１ ｘ ０４ "Ｔｈｅ Ｐｒｉｃｅ ｏｆ Ｇｏｌｄ"
• • •
"Thanks Ru." I told Ruby with a smile as she set down the mocha frappe on the counter and smiled back.
"No problem. It's my job." She chuckled, "Oh, uh, how's finding a place to stay going on?" She asked with a frown.
"We found a place. Mary Margaret offered us a room. So, yeah, we don't have to sleep in the car now. I was starting to get serious neck cramps because of that." I massaged my neck softly with a sigh and Ruby stared at me in guilt.
"I'm so sorry. Regina is so powerful, no one dares to go against her." Ruby said.
"It's alright. We found place to stay either way so it's fine, really. And how long has it been? Of Regina being the mayor of this town?" I asked her and she frowned again.
A short silence passed as I kept my gaze on her. Her frowned deepened as she muttered, "I...I don't know. She's been the mayor for a long time. As long as I could remember."
I nodded with a frown of my own. That was weird but who was I to complain? I shrugged and drank my mocha frappe.
"Sheriff! The usual?" I heard Ruby and groaned internally. I didn't want to see Graham after our last conversation.
"Yes, Ruby, the usual. Thank you." He said and sat next to me. I rolled my eyes and sipped my drink, ignoring him. "Miss Holt." He greeted me and I tilted my head slightly, sparing him a glance. "Sheriff." I gave him a nod.
An awkward silence passed. No one said anything. After a while, Graham broke the silence, "Look, I...I apologize. I shouldn't have snapped at you like that. It's just...well everything you said about Madam Mayor, even if there is some part of me that agrees to it — to your words, there is a large part that is afraid of what she'd do. And the fact that I am the Sheriff because of her doesn't help. At all. It just makes me feel oblige to defend her."
"...And she wants exactly that. You are the next powerful figure after her so it's natural for her to want to have you by her side. No one dares to question the mayor and the Sheriff. They just blindly follow her. And despite knowing that, you let it happen. Because you are afraid. Scared that she'll strip you off your current power. You are a coward." I spat and slammed the money on the counter. I didn't notice Ruby listening in on our conversation nor did I notice Graham's wide eyes filled with regret as I left the diner without looking back.
I heard a sigh. And then strong footsteps following me. I rolled my eyes again when I heard Graham speaking.
"Wait, Miss Holt! Look I'm trying, alright? It's so hard to get your attention." He muttered.
"Well try harder. Since it doesn't seem to work." I snapped and he chuckled, fastening his pace to walk beside me. I didn't even spare him a glance.
"I thank you for your help finding that coma patient. We all owe you a debt of gratitude." He said, ignoring my sigh of annoyance.
"Okay, great! What do I get? A commendation? Key to the city? 'Cause I know I didn't do it just for you to lash out on me." I snarked in reply.
"I apologize about that and I did, so many times. How can I convince you?" He basically pleaded and I gave it a thought before telling him off.
"How about...by leaving me alone? Go bother Emma." I said and caught a glimpse of a light blush across his neck. He cleared his throat awkwardly and muttered, "How about a job? I could use a deputy."
I stopped abruptly, turning to stare at him. He stopped too, facing me back.
"A job? Of a deputy? Are you serious?" I raised an eyebrow at him and he just sent me a sheepish smile.
"Mmh. I know you used to be a cop."
"Yeah. Used to. See the difference? I used to be one. And besides, I have a job." I rebutted with an eyeroll.
"As one of the, I don't know, millionth spy for the government? There's not much of that going on here." Graham rolled his eyes, grumbling as he did so.
"I...well...I don't see a lot of sheriffing going on around here either." I snapped back.
"Well, here's your chance to see it up close. There's dental. Why don't you think about it and stay awhile." He said and looked at me expectantly. I just shook my head and said, "There's a reason I'm an ex-cop, Sheriff. And I'm not going back on that field anytime soon."
Graham sighed but didn't try to convince me any further. He just blinked and then asked, "All right then. Where could I find Emma?"
"I don't know. Probably with her son?"
"Thank you, Miss Holt." Graham nodded and stepped back.
"Sure. And just call me Rebecca, Graham. No need for all that formality. It feels weird when you call Emma 'Emma' and me 'Miss Holt'.
"Okay. Rebecca." Graham chuckled with a nod and turned to walk away.
"I'm going to go mad and kill Regina someday." Emma muttered as she opened her luggage. We were inside our room right now, unpacking our belongings that had arrived just recently. Emma had told me about her meeting with Graham and Regina. I just knew that Graham would go and pester Emma for that deputy role when I didn't agree to his proposition. He was clever.
And what was the deal with Regina anyway? Emma wasn't running away with that kid, she was just content being a mom and taking care of him. What was wrong with that? She didn't need to threaten Emma every now and then. That was so stupid.
"You don't need to go mad to kill someone. Just having balls do to it is enough." I said and she smiled slightly. "I still can't believe Graham tried to rope you into all that deputy thing."
"I know right? He was sad that you had refused his kind offer. Well, I don't think I'm gonna join him anytime soon. I'm fine like this." Emma muttered and just then Mary Margaret entered our room with two plates of food.
"Yeah. Me too. Anyway, I'm so glad our stuff is here. I was dreading to wear my own clothes for a long time." I said and Emma nodded in agreement. My eyes travelled to the door and and upon seeing Mary Margaret enter with plates of food, I mumbled, "Oh, thanks."
"So that is all your stuff?" Mary Margaret asked when Emma took the plates from her, muttering a small 'thanks'.
"What do you mean?" Emma asked and I took a bite of the food, moaning in delight. "It's good." I hummed softly.
"Is the rest in storage?" Mary Margaret asked again.
"No, this is all of it. I'm not sentimental." Emma replied and Mary Margaret turned her gaze toward me.
"It's enough for the time being," I said with a shrug and gestured toward my bag. Mary Margaret nodded, "Well, it must make things easier when you have to move." She said and Emma opened her mouth to speak but the loud noise of the doorbell cut her off. Mary Margaret gave us an apologetic look and hurried to open the door.
Emma and I, we both frowned at the new face standing in front of Mary Margaret. Emma glanced at me and whispered, "I have seen him somewhere."
"Yeah. Same."
I muttered and observed the old guy, trying to remember just where I had seen him. I turned to Emma quickly when I realized who he was.
"The rich guy! He owns the town! God, it must be so good to be that rich." I trailed off dreamily with a longing sigh and Emma nodded at my words.
"Oh yeah. The one we met at the inn."
"Ms. Blanchard, is Miss Swan here?" We heard the man say and Emma started getting up. "It's always you. This town seems to have something against you." I whispered to her and she dismissed me saying, "Or maybe there are some people who are a lot nicer than Regina." I shrugged at her response. Somehow I really didn't feel as if it was the case. But still, hoping was better than nothing, I guess. I followed her slowly and walked to the door.
As we approached, the guy looked at us with a meek smile and said, "Hi, my name is Mr. Gold, we met briefly on your arrival."
Emma nodded and replied, "We remember."
"Good, I have a proposition for you, Miss Swan. I need your help. I'm looking for someone." Mr. Gold said and Emma blinked, stuttering weirdly.
"Really? Oh, I-um..."
"You know what? I am going to jump in the bath." Mary Margaret said and walked away quickly, trying to avoid the awkward situation. After she walked away, Emma stared at Mr. Gold and said, "That is not my forte. It's hers." She then pointed at me. Uhh, excuse me?
"I was told that you did things like finding people." Mr. Gold said calmly.
"Under her watch. She's an ex-cop. So, it was easier that way." Emma shrugged and I glared daggers at her. With how loud mouth she was, it wouldn't take long for this whole damn town to find out about me being an ex-cop. I didn't mind that but I really didn't want random people knocking on my doorstep, pleading me to help them find someone every now and then. There was a reason I was an ex-cop and no matter how much I wanted to keep it that way, someone always had someone to find.
And with how many times I had gone back to doing that job this week, despite not wanting to; I was getting fed up. I shook my head silently while Mr. Gold darted his eyes back and forth between me and Emma. Sighing softly, his brows creased in confusion and he opened his mouth, "Well, no matter. I have a photo."
He then extended his hand forward, waiting for me to take the photo. Begrudgingly, I took it from him and observed the young blonde smiling in the picture.
"Her name is Ashley Boyd and she's taken something quite valuable of mine." He continued and I raised my eyebrow in question when I heard Emma take a sharp breath. She was staring the photo intently, almost as if she recognized the girl.
"So why don't you just call the police?" Emma murmured and Mr. Gold hesitated, "Because uh...she's a confused young woman. She's pregnant, alone, and scared. I don't want to ruin this young girl's life, but I just want my property returned."
"Interesting. What is it?" I asked Mr. Gold.
He blinked and replied, "I beg your pardon?"
"What is this valuable something of yours that you're quite sure this girl has taken from you?" I asked again, quoting him.
"Well one of the advantages of you not being the police, err, an ex-police is discretion. Let's just say it's a precious object and leave it at that." Mr. Gold replied firmly. Of course, I didn't believe him. His subtle choice of wording this situation was making me intrigued to find out more. I was sure he was lying, well, keeping things secret. But then again, it was none of my concern so I decided to leave it like that and nodded quietly.
"All righty then. When did you see her last?" I inquired.
"Last night. That's how I got this." Mr. Gold said and pushed his hair back, revealing a gash on his forehead. "It's so unlike her. She was quite wound up, rambling on and on about changing her life. I have not idea what got into her. Miss Holt, please just help me find her. My only other choice is the police, and I don't think anyone wants to see that baby born in jail, now do they?"
I frowned and glanced at Emma who looked deep in thoughts. I then sighed and muttered, "Yeah. No one wants that."
"So you'll help me then?" Mr. Gold asked, perking up at my reply.
"I will help her." I replied while staring at him.
"We will help her." Emma repeated.
"Grand." Mr. Gold nodded curtly with a small smile. Just then the door opened and Henry rushed in, "Emma! Becca! I was thinking we..." He faltered in his steps upon noticing another figure in the room.
"Hey Henry, how are you?" Mr. Gold smiled down at Henry. Henry hesitated but replied firmly, "Okay."
Mr. Gold chuckled awkwardly at his short reply and said, "Good. Give my regards to your mother, and um..." He turned to us swiftly and continued, "Good luck Miss Holt, Miss Swan." I just nodded in reply. He nodded back and walked out of the apartment.
"Do you know who that is?" Henry asked, his eyes focusing on Mr. Gold's figure until he was out of sight.
"Yeah, of course I do." Emma answered.
"Who? Cause I'm still trying to figure it out." Henry remarked, turning to face us. I scoffed out a chuckle and Emma groaned softly.
"We meant in reality, kid. Mr. Gold, duh. Who do you think he is? Some random King? A witch?" I asked, walking back into our room to get my car keys.
"You mean a wizard." Henry deadpanned from behind me, following me and Emma further into the apartment.
"What?"
"It's a wizard. Witch is a term used for females. Wizard is for males." Henry grumbled. "Haven't you watched Harry Potter?"
I scoffed, "Well, I have watched The Vampire Diaries and The Originals too. They don't call each other wizards." Without letting the kid reply, I glanced at Emma and asked, "And with how deeply you were staring at the blonde in the photo, I'm assuming you know of her?"
"Kinda. I met her at the diner. I had spilled my drink on myself. Courtesy of Regina." The three of us groaned and rolled our eyes simultaneously. "We met in the laundry room, she was pregnant. Had her contractions last night and the doctor had told her that the baby could come any day now. She was scared. Alone. And I talked to her."
"Of course you did. You're quite sensitive when it comes to babies." I replied gruffly and took my car keys, Emma doing the same. We started to walk out of the apartment, little Henry following us and listening in on our conversation.
"Shut up. She is just 19. Just a kid." Emma huffed out.
"And you were 18. So what? Almost half of the female population of the world are in between 16 to 19 when giving birth. You'd be surprised with how many cases like these I used to get when I was on duty. Same reasons every time. It was a mistake. You forgot to use condoms. You got raped. You didn't want to abort the baby. It happens. You just can't stop it. The only thing you can do, in this stage, is to go through it. Whether you're alone or you're surrounded by your family, friends, whatever."
"Oh come on, don't say these things in the presence of a kid." Emma scolded me and I glared at Henry.
"And you. What the fuck are you doing here? Why aren't you at your home?" I asked, pointing at finger at him. Emma gasped and glared at me, "Becca! Don't swear!"
I just rolled my eyes and raised my eyebrows at him, demanding an answer.
"My mom's gone till 5:00, I thought we could hang out." Henry stuttered nervously.
"Aw, kid, I wish I could but there's something we gotta do." Emma replied slowly.
"Please let me help." Henry pleaded as he followed us.
"No, no, it could be dangerous." Emma said and walked faster.
"What are you saying? It is dangerous. We can't go around, taking a 10 year old with us. And it doesn't even concern him." I hissed and Henry narrowed his eyes on me.
"I'm right here, you know?"
"Okay then, little genius. You are not coming with us. Whatever we are doing, wherever we are going, is dangerous for you. And it doesn't concern you. Go do what kids your age do. Have your fun, play with friends, live your life as a 10 year old. Don't bother us." I snapped.
"I don't have friends!" Henry shouted. Emma gulped, trying to diffuse the rising conflict between us.
"Then make some? Whatever you do, just-just go away. Regina will kill us if she finds you missing from your home. Again!" I flailed my arms around.
"I don't care! I don't want to go home! I want to be here, with you two! Is that so hard to understand? You are my friend!" Henry yelled, almost on the verge of crying and I frowned. Was this what being emotionally blackmailed felt like? Because I was starting to feel bad. For this kid. Damn it, like mother like son.
Emma hugged Henry and looked at me with wide eyes, she then patted his back and said, "She's right, though. You cannot come with us."
"You too? What did the blonde maid even do?" Henry cried out exasperatedly.
"She assaulted Mr. Gold." Emma murmured.
"Oh. You don't have to worry then, I'll look for myself!" Henry said which made me roll my eyes. How easy did he think everything was? Innocent cub.
"Then I'll find you and I'll bring you back." Emma deflected.
"Then you wouldn't be helping the maid." Henry pointed out with a smug grin.
"Dude, we're just trying to be responsible here. Responsible big adults. And your stubborn little ass is contradicting my whole point." I said, fed up with his stubborn nature.
"And I'm just trying to spend time with you. Is that wrong?" Henry looked at me and then at Emma with big eyes.
"...No, it's not wrong." Emma muttered and glanced at me helplessly.
"Ugh. I guess you could come." I muttered unwillingly and Henry perked up, wiping his eyes and grinning at me.
"Really?"
"...Yeah BUT you stay in the car, got it?" I narrowed my eyes on him, trying to look stern.
"Yes!" He nodded and cheered, continuing to follow us making Emma smile at his action. I glowered at them but didn't say anything. Sighing dejectedly, I got into my car and turned the engine on.
"This is really not fair." Emma grumbled and opened the door of her car.
"So the maid, where do you think she could be?" I heard Henry ask Emma as they got into the little yellow bug of a car.
Together with Emma and Henry, I walked into the Granny's Bed and Breakfast. Ruby looked up from the counter and her eyes lit up immediately, a bright grin covering her face.
"Becca! Hi!" Ruby waved at me and did the same to Emma and Henry when they walked behind me.
"Hey Ru. You busy?" I nodded at the cleaning cloth in her hands and she threw the cloth away, blushing lightly.
"N-No. I'm not. The usual?" Ruby stood straight and asked, her eyes lingering behind me on the mother and son duo. A flicker of confusion passed on her face before her gaze rested back on me.
"Oh yeah. Definitely—" I groaned and sat down, getting comfortable in the seat but Emma cut me off with a strained smile. "No. No usual. We're on duty."
I rolled my eyes. Ruby frowned and leaned back. "What is it? Is something wrong?"
"Well, this girl, she assaulted Mr. Gold and ran away. She stole something of his in the process. So, we were just wondering if you had seen her today?" Emma asked and showed Ruby the picture of the blonde girl. Ruby squinted at the picture and gasped softly.
"This—she—Ashley...why would she do that? She was expecting any day now." Ruby stuttered but replied slowly.
"Ashley, hm. That's sad, I know. You know where she could be? Any small detail is appreciated, Ruby." I stared at her, my voice sounding low to my ears. Ruby blinked and then chuckled shortly.
"You sound scary. Am I to assume that you are serious whenever you go full name on me? Your inner cop is showing, Officer Holt. Careful." Ruby winked.
I let out a surprised chuckle and shook my head, "Well, what can I say? This town is making me do things I left long behind. Stressful. Anyway, about this...Ashley?"
"Right. Ashley Boyd. A diligent and sweet girl. She was very scared when she found out about her pregnancy. She was thinking about how the society, the world would view her and the baby. She—"
"We know about that, Ruby. Tell us something new." I huffed and tapped my long nails against the counter.
"Oh-uh. Yeah! She had a boyfriend! Sean Herman." Ruby thought for a moment before replying.
"So, this boyfriend of hers, you don't think he was involved in her disappearance?" Emma asked curiously.
"Uh, that would mean that he was involved with her at all, which he isn't. He left her in the lurch right after they found out they were expecting. Hasn't spoken to her since. Like I said he's a..." Ruby trailed off when she saw the tow truck drop her car and ran outside, cursing under her breath. Emma and I glanced at each other before following Ruby, ignoring Henry's "He's an insensitive jerk. That's what he is."
"Hey, hey, hey Billy, be careful. You almost shattered my wolf thing, Billy. It's good luck." Ruby called out worriedly and Billy smiled at her apologetically, "I'm sorry Ruby, but look, it's fine."
"Um, Ruby what about her family?" Emma stepped in between the two worrywarts and asked, making Ruby glance at her.
"Oh, um she's got a stepmom and two stepsisters that she doesn't talk to." Ruby replied with a sour face.
"Wait, stepmom, stepsisters, and she's a maid?" Henry exclaimed, suddenly coming to a conclusion.
"Henry, not now." Emma stated and I blinked in confusion, "What's with the sour face?"
"Oh you know, they used to torment her. Making her do all the chores and what not. Until she finally had enough and snapped. Now she doesn't talk to them." Ruby said with an amused smile.
"She's got big guts. Normally, one wouldn't be able to do that. Tied down by family and relations." I nodded.
"Anyway, look, I don't know what you've heard, but it's wrong. Everyone thinks she's not ready to have this kid, but she's trying, taking night classes, trying to better herself, trying to get her life together. Can you understand that?" Ruby poured her heart out, glancing between Emma and me.
"I think so." Emma replied and Ruby said, "Then maybe you should just stay out of it. She's been through enough already."
"I've been through it, too, Ruby, and I can help her." Emma insisted, frowning at Ruby.
Ruby sighed but agreed half-heartedly, "Then try her ex."
"Where can we find him?" I asked Ruby.
"He lives with his dad."
My eyes travelled to a car that was pulling into the garage. Henry was seated in Emma's yellow bug because I didn't want him to be a part of this finding the thief thing. He was too young for this. And I was already frustrated with whoever that was living here. I had been knocking for ten minutes but no one had answered. Maybe no one was home. Maybe the car that just pulled in was the reason why no one had answered. Letting out a soft sigh, I knocked on the front door of The Herman Residence, again.
"Is this the right address?" I grumbled and Emma rolled her eyes. "Name's written there. It is. Maybe no one's home." She frowned before knocking again.
After a short silence, a guy opened the door and stared at us in confusion. "Can I help you?" He tilted his head sideways.
"Sean Herman?" Emma inquired.
"Yeah. Who are you?" Sean asked back.
"I'm Emma Swan. This is Rebecca Holt. We...We're looking for Ashley Boyd. She's in trouble. We just thought maybe she came to see you." Emma replied. Just then, a middle aged man approached us and stood beside Sean.
"My son doesn't have anything to do with that girl anymore, so whatever trouble she's in, I am sorry for, but there's nothing we can do to help you." The man snapped gruffly.
"You're the reason he broke up with her." Emma realized.
"Absolutely. I'm not gonna let my son throw away his entire life over a mistake." Sean's father grumbled with a glare pointed at us.
"So you just told him to leave her?" Emma questioned in disbelief.
"Well what are they going to do, raise the child in the backseat of a car?" He replied sarcastically.
"Some people only have the backseat of a car." Emma shot back furiously, reminiscing her past. I grabbed her arm and pulled her back lightly.
"Well, they're to be pitied. I'm not letting that happen to my son." He snarled and turned to walk into the house.
"Dad, maybe we should help her look." Sean interjected slowly but his dad waved dismissively, "It's a waste, Sean."
"Oh hush, old man. You don't know what you're talking about and you haven't got the slightest idea of what the girl's been going through." I glared at Sean's dad and pointed at Sean, "And you! Stop being such a baby, jerk and grow up! Your old man's not gonna be here forever, deciding for you whenever you screw up. Learn to take your own decision. Learn to face the consequences of your actions. When you decided to fuck that blonde, did your daddy have a say in it? Did he tell you to go and fuck the girl, making her pregnant? Yeah? Yes? No? Then the aftermath should also be your decision. Not your dad's."
Sean blushed bright red in shame, hanging his mouth open at my bluntness and his dad's glare hardened on me. Emma inhaled sharply but kept nodding on every word I said, agreeing with me.
"I-I..." Sean trailed off, not knowing what to say.
"Look, you need to tell us everything that could be helpful in finding her. If Ashley runs away with this baby, she's gonna be in some serious trouble." Emma broke the awkward silence and said.
"She's running away with the baby?" Sean asked, his eyes wide.
"Yes." Emma replied shortly.
"Sean, inside. Now." Sean's dad yelled slightly and Sean ran into the house. His dad stood in front of the door, glaring at me when "Fucking coward" left my mouth.
He then sighed and said, "Look, believe me if I knew where she was I would tell you. I went to a lot of trouble to get her that deal."
"Deal? What deal? What are you talking about?" Emma frowned and asked frantically.
"You don't know? Ashley agreed to give up the child. And she's being paid very well to do so." He replied, glancing between us.
"So what? She sold the baby? Just like that?" I scoffed out.
"Oh, you make it sound so crass. I found someone who's going to find that child a good a proper home."
"And who are you to judge whether Ashley is capable of providing that?" Emma glared at him, fuming internally.
"Look at her, she's a teenager, and she's never shown any evidence of being responsible. How could she possibly know how to be a mother?" He said.
"Maybe she's changing her life." Emma cocked her eyebrows.
"Everybody says that. Now look, I found someone who's going to pay Ashley extremely well, someone who is going to see to it that everybody's happy." He replied.
"Mr. Gold." Emma said.
"Well, isn't that why you were hired, to bring him the baby?" He replied in confusion and I cursed in realization. So what? It was all just a scheme of his? To bring him the baby? But we never talked about that. We weren't hired for that. What was happening? Why would he go to such lengths just to have a baby? Just what had she stolen from him? Did she even steal anything? Did Mr. Gold lie to us? Why would he do that? Was this man even telling the truth? What was the truth?
"Fuck."
• • •