Saviours Sometimes Come in Pairs

Chapter 4

Cameron

"I just remember travelling to your mother's castle and finding her in what would have been your nursery. She was knelt over your father, who was almost dead, and I remember feeling angry because they had managed to get you into the wardrobe. I don't remember a second child." I haven't been formally introduced to Regina yet, but I already like her.

"Someone must have taken your memory along with everyone else's." Emma appears to be thinking out loud, so I don't interrupt, but most of what she says goes over my head. "The only magic-user close enough to do that would have been—"

"Rumple," Regina finishes, her shoulders sagging. "And he's dead." This is too much for me, so I speak up.

"Rumpel..stiltskin?" I ask, that being the only connection I can make between 'rumple' and fairy tales. Emma and Regina nod.

"He was the Dark One for many years, but died a hero, saving Nook." My confusion must show on my face, as Emma chuckles. "New Hook. But that's a long and convoluted story for another time." No one speaks after her, and I can almost hear their brains working, trying to figure out what they're going to do. Snow White—my mother (neither sounds right in my head) is the first to speak after the long silence.

"What about Gideon? Doesn't he still live in the Edge of the Realms. Maybe he can help." How many more people can they bring into this? The name doesn't ring any bells from the fairy-tales I know, but maybe I forgot it.

"Gideon is Rumpelstiltskin's son. Belle is his mother." This just gets more and more confusion, but Emma seems to get it. Based on her memories, she's been through the same thing.

"Belle as in 'Beauty and the Beast' Belle?" She nods, laughing.

"Yep. And, I hate to break it to you, but it doesn't get any easier. The further into it you get, the more confusing it becomes." Oh great. I already feel like I'm as confused as I could possibly get, and she's telling me it gets more confusing, not less.

"How long until I get out of here, anyway?" Way to change the subject. Still reeling from the overload of family tree information, it takes me a while to answer.

"Well, you'll need the cast on your arm for six weeks but your other injuries seem to be healing relatively well, so probably next week at some point."

Emma

Armed with the information that I should only have about a week left here, we abandon thoughts of a holiday and focus on finding Gideon.

"So how do we get to the Edge of the Realms?" I ask, looking pointedly at Regina. She seems like the person most likely to know, although Killian might as well. I'm still holding Allison's hand. I feel like a child, for the second time this week, but she looks so overwhelmed and was glad for the comfort.

"We'll need to go back to Storybrooke so that we can use magic, and then use a bean to get there." I nod.

"Okay. Allison, will you come with us?" The question pulls her out of a daze, and she blinks rapidly.

"Hmm? Sorry, I wasn't really listening."

"Will you come with us to find the memories?" She hesitates, and I realise that her life here must be pretty good. It's kind of the same dilemma I had after New York. "You don't have to decide now. You have a husband, right?" I wait for her nod of confirmation before continuing. "Talk it over with him, except maybe leave out the magic part." She nods again. Apparently, the overwhelming news as rendered her incapable of talking.

"Okay." She stands up and walks out, almost on autopilot. I hope she can figure it out.

Turning back to Regina, I focus on the plan.