Chapter 26: The Beauty, the Savior, and Mr. Sparkles
Lacey.
Lacey. That was her name.
That was what the nice lady—Regina said. Lacey didn't have a lot of memories. For so many years, it was just the room she lived in. But now she had walking privileges because she was getting better.
She didn't know what was wrong with her.
For years, she didn't feel anything. Numbness. Those were from the pills she was told. When Regina had came, things started becoming clearer. And she could start seeing and feeling again, but she still didn't know much. She still didn't know why she was ill.
It was like when they shaved her head. She didn't know why they did that. Regina told her it was because of the bugs. And she had admit, after her hair was gone she felt better. Things didn't itch like they had been before. It was the same as being allowed to take a shower. She hated the cold water at first, but she didn't smell bad and the new clothes they gave her were warmer than the threadbare hospital gown that she wore for years.
Regina said that they were getting her ready to leave this place. It was hard for Lacey to imagine a world outside of the hospital. Then again, she didn't have a lot of memories of before the accident.
Only that she was sick. Really, sick and only now she started getting better.
She didn't know what was wrong with her. Regina hadn't said, just that she was only now starting to get better and maybe, just maybe, she could get back to her life.
She wondered what sort of life she had.
"Lacey, ready for your walk?" One of the orderlies asked. One of the nice ones not like Nurse Higgins.
The head nurse had always given Lacey the creeps. She was the one who always gave Lacey her medication. Who had always told her what to do.. She felt like she didn't like her. Then again, that was one thing Lacey noticed a lot of people didn't like her. You could expect to be liked in a place like this.
Lacey nodded at the orderly. Regina had told her she was going to have more privileges now, which included a walk to the facility's solarium. Which wasn't much. It was just a room with fake sunlight. But apparently, it still wasn't safe for Lacey to go in the outside world. Too many germs, and she wasn't well yet.
Regina still thought that Lacey believed the dream man was real.
He wasn't a man though, men were way too sparkly and no one was as glittery as Mr. Sparkles. That was really the main reason Lacey knew he wasn't real. But he felt so real, the feelings she felt for him…she didn't tell Regina that she remembered more than she realized. True it wasn't much, but she could remember that she felt something for the man and he gave her a library.
Oh, books.
It had been a long time since she had held a book. Such a long, long, time. She could barely remember the slight comforting weight that she would have when she hold a tome. The musty old smell. The learning about different things, the stories books told. Oh God, how she missed books.
"What are you thinking about, Lacey?" The orderly asked.
"Nothing," Lacey said knowing better than to give a real answer. While the orderly was one of the nicer ones, she knew that they wouldn't keep their mouths shut. Nurse Higgins seemed to know everything, and based on Regina it was best not to know anything about her previous life.
It was silly, but she could've sworn that Regina had gotten mad at her earlier when she talked about her dream. Either way it made Lacey not feel good, her chest got all tight and—she inwardly grimaced.
"It's not nothing," The orderly said. "You look like you were deep in thought."
"I always forget how big it i here," She said. "I'm used to my room."
The orderly bought it—she hoped. "Yes, I forget you were in there for awhile. I know that going to the solarium is one of your favorites. You enjoy the fake sunlight so much."
She wasn't paying attention to the orderly and the orderly himself stopped when they heard screaming.
Lacey looked at him. "Who is that?"
"New patient," The orderly said. "Never you mind her, Lacey."
But the screaming got louder as they made their way towards the solarium. Soon Lacey was able to see a group of orderlies fighting someone.
Lacey's orderly groaned, "I think we're going to need to turn around and go the long way."
One of the other orderlies turned to look at Lacey's personal guard. "I need a hand, Brett—"
And it appeared that Brett had been kicked to the ground as Lacey turned to see the patient that was fighting with the orderlies.
She was in awe. It was a woman. She might've been a little older than her. Like Lacey, her hair had been shaved off. Regina said they were doing that to everyone now because of the bugs. It was easier than exterminating them, whatever that meant. Unlike Lacey, the girl was in one of those hospital gowns that they made Lacey wear for years before allowing her to wear scrubs.
Or at least if felt like years. Lacey really didn't know how much time had gone by, Regina had said it had been for a long time. And God knows; it felt like a long time. But Lacey really didn't remember a lot. You lost a lot of memories here; she couldn't even remember what sunlight was like anymore. Whenever she did go to the solarium she always had to wear these dark glasses and gloss her skin with lotion because of her lack of sunlight. Even fake light. That was one of the reasons she was going on these walks to get her strength back, at least that's what Regina told her.
She was getting better.
Lacey wondered if she was like the woman that was fighting with the orderlies when she was brought in. This was the first time that Lacey had ever seen another patient. Nurse Higgins didn't' like the patients associating with each other. She said that it lead to collaboration and collusion—whatever that meant.
Used to, Lacey knew all the big words. Now they just seemed familiar, sort of blurry like she should know the meaning but didn't.
She did know what collaboration and collusion meant though, don't look at the girl. Don't help her. It would probably be best if she hid. Nurse Higgins would find her. She'd find her and—oh, was she going to mad.
Inwardly, Lacey grimaced knowing she had to get away somehow. She didn't know what she was going to do, but if Nurse Higgins saw her anywhere near this. She thought about making her way out when she felt a hand on her shoulder.
She didn't know how the woman did it, but somehow she managed to incapacitate all the orderlies before she turned towards Lacey, "Holy shit."
Lacey didn't know what to say. She didn't even realize the woman was talking to her at first until she walked over to her. Well, more like wobbled. Lacey knew how it felt to be all wobbly. That happened in the past a lot, but lately she had been able to walk more. It had a lot to do with her medicine.
The woman's hand touched Lacey's shoulder. "It is you."
"Do I know you?" Lacey asked.
"No," The woman said. "But I know you. You're Lacey Gold, aren't you?"
"Gold?" She asked as an image of the Mr. Sparkles came in her mind. He had been talking about gold for some reason. How he could teach people to spin straw into gold, it sounded like some bizarre fairytale.
"God, you don't recognize your own last name do you? What did Regina do to you?"
"Regina," Lacey said. "She's trying to help you."
The woman laughed.
"What?"
"Come on. I didn't just sucker punch three guards to get caught again you and me are getting out of here."
"Out of here?"
"Yes, out." The woman said. "You don't belong in Regina's fucked up little prison."
"Prison?" Lacey asked. "She said I was sick."
The woman laughed, "Maybe malnourished. But I doubt you were ever sick in the head. Regina is with—with this. This is illegal whatever it is. Come on, we need to go. I grabbed one of their access codes, but I doubt it will last that long. Hope there's no cameras in this place."
"Cameras?"
"Yes, cameras." The woman said, "I figured this was a safe enough place to incapacitate them here. It's sort of dark and—I can't believe I'm explaining this to you. We have no time for explanation right now. We have to get out of here."
"There is no way out of here," Belle repeated what Nurse Higgins and Regina had told her so many times before. "Not until we get better."
"There's no getting better, Lacey." The woman said. "You can either come with me now, or stay here. I'd suggest the later. Your family, God knows, is going to be so happy to see you. Especially, Ford."
"Ford?" Lacey asked.
The name seemed so foreign to her. She didn't know anyone named Ford. Ford wasn't the name of Mr. Sparkles. At least she didn't think it was.
"Come on," The woman said grabbing her hand. "We don't have much time. Do you know where you got those scrubs?"
"Regina told the orderlies to give me them," Lacey said primly. "She said that I was getting better. That I could have actual privileges now."
"God, I have no idea what that bitch did to you, but you don't deserve this, Lacey." The lady said. "Don't you remember your life before? Your husband?"
"Husband?" Lacey said.
She was married?
That didn't seem right. She remembered being in love with Mr. Sparkles, but not being married to him.
The woman sighed. "Don't think about it right now. I'm the last person that should explain things to you, Lacey. Like I said we need to get out of here first. And I have a plan."
The plan involved the woman—Emma—as she later introduced herself as sneaking out using the access card that she had stolen d from the orderly. Only thing was time was not on side, since undoubtedly Nurse Higgins would figure out sooner than later what they were up to. Especially if Lacey wasn't in the solarium which she told Emma.
"I'm supposed to have my acclimation therapy." She told Emma. "Nurse Higgins always makes a point to show up. She'll notice if I'm not there, and your cover will be blown."
Emma frowned, "My cover is going to be broken sooner than later. And you need to get out of here just as much as I do."
"But I can help," Lacey said sensing that in the past she had always wanted to help. Always wanted to go on an adventure and be a hero. She had a feeling that in the past, there were a lot of things that she missed out on.
Of course, most of the things she remembered were being here. Being forced to take pills everyday. To have them take her hair from her. To think that walking to an area with fake sunlight was some sort of heaven.
It made Lacey sad and mad.
"I want to do this," She said. "This is your best chance. You need to get out of here. I'll distract Higgins. You have to tell someone to help me though, if what you're saying is true. If…if…I can't trust Regina."
"You can't." The woman said, "I know you don't remember a lot, Lacey. But Regina is someone who can't be trusted."
Did she believe Emma?
A part of Lacey told herself that she should trust her fellow captive. After all, Regina hadn't done anything to make her trust her.
Though, her head didn't feel as funny.
Because Regina wanted something.
She frowned as that thought popped into her head. The voice almost didn't sound like herself, it was darker. It sounded much more cynical than who Lacey was.
As long as Lacey could remember, she had been a positive person. She had always looked for the good in people. That anyone could change, could reform, that you could make a man out of a beast.
What an odd thing to think of, she thought as she sat in the solarium as she tried to remain calm as she waited for Higgins to make her usual check in her room. She tried to remember the story that she and Emma came up with.
Stories.
Lacey loved stories.
She liked coming up for them too. She found herself easily thinking of things. Maybe one day she'd like a book.
Oh, she loved books.
"Lacey." Barked Higgins.
Higgins looked upset. Then again, when did Higgins not look upset, the woman hated her. Inwardly, Lacey knew that Higgins hated the fact that she had to actually make an effort with Lacey know. She had heard the nurse gripe to one of the orderlies that she thought Regina was making a mistake. It was one of the reasons why Lacey thought she could trust Regina.
You can't trust Regina.
She frowned as she thought about what Emma said. Emma seemed so earnest, but based off of what Lacey saw…
"Where's the orderly," Higgins said.
"The orderly?"
"Yes, surely someone brought you here so you could get some fake rays."
Lacey nodded. "Yeah, they did. They said they had to go to the bathroom and left me here."
"They left you here?" Nurse Higgins said glaring at Lacey like she knew she was lying. "Really? They left you here?"
"Is it that hard to believe?"
"Yes, actually." The nurse said crossing her arms.
She reminded Lacey of a bulldog. Sturdily built, with a slightly smashed in face. The woman's grey streaked hair was pulled back in a severe bun. She had always looked so stern.
"I don't see why it would be." Lacey said, "I've been really good lately."
The woman rolled her small beady eyes.
"What? Regina said I was getting better."
"That's Mayor Mills to you, girl." Higgins hissed. "And you have no idea what the mayor thinks about your true prognosis. Not that she knows anything. She's not the medical professional here."
Lacey wanted to tell the nurse that she wasn't an actual doctor either, but she knew better. She had been here for so long, she knew what sort of power Nurse Higgins willed what she could do to her. But things have changed with Regina.
Regina is bad.
"I just know what she told me," Lacey said. "She said I might be able to leave, that I am getting better."
"It wasn't a definite thing," Higgins said. "And I don't think you're getting better. In fact, I know how much trouble you are, girl."
"Trouble?" Lacey asked.
"Yes, trouble." Higgins said. "I know you don't tell the truth, Lacey. I know that you are still delusional. That you believe the sparkly man is real."
"That's not true." Lacey said. "I know that he isn't sparkly. People can't be sparkly unless they're in Arts and Crafts and get themselves covered in glitter."
Nurse Higgins started laughing like Lacey said something hilarious. At first Lacey thought she was in the clear until the Nurse Higgins closed the door to the solarium. Essentially locking Lacey in the room with no way to escape. She only hoped that Emma had made her way out.
"Cut the crap, Lacey. We all know you think the man is real. Just like how you managed help knock out that orderly to help Emma Potter escape."
"Emma Potter?"
"Don't be stupid. The other inmate. The one that you helped escape. You must think I'm stupid, not to realize that you were involved in this mess."
"I didn't do anything." Lacey said. "Not like what you're doing to me."
And she laughed again. "What am I doing to you, Lacey? Besides, helping you with your problem."
"I don't have a problem," Lacey said as she somehow found her voice. "I never had a problem."
"You believe you're in love with a sparkly imp." Higgins hissed. "That's a problem."
"More than likely it's the drugs that's causing me to see my husband as sparkly." Lacey hissed. "Oh yes, Nurse Higgins, I remember I'm married."
"Do you?" Higgins said with a big smile on her face. "You remember that you're married now? How interesting."
"I want to talk to my husband," Lacey said. "If I remember right, he should be the one should be making my medical decisions for me if I'm unable to. Since he's my closest kin, which neither you nor Regina are."
She was proud of herself. She didn't know she had that in her. Of course, what she didn't calculate was that Nurse Higgins didn't give any fucks about any legalities that might've existed.
"You have no rights," She finally said. "And as far as your husband's concerned, you're dead. If anyone decides what happens to you its me or Regina. And I'm afraid, my dear, you've had a relapse."
As she said this, she pulled out what appeared to be a very large needle that had already been filled with something. God knows, what it was exactly. Lacey suspected that it was a sedative. One of those things that would make her act like a zombie again, but she couldn't be sure. You never knew with Nurse Higgins.
Nurse Higgins smiled when she saw that Lacey flinched. "You know, I don't have to give you the shot. If you talk, I'm sure I might be convinced that your relapse was only mild. I only want the truth, Lacey."
"No you don't." Lacey snapped. "You want to torment Emma, just like you've tormented me most of my life."
"Tormented?" Higgins said walking closer to the corner where Lacey had unwittingly backed herself into. Lacey could now feel the woman's breath on her. As usual there was a toxic almost slightly medicinal smell to Nurse Higgins. "You know, I don't torment my patients, Lacey. I only do what's best for them."
Lacey winced as the woman smiled at her.
Now," The nurse said as she held the syringe closer to Lacey's neck, "Don't you think it would be in your best interest to tell me what's going on here?"
"I—" Lacey started to say when she felt something appear behind her. Both she and Higgins turned around to see a very angry man looking at them in a smart looking business suit.
He looked familiar. Almost like Mr. Sparkles, but he wasn't sparkly. And he wasn't wearing leather that was for sure, Lacey thought as she admired how the suits straight lines flattered the man's lithe figure.
"What the fuck is going on?" He asked to no one in particular.
"You're not supposed to be in here," Higgins barked.
"I believe that's my wife." He snapped, "Who is being illegally held prisoner here."
"This woman is a patient here, and you aren't supposed to have access to this patient." Higgins said never one to be intimidated.
Lacey had stopped paying attention to their barbs. This man was her husband? Emma had mentioned her being married, but she didn't quite believe it. There was only Mr. Sparkles and while the man did remind her of him, he couldn't be him. She and Mr. Sparkles never got together. At least from what she could recall.
"If you step any closer I'll put the syringe in her neck." She heard Higgins said, "You wouldn't like to get back a dead wife, would you?"
The man glared at her and waved his hand.
The syringe was gone from Higgins' hand. Hell, Higgins wasn't even there. Rather, there was a rather large slug where she had once been.
The man walked over to where Lacey was as she looked at him.
"Are you okay?" He asked.
"I—" She started to say, but stopped. Did he really turn Nurse Higgins into a slug. That wasn't possible.
But as she was thinking that she had a flash of a memory.
"A slug. Really, Rumple?"
"He missed a payment. He knew the consequences. Besides, it could've been worse. I could've thrown table salt on him." Mr. Sparkly or Rumple said.
"You're better than this."
"No, I'm not." He said, "You might think you can see the man underneath the beast. But like it or not, the beast is part of the man, dearie."
"There's no table salt here." She found herself saying. She winced after she said this because she didn't want the man—her husband to kill Nurse Higgins, but at the same time. Well, there was a part of Lacey that wanted her tormenter dead.
"Table salt?" He said, "Oh right, for Higgins. Wait, you're okay with me turning her into a slug?"
"I—" She said, "I don't know. I know I shouldn't be. You can be better."
"I'm afraid I'm not on my best behavior today, dearie." He said, "God, you're alive. Alive. She didn't lie to me. You're here. Maybe a little underfed, but here. Oh, Belle."
"Belle?" She asked.
"Sorry, it's an old nickname I used to call you." He said, "Come on, let's get out of here. I'll take you home."
"Home?" She asked.
She didn't' know what home was. As she thought about it, an image of a castle popped into her head.
"The castle." She said. "We live in a castle, right?"
"Not quite." He said a dark look came over his face. "She didn't totally wipe out your memory. Interesting?"
"What?" Lacey asked.
"Ignore me, Lacey. I babble we need to get you out of here before I turn anymore members of the staff into gastropods."
He then held out his hand to her and she reluctantly grabbed it. She didn't know what she was expecting. If it was a return of her memories, that certainly didn't happen. Though there was something oddly familiar about the way his hand felt in hers. She felt her pulse racing that was for sure. Or maybe it was just because this guy was supposedly her husband.
"It's going to be okay." He said, "You'll see."
She shook her head.
It was hard believing that anything would be okay. After all Nurse Higgins had just tried at the very least to knock her out with some heavy-duty painkillers.
Oh God, Emma.
"You have to help her." She heard herself saying before he could poof them away.
"Help who?"
"Emma." She said. "She's trapped in here too, she's going to try to get out of here but I'm afraid that—"
He had already dropped her hand. "Emma's here?"
"Yes, she said something about Regina."
"Where is she?" He asked.
"I don't know." Lacey said, "She said she was going to try to escape and get help, but I don't know how she's going to do it even if she does have one of those key card thingies from the guard. Higgins is bound to change it."
The man shook his head as he pulled something off of his neck. Something Lacey didn't see before. It was a ring.
"Is that mine?" She asked.
It looked like a ring of some sorts, but it didn't exactly look like her. The ring looked new. Nothing like Belle had saw before.
The man just shook his head as he waved his hand over the ring.
Magic. Lacey told herself. He was using magic.
She had seen him using it in her dreams. And it didn't seem so odd there, like it didn't seem odd now despite the fact that she had been told magic wasn't real.
He sighed heavily in relief.
"What?" Lacey found herself asking.
"She and the baby are safe." He said.
"Baby?"
He nodded. "Yes, Emma's pregnant."
There was something about the way that he said that, that Lacey couldn't figure out. But she didn't have time to dwell on it.
"Come on," He said. "We have to go. She's still here and I have a feeling I'm going to have to turn some more orderlies into slugs."
"Really, I get why you had to turn Nurse Higgins into a slug, but some of those orderlies were pretty nice."
"I'm going to protect Emma, regardless." He said as he held out his hand for her again and she took it.
This time he led her down another hallway to what appeared to be a cleaning room of some kind.
He tried opening the door only to find it locked and cursed, as he hissed, "Emma, it's me."
The door opened and there was Emma who practically flung herself into Lacey's husband's arms.
"Oh, Ford." She said, "How did you find me?"
"Don't." He said, "I think I have just as many questions as you do. We need to get out of here."
"I have the key," Emma said. "I was just waiting for the right time, Lacey said—Ford, Lacey's alive."
"I know," He said with a frown, "She's right here. We're all going to leave this place now. And I'm going to have Regina locked up, I'm assuming she kidnapped you."
Emma nodded. "I'm pretty sure. She cornered me in that diner. That stupid Mary Margret, I should've realized it was a trap. That my hot chocolate was drugged. Oh God, you don't think it hurt the baby, do you?"
"It's okay, love." He said, "It's okay now. We'll get you out of here and you and the baby checked out. Everything's going to be."
Love? Lacey was a little confused, why was he calling Emma love. She didn't like that.
"They didn't hurt you, did they, Lacey?" Emma asked finally spotting Lacey.
"Higgins has been handled." Ford said, "She shouldn't be a problem anymore. Come on, let's get out of here."
"Where are we?" Emma asked as they began the walk towards the exit.
"It's the basement of the hospital." He said, "It makes sense remember the other day when you told me she got upset when the elevator let you off on the wrong floor."
Emma nodded, "I cant' believe she did this. That she—that she held Lacey down here this long."
"And she kidnapped you." Ford pointed out directing the attention back towards Emma. "And it appears she touched you too. Your hair—"
"I know," Emma said rolling her eyes as she touched her bare head. "Apparently, they have a lice problem down here. At least that's what the orderly told me when she started buzzing off my locks. Dear lord, this whole thing is fucked up. I'm just glad they weren't that competent of jailers, I was able to get free of their restraints fairly easy."
"Well, thank heavens for that."
Lacey found the whole thing a little weird. While Ford seemed worried about her, he was paying more attention to Emma. Then again, the woman was carrying a baby.
They finally reached the off limit areas of the asylum.
"I have a card." Emma said, "We can get out with it, if they haven't deactivated it."
Ford nodded. Lacey however frowned, "Why can't you just poof us out of here, Ford?"
"Poof?" Emma asked a little confused.
Lacey nodded. "Didn't you mention poofing before, Ford?"
Ford bit his lip as if he was thinking of something to tell her when something appeared form behind him another guard.
"What the hell do you three think you're doing?" The guard.
"We're leaving," Ford said. "Because you know, you can't hold someone here illegally. That would be false imprisonment, dearie. That's a crime and a tort."
The guard was oblivious. Unlike the orderlies who usually had half a brain, the guards were brutish. This particular one was often used when Nurse Higgins needed help restraining a prisoner. He didn't have a name or at least Lacey didn't know what his name was. Other than that he was a particular large guard and had a sadistic streak a mile long.
"I don't care." He said, "The only ones who give orders who can come and leave is Nurse Higgins."
Ford glared at him, "That is not the case here, dearie. You will let us go."
"Or what," The guard said.
He was fairly tall. A lot taller than Ford. In fact, Lacey was pretty sure that he could beat Ford into a bloody pulp if he wanted too. Of course, that didn't take into the account that Ford could wave his hand and turn the man into a gastropod if he wanted.
"Or else he's going to sue your ass." Emma snapped causing the man to just laugh.
"Oh, I was going to sue him regardless." Ford said, "But he might be interested in knowing that Graham-Cracker is on his way with a warrant and pair of handcuffs. I'm sure that an additional charge of false imprisonment and possibly battery is just going to make you rethink holding us here. Especially when you calculate that that's probably an extra twenty or so years in the pin give or take."
The guard was too stupid to listen to Ford. "I ain't letting you leave."
"Ain't ain't a word, and ain't going to say it." Ford said, "Or should I say I ain't staying."
The guard wasn't amused. Inwardly, Lacey was alarmed. She had a vague recollection of Mr. Sparkles—who she was pretty sure was Ford—starting in on tangents before he did something particularly nasty. Though, it seemed like he didn't want to poof which was weird because he had been willing to do it before realizing that Emma was there.
Maybe poofing would hurt the baby?
"You're either going to step back or you'll regret." The guard said. "Last warning."
Lacey heard as gasp from Emma as the man held up something that was a metal tube some sort.
"Oh, a gun. Goody. Now we can add armed assault to that wrap sheet. You know, you're going to have a hard time pleading that down."
"Don't aggravate him, Ford." Emma said as the guard shouted for all of them to shut up and started waiving the gun around.
Ford sighed heavily. "I'm not aggravating him. I'm stating facts. You and I both know that if the DA is halfway competent here he's going to be charged with—"
Bang.
The man shot the weapon. And a moment later Lacey felt something sticky coming from her shoulder and then she had to knell down because it hurt.
Hurt so bad.
"Belle." She heard Ford shouting before she faded to blackness.
She woke up in another room. This one was bigger than she had been in before. A lot bigger. And she wasn't in scrubs anymore or a scratchy hospital gown instead she was in a soft garments of some sorts that she'd later learn was pajamas.
As she opened her eyes she noticed that there was a vase of flowers on one side of her and a sleeping Ford on the other.
He looked so different when he slept.
She frowned as an image popped into her head of Mr. Sparkles asleep on a chair next to a large wheel. When he saw her he opened his eyes. She loved his eyes. They weren't like anything you had ever seen. They were like molten gold. Ford's eyes weren't exactly like Mr. Sparkles', they were a butterscotch color and there were flecks of green in them.
"Oh, thank God!" He said when he saw that she was awake.
"What happened?" She said finding it difficult to talk. Like she had been hurt or something.
"That idiot guard shot you. It will be okay though, Lacey."
"No," She said. "That doesn't sound right. Please, call me Belle."
He gave her an odd look.
"When you said that name it seemed familiar to me," She said. "I feel like that's what you used to call me."
"It is." He said, "You really didn't go by Lacey."
"I don't think the name really suits me." She said with a frown. "Where are we?"
"The hospital," He said. "But in a better room. I'd transfer you out of Storybrooke General to Augusta or somewhere, but they didn't feel like it was safe for a transfer."
"It's fine." She said looking at him, "You don't sparkle like you do in my dreams."
"What?" He said.
"You're Mr. Sparkles." She said. "I know it's a stupid name. But for so many years, I had these dreams and there was a sparkly man in it. Regina and Nurse Higgins told me they were just delusions, but—but you turned someone into a slug."
"Yes, I did."
"So then, everything in my dreams then it's true."
He sighed heavily, "More than likely. What do you remember?"
She then explained the dreams how they were more in less fragments. How she remembered him trying to see the good in him.
"You'll never reform me." He said, "I told you that then, and it still holds true now."
She frowned, "I don't believe that. Obviously, something changed. Or we wouldn't have gotten married."
He bit his lip.
"What?" She asked.
"Do you remember anything about curses, Belle?"
Curses.
When he said that her mind went back to another memory. He was at his study again. The same place where the spinning wheel was. Next to him was a large book. She could just make out something that said "dark curse" it wasn't in English though. The fact that she could read other languages, sort of surprised her.
"You were researching a curse." She said.
"Yes," He said. "A curse to find my son. It brought us all here. Regina ended up casting it."
"I don't understand."
"She created alternative identities for everyone. Including you. Let me ask, do you recall anything about being Lacey?"
She shook her head. "No, I don't. I've just been told that's my name. But Belle seems to fit me more."
He sighed heavily. "That's because she didn't create a full identity for you when she created the curse. It probably took too more magic."
As crazy as his ramblings were, Belle—as she was calling herself now—could understand them. Magical theory seemed to come easy to her, though she didn't remember being a practioner herself.
She didn't know how too use magic. If she had, she would've never it was been taken. The thought made her angry, like she could've done something to protect herself if only she had an opportunity to learn. As she thought that a sequence of events emerged in her head with being taken by Regina of all things, of thinking he was dead.
"She said you were dead…" She said before adding, "Rumple?"
He nodded. "You remember?"
She shook her head. "Just pieces. I—I—you didn't come. You always come. But you didn't. She was right. You were gone."
"She did kill me," He said. "But Dark One's are a little hard to kill, dearie."
"We aren't married then." She said, "We aren't even really together, are we? I mean, I kissed you but—but you pushed me away."
"I had to find Bae." He said, "My son. I didn't want my curse to break. I thought—I thought we might've."
"Been true loves." She said, " I think we are. The kiss was working. I could see you, the real you. So you didn't push me away because you didn't love me?"
"No," He said. "No, not at all."
"Then we can be together." She said.
"I'm afraid it's not that simple." He said causing her heart to sink.