When the Smoke Clears
Author: Peach Prosecco Prompts: twenty-hour only allies; when the smoke clears; RPG video game Group: M
"Rumple? Gideon?" Where were they? Belle couldn’t find either of them in the billowing purple smoke.
"I'm here, Belle." She heard Rumple reply just as the smoke began to clear.
“Where's Gideon?!” She didn’t know how they’d ended up in the Dark Castle dungeon… She just knew that their son was nowhere to be seen.
Gold moved to her side and took her hands in his. "Gideon’s safe at home. He was creating his own characters and story for that new fairy tale video game we gave him, and, um, he somehow trapped us in it."
"What? How?" She and Rumple had been at odds all day over Gideon's burgeoning magical powers and now this had happened. Belle’s anger was eclipsed only by her fear for her family. "How are we going to get out? Gideon's all alone...” Tears began to trickle down her cheeks.
"Listen to me." Gold tightened his grip on her. "We're going to have to play the game and hope that it leads us back to Gideon."
Belle tried to pull away from him. "I knew his magic would lead to trouble,” she sobbed.
"Belle, it won’t do us any good to argue now. We're going to have to work together, as allies so to speak, for the next 10 minutes or 20 hours... however long it takes to find our way out of here. After that we can argue as much as you’d like."
Belle sniffled. She knew he was right. Now was not the time for blame. They had to find their way out and they had to do it as quickly as possible. Her poor baby was home alone, probably terrified over what had happened. She took a deep breath to calm herself. “OK… So what do we need to do?”
Gold cleared his throat. He was as worried as she was. “The object of the game is to find the item in each room of the castle that triggers the magic that transports you to the next room. When you find the final item, you win the game… For us, that will mean we return home to Gideon.”
“Got it.” Belle surveyed the dungeon while wiping the tears from her eyes. “There’s nothing here, Rumple, except for some straw and a blanket.”
“And the pillow I gave you to stifle your crying.” Gold retrieved it from under the blanket and handed it to her.
“You mean to make me more comfortable,” Belle corrected him. “You forget that I saw right through you from the beginning.” She smiled in spite of herself.
Gold chuckled. “Details…” He smiled back at her. “Now we have to use it in a way that will activate the magic to move us forward.”
He placed the pillow on the straw so that Belle could rest her head on it. When that didn’t work, Gold lay down beside her. As soon as his head hit the pillow, purple smoke surrounded them and carried them to the library.
“Your second gift to me,” Belle reminded him when she realized where they’d landed.
“One that you were supposed to keep dust-free.” He swatted the air dramatically and coughed.
She giggled and then turned serious. “There are so many books in here. How are we supposed to find the right one?”
Gold pointed to the settee where a copy of ‘Her Handsome Hero’ was resting. “I think that’s a good start.”
Belle scooped up her favorite book and held it close to her chest. She felt the tears forming again as she thought of Gideon.
“Why don’t you read me your favorite passage?” Gold suggested.
Belle nodded, turning to the paragraph that she’d read repeatedly to their beautiful boy. She fought back the tears as she spoke.
Her last few words, “…but Gideon was unafraid”, triggered the purple smoke that swept them away once again, landing them outside the castle door.
It took them several seconds to get their bearings. “Was this supposed to happen? We’re no longer in the castle.” Belle’s voice betrayed her concern.
Gold hesitated until he saw a rose lying on the ground. He discreetly picked it up and hid it behind his back.
“Belle.”
She turned toward him with a question in her eyes.
“Here.” He presented the rose to her. “If you’ll have it.”
Belle’s face lit up. “Why, thank you.” She accepted the rose with a curtsey while Gold bowed in return. Purple smoke appeared and whisked them off to Rumple’s tower.
They both groaned when they realized where they were. The room was a cluttered mess of books, vials, bottles, manuscripts, and other magical items. It would be a Herculean task to sort through everything.
“Oh, Rumple.” Belle sighed in defeat and frustration. “We’re never going to get out of here.”
“That’s not true.” Gold was determined to sound hopeful. “We just have to be smart about this. The video game is about you and me so the objects we’re looking for have to mean something to us.”
“You’re right.” Belle rallied her spirits. “But what can be significant to us in here? You never let me enter the tower.”
“Let’s not give up so easily. Look around, Belle. There has to be something.”
They began scouring the room, sorting through an endless array of items.
“I think I found it.” Belle held up the gauntlet. “The item that almost ended us for good.”
“Yes,” Gold admitted, “but the gauntlet would have never lead to you, Belle. The dagger was my greatest weakness, but it wasn’t what I loved most. That was always you, Belle… only you’re not my greatest weakness – you’re my greatest strength.”
A mix of emotions flashed across Belle’s face as purple smoke engulfed them. They found themselves in the Great Hall when it disappeared.
Belle was still reeling from the revelation about the gauntlet when she was brought up short by the sight of shattered glass everywhere. “What happened here?”
Before Gold could answer, Belle squealed. “Our chipped cup!” She rescued it from the table and cradled it in her hands. “It’s the only thing that’s not destroyed!”
“I could never destroy this cup, Belle.” He took it from her and walked over to the pedestal where the Holy Grail still sat undisturbed. He removed the chalice, replaced it with the cup, and then turned to Belle. “It was my most cherished possession.”
A sob caught in Belle’s throat as she flung her herself into his arms and kissed him.
Purple smoke began to swirl rapidly around them. Belle broke the kiss to look at him.
“Kiss me again, Belle. It’s working.”
When they broke their second kiss, the smoke had cleared, and they were standing in the middle of their living room back in Storybrooke.
“Not bad… It only took you 112 minutes to find your way out.” Gideon’s words startled Belle and confirmed everything she had suspected.
“Gideon Gregory Gold! You gave your father and me the scare of our lives!” She attempted to berate him while rushing over to hug him tightly.
“I’m sorry, Mom. I just wanted the two of you to stop fighting.”
“Who said we were fighting?” It was true, but they were always careful not to argue in their son’s presence.
Gideon rolled his eyes. “You didn’t kiss or hug each other at all today. That’s not normal for you. You’re usually all over each other.”
Belle was appalled. She hoped they weren’t traumatizing their son with their constant displays of affection.
“I’m sorry, Gideon. I know kids your age don’t like to see their parents being affectionate.”
“Nah… I don’t mind. I’m used to it by now. It lets me know that everything’s OK.”
Belle was relieved. “Well, I’m glad, but we still have a lot to discuss about all of this.”
“Yes, mom.” Gideon’s eyes begged her for forgiveness.
“Your mother and I know you meant no harm, son, and your game was very clever,” Gold added, “but so much could have gone wrong.” He placed his hand on Gideon’s shoulder. “I do have one question about the game though… Did you forget about the ladder? You know how central it was to our story.”
“I know, papa. I didn’t forget... but I thought you were getting too old for that. I didn’t want you to get hurt.”
The look on Gold’s face sent Belle into a fit of giggles. When she finally got her breath back, she drew Gold and Gideon into a big family hug.
“Your father does alright for someone his age.” Belle locked eyes with Gold and bit her lower lip. “Now let’s celebrate that we’re all back together.”
“Does that mean I can have the ice cream sundae you promised me earlier?” Gideon asked.
“Yes, sweetheart.” Gideon could have his treat now… and Rumple could have his later. She’d let him prove to her that age was just a number. Any further discussion about Gideon’s magic could wait until tomorrow.
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