her how much he loved her. Suddenly he felt something in his hair. Her hand was stroking his hair, he looked up, and as she slowly started to open her eyes, he saw the most amazing sight, two balls of bright blue watching him. Rumple was overjoyed, seeing that Belle was cured and beaming with joy.