Swan Song ❂ Killian Jones [1]

49

Optimism was for idiots. That was Odette's main thought as she jumped out of the back of the sheriff's car once they reached the edge of town. The red line stood out even in the dark street as the rain poured from the skies. But that wasn't her main concern. Hearing Belle's panicked voice, Odette made a beeline to where she and Gold knelt on the ground.

"What happened? Is she alright?" Odette questioned as she kneeled by her friend's side, Belle's fearful eyes looking to her with a panic.

"She crossed over the town line. She doesn't remember." Gold said, his voice pained as Belle continued to shy away from him.

"Okay, okay. Everything's going to be okay." Odette spoke, reassuring both of them simultaneously. "Are you hurt? Is anything broken?" She asked Belle. Her memories could be handled later. But if she was physically hurt, they needed to take care of that right away.

"No, no, she's not." Gold reassured.

"I am! I-I..." Belle reached for her shoulder, but there was nothing there. Odette sent a confused look to Gold, watching as he subtly waved his hand through the air, silently telling her he'd used magic. And to a memory-less Belle who knew nothing about magic... Well, it suddenly made sense why she was so freaked out.

"His one true love gone in an instant!" Killian's voice rose above the sounds of the raging storm, reaching their ears and accomplishing the task it was meant to if the way Gold suddenly rose to his feet was anything to go off of.

"Should have let me kill him." He snarled at Odette before turning his back before he could even see her shrug her shoulder in some odd form of agreement. It certainly would have spared them from ending up here. However, right now wasn't the time to deliberate over that. She also didn't bother putting any effort into stopping Gold's rage as he tried to attack Hook again.

Instead, Odette put all of her focus on Belle who seemed to relax just a little now that Gold was gone. "Okay, I know it's all really confusing right now, but I promise, it'll all make sense. Everything's gonna be fine." She tried to comfort her.

"Who... Who are you?" Belle questioned worriedly.

"My name's Odette. We're friends." The blonde reassured her the best she could, continuing to use calm tones while still attempting to talk over the arguing happening behind them. Luckily, it soon stopped as ambulance sirens echoed through the air. "Okay, can you stand up? We should get the paramedics to check you out just in case." Odette offered her hands to Belle, helping the woman rise from the floor.

"Over here!" David called out to the ambulance, waving them over to where Hook remained lying on the ground. At least he was alive, that was a perk considering the murderous look in Gold's eyes when he walked away from Odette and Belle.

"No! Him!" Emma's call, however, had Odette's brows furrowing as she looked in the direction of where Emma was pointing. "Take care of him. He can wait." Only when she saw a smashed up car did Odette realize there was a fourth person involved with all of this chaos. "There's someone in there."

From the way they started to approach, it was clear that neither David nor Mary Margaret had noticed the extra car up until now. Odette's own eyes took in the silver vehicle curiously, up until they landed on the twisted but still legible plates. "I'm gonna go check on that. You stay here, okay?" She said to Belle, subtly motioning over one of the extra paramedics so he could look after her as Odette stepped away.

Only once all three of them were by her side did Emma speak again. "Do you know this guy?" She asked in a low voice, not wanting to cause alarm among the others, especially paramedics who were quickly getting to their jobs.

"Never seen him before." Snow said, brows furrowed as she tried to think of any place she might've seen the car or the man inside it. Odette shook her head as well, about to point out that it didn't seem like he was from here, but David beat her to it.

"That's because he drove into town." He pointed out, making Odette's eyes turn back to the bright red town line and the road beyond it as if she were expecting another car to come following after the stranger

"Looks like the world just came to Storybrooke." At Emma's words, Odette couldn't help but marvel at the irony and coincidence. Just that same morning the dwarves were talking to them, worried about something like this happening. And now it was here.

The hospital had quickly turned into a flurry of motion and chaos as the patients from the accident were rolled in. Nurses and orderlies flocked to the paramedics as they rolled in Hook and the stranger, Belle walking among the group which left the Charmings and Odette to step aside and make space for them.

However, they didn't get the luxury of staying on the side-lines for too long as Mr Gold himself walked in soon after, determined to follow after Belle even though he wasn't allowed to. It was David who stepped up first to block Gold's path while Emma called out instructions to the nurses to hide Hook. The Dark One may have hesitated in killing the man before, but they couldn't take chances he wouldn't try again.

"Belle. What is going on?" Gold called out, struggling against David's interference as he tried to push past the group that was now starting to block his way and prevent him from entering the hospital any further. "What's happening? Belle!"

"I'd like to know that myself!" Leroy's voice joined the fray as he and Ruby made their way into the building, the latter quick to join Mary Margaret's side away from the chaos which they continued to watch.

"Everybody, calm down." It was Dr Whale who walked up to the scene, doing his best to restore order within the halls of his hospital. And to do that, first he had to focus on the man still causing most of the disturbance. "Mr. Gold. Everything would be fine. She's in good hands here. I promise." He said, placing a hand on the man's shoulder.

Using the momentary pause in Mr Gold's panic, Whale slowly dragged him off to the side, engaging him in a calm conversation that Odette could only assume was full of reasurements that Belle would be fine in the care of the hospital. And with that handled, the rest of the group gathered together again, the chaos coming to its end.

But somehow, even though things were now calm again, Odette doubted it would be long before the mayhem continued. Especially with the issue they were now facing. A stranger was in Storybrooke. And no one was sure what that could possibly mean for the future of their town. One that had so far been safe, but no longer was that the case.