Once Upon a Dream:

Page 20: Who's Lacey?

Mr. Gold returned to Belle's room when he did not see her. "Nurse! Nurse!" Gold called when he looked out the door frantically. The nurse rushed into the room, seeing what Gold needed. "There was a patient here suffering from amnesia. Where is she?" Gold asked, pointing at the bed.

"Belle? She should still be here." The nurse said to him calmly.

"So, where is she?" Gold asked when the nurse rushed out to check the nurses' station.

Gold walked over, seeing something red on the unmade bed. He picked up the small matchbox that Regina enchanted when he wondered why this was left in Belle's room. So, he decided to check out the Rabbit Hole bar.

Once he got there, he looked around the bar, hearing the music and the people. The bar was pretty packed, so Gold headed up to the bar to see if the bartender knew if Belle was there or had been there. "Ah. Yes, Mr. Gold?" The bartender man asked, walking over to see the last person he thought he would see in the bar. "Someone I care for has gone missing. Only thing she left behind was a matchbook to this vile joint." Gold said with disgust in his tone while he glanced around the bar.

"Vile? Really?" The bartender asked, trying not to look disappointed by Gold's words. "Yeah, okay... We could clean it up some." He said, but Gold was not paying him any mind as he continued to look around.

"I don't understand this. If you knew her, this is the last place she would go for." Gold said, making the bartender sighed. 

"Really not a fan of the Rabbit Hole, are ya?" The guy asked, but Gold just looked at him, not saying anything to his question. "Describe her." He said to Gold, hoping he could help the most feared man in town.

"Brown hair. Beautiful blue eyes. An accent you wouldn't soon forget. Her name's Belle." Gold said, giving a brief description to the bartender. "Belle? Are, are you sure? 'Cause that sounds an awful lot like Lacey." The bartender said, making Gold furrow his brows. "Who is Lacey?" Gold asked when the bartender pointed to the pool table. Gold looked shocked when he saw Belle playing pool. Her hair was tied up with small strands that fell around her face. She was wearing a scandalous top with cut-outs and very tight pants. This was not Belle. 

"Belle?" Gold asked when he walked over to the pool table, seeing Belle, who was going as Lacey, and Sneezy, who was cursed as his cursed self Tom Clark. "Oh... Name's Lacey." Belle said when she smiled, seeing Gold.

"Her name should be Fast Eddie, 'cause she's a hustler," Tom said, holding up his beer mug. "She's hustling me..." He continued, making "Lacey" chuckle at him.

"Do you remember me?" Gold asked when he moved so that Belle could look at him. "Guy who visited me in hospital? Sure, I do... But now, I remember who I am. And that's Lacey." "Lacey" said when she moved around the table to continue to play pool.

Gold rushed to City Hall when he charged in, seeing Dream picking up the lobby. "Is your mother here? Where is she?" Gold asked, sounding angry when Dream looked up while holding a stack of books on the coffee table. "She's in her office... What is wrong, Dad--" Dream went to ask, but Gold headed to Regina's office.

"What have you done with Belle?" Gold asked, opening the door as he charged towards Regina's desk while Dream rushed behind him, making sure that nothing happened.

"I'm sorry, do I look like a one-handed pirate with a pistol?" Regina asked Gold, smirking at him. "You know who shot her," Regina said when she went back to doing work. "Oh, and Dream, honey... show your father out. I still have--" Regina went to say, but Gold interrupted her.

"Stop playing games; she's gone. And now she's someone else." Gold said when Regina closed the file, she was working on, looking up at Gold.

"Oh, you mean, she has her memories back. You're welcome." Regina smirked, putting her pen down when she got up from her seat. "Not her memories. Her curse memories." Gold corrected Regina, who walked by him and over to Dream. "Yeah, from the curse you gave me. You see, all I did was jog things back in place." Regina said when Gold turned to look at her, while Dream stayed by the table in Regina's office, watching her parents go back and forth.

"Well, undo it. Bring her back." Gold insisted when Regina turned to look at him with the file she walked over to grab.

"You know, I can't... She crossed the town line. Her old self is gone. These curse memories she has are now real." Regina smirked when she started to walk back to her desk. "Lacey is here to stay," Regina sneered when Gold scoffed, turning to look at Dream, who stayed quiet.

"Any curse can be broken, dearie. Now, you are gonna help me--" Gold said, turning to look at Regina, who sat the file down on her desk.

"Or what? You'll kill me?" Regina asked before sitting down in her seat. "No, you won't." She smirked at him.

"Oh, won't I?" Gold asked, walking closer to the desk.

"You're on your best behavior because of your son... and our daughter, who is right behind you. You don't want them to know who you really are, now, do you? So, I suggest you get used to Lacey." Regina smirked at him when Gold sighed, glancing back to Dream, who stayed by the door. "All right. I'll find a way." Gold said, sitting in the chair in front of Regina's desk. "Finding a way isn't the problem, dear. We both know what is." Regina said, not looking at Gold.

"Yeah, true love's kiss." Gold said, making Regina smirk at him.

"And I don't think our new resident feels the same way about you as you do her." Regina continued to smirk.

"Then I'll make her." Gold said in a threatening tone.

Regina smirked, glancing up at the disbelief on Dream's face. "Now, there's the charm that should easily woo a lovely young lady. She'll most certainly fall in love with you at first sight... Oh, wait, that didn't happen, did it?" Regina chuckled, causing Gold to stand up. "She will. Or, I promise you, there will be suffering." Gold said, in a quieter tone, leaning forward. 

"Finally, something we both can agree on," Regina said with a calm look on her face. "Good luck, Gold," Regina said, going back to the files when Gold scoffed to himself, turning to leave. "Oh, and... Give my best to Lacey," Regina smirked when Gold walked out.

"Dream, honey... Can you bring me that other file folder over there?" Regina said, pointing to where she had just grabbed the last file.

"You know... When I dreamed of having both parents in my life... this is not what I meant." Dream sighed, grabbing the file for her mother.

"Yeah, well... I think I'm doing the best co-parenting I can do." Regina smirked when Dream walked over, handing her the file. "And this is as good as it's gonna get, honey," Regina said when Dream sighed.

"Yeah, I know." Dream said when she looked at her mom.

~season 2, episode 19: "Lacey"~

~1216 words~