CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
Memory Fragments

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

     THE MORE TIME ZELDA SPENT WITH EVERYONE IN STORYBROOKE, the more she realized how strange people were acting, especially Emma, Killian, David and Mary Margaret. The only one who seemed to be acting normal was Henry and she didn't even know him very well or at all. Another person who seemed alright was Belle, the same woman who was in the antique shop and helped track her down. The woman was kind enough to offer Zelda a shoulder to lean on and never made her feel crazy for the strange things she told her about. So when Henry was given a tour of the town by the mayor, Zelda decided to go to the antique store where Belle was while Emma, Killian, David and Mary Margaret worked on some sort of case that was supposedly the reason they went to Storybrooke. Fortunately, Emma didn't question anything when Zelda said she was going to spend the day with Belle at her store so Zelda didn't have any worries as she walked down the sidewalk.

     "Hey, Zelda!" the brunette greeted her as she walked into the store.

     Zelda nodded. "Belle," she said with a small smile.

     "Are you doing alright?" Belle asked and Zelda simply shrugged her shoulders.

     "Honestly, I feel like everyone has been acting weird since I got here," she said and her words piqued Belle's interest. "Especially Killian because he's been acting strange even before we got here."

     "Weird how?" Belle asked.

     "Killian showed up at my door acting like he already knew me but I had no idea who he was and honestly, I still don't know much about him but that's not the point. When he showed up, he said he 'finally found me' and seemed surprised that I didn't know him. Actually, I didn't remember him," Zelda said as she tucked a piece of her hair behind her ear.

     "Are you saying you did know him at one point but you just don't remember?" Belle asked while leaning over the desk.

     "I don't really know. The second time he showed up, it was at my job and we needed a name so we knew who ordered what. He told me his name and for some reason, it sounded really familiar but I just can't put my finger on it. There's also something about his face and just everything about him that feels so familiar," Zelda said before sighing heavily. "But before he told me his name, he said something that really got me thinking."

     "What did he say?" Belle questioned, listening carefully to what the dark haired girl was saying.

     "He said something about glowing orange eyes that I had whenever I was mad but that's not what got me. He said that he said that same thing to me a year ago and that I said he got too much seawater to his brain and when I think about it, it does sound like something I would say but I'm just wondering how he would know that. He also said I knew how to fight which is also true," Zelda explained.

     "And you're wondering how he would know these things," Belle said and Zelda nodded.

     "He said I didn't remember him, he knew certain things about me that almost nobody knew and everything about him just feels so familiar and I just don't understand it," she said as she ran her fingers through her hair while resting her forehead on the desk.

     "What exactly do you think is going on with Killian?" Belle asked and Zelda lifted her head to look up at the brunette.

     "Killian is the only person in this town who feels familiar. I can't put my finger on it. At this point, I don't remember him," she said. "But I think I knew him and I think he knew me too."

     "Are you sure about this?" Belle questioned.

     Zelda sighed as she stood up straight. "Not exactly. But after everything that's been going on, I'm not sure about anything anymore but this might be the only thing that makes sense after finding out that my whole life was a lie," she said.

     Belle nodded as she stood up straight as well and offered a kind smile. "Do you mind waiting right here for a few minutes? I'm just gonna make a quick phone call," she said and Zelda nodded.

     "No problem," she replied as the brunette went behind a curtain and Zelda stayed by the desk waiting patiently.

     Once she was in a secluded area, Belle pulled out her phone and dialed Emma's number and waited for her to pick up. After four rings, Emma did pick up and answer. "Belle, what's going on? Is Zelda alright?" she asked.

     "Zelda's fine, everything is fine. But I think there is a part of her that remembers what happened before we were all taken back to the Enchanted Forest," Belle replied.

     "How do you mean?" Emma questioned.

     "It's not much but she might remember Hook. She said he's the only person who feels familiar to her even though she still doesn't really remember him or any of us for that matter," Belle explained.

     "Zelda never called him Hook, she always called him Killian," Emma pointed out. "That was how he introduced himself to her when we found her in Neverland."

     "Is it possible to get Zelda to remember without the memory potion?" Belle asked.

     "At this point, it doesn't seem likely," Emma replied.

     "Which means it could be possible," the brunette said. "Zelda thinks she knew him and that he knew her and she's right."

     "So, what? Hook gives her this magical look and she suddenly remembers everything?" Emma asked sarcastically.

     "We both know it's not that simple but after everything she went through over this past year, Hook seems to be the only thing in her life that makes even the tiniest bit of sense to her," Belle said while Emma sighed.

     "Still, I don't think we can get her to remember without that potion and Regina used the last of it to try and replicate but it didn't work so now we have nothing at all," she said.

     "Emma, Hook might know some things about her that you don't, which means he might have an idea of where to start getting her memories back," Belle said. "Put him on the phone."

     Belle heard shuffling until she heard Killian's voice through the receiver. "What's going on?" he asked.

     "I think Zelda might remember you. Right now, you're the only person she might remember but it's not much since she still has the memories Regina gave her before she left Storybrooke," Belle said.

     "Yeah, well those memories are no good after what happened in Boston when I went to go get her," Killian replied.

     "Hook, listen to me. Right now, you are the only person who is familiar to her right now. I don't know what it is, but it might be up your alley. Maybe something happened in Neverland or right after you came back right before Pan casted his curse but there is definitely something that is making a small part of her remember you. She thinks she might have known you and that you knew her but she still doesn't have her memories and it's clearly making her frustrated," the brunette explained. "Maybe it would help if you could actually talk to her."

     "I tried that. She thinks I'm a madman," Killian hissed.

     "The more time she spends in Storybrooke, the more things around here seem normal to her. At this point, everything going on here will just sound like another normal day in her crazy life. We don't know how long it'll take until Regina can make more of that memory potion so maybe it would help Zelda remember if you gave her a little push," Belle suggested.

     "Well, right now, we're kind of occupied with a witch hunt," Killian replied.

     "Alright. If anything, I'll keep Zelda here with me while you and the others look for the Wicked Witch and maybe I can figure out some other things that might help her get her memory back," Belle said before hanging up. She put her phone back in her pocket and went back outside where Zelda was looking around at the stuff that was inside the store. Belle smiled when Zelda turned her head to look at her and apologized for having her wait. "Sorry about that."

     "It's okay," Zelda said with a crooked smile before noticing a woman with ginger hair opening the door. "I think you have a customer."

     Belle welcomed the woman with a kind smile as the ginger walked up to the desk with a smile of her own. "Hi! Can I help you?" the brunette asked.

     "You must be Mrs. Gold," the ginger said while Belle stumbled over her next words.

     "No, I uh...I'm not," she replied.

     "Is Mr. Gold around?" the woman asked and Zelda could see how uncomfortable Belle was getting as her customer kept pushing.

     "No, he isn't," Belle cleared her throat. "He uh...he died."

     "Oh, I'm so sorry for your loss," the ginger said while giving Belle a questioning look.

     "Belle. And that's Zelda," the brunette said and the ginger looked at Zelda who only smiled.

     "Such pretty names you ladies have. I'm so sorry to bother you, but I was hoping to buy a baby gift for this lovely woman I met at Granny's Diner. You might know her, she goes by Mary Margaret here. I'm helping her with her pregnancy and today's my first day on the job. You know, curse or no curse a girl's got to work," the woman said and Belle smiled kindly.

     "Mary Margaret? Why didn't you just say so? I think I have the perfect gift," she said as she turned around.

     Zelda was just looking at a spear leaning against the wall and reached out to grab it but it was like her mind blacked out. The second she blinked, she dropped her hand and turned around to look at Belle who seemed to act like nothing was going on.

     "What just happened?" Zelda asked.

     "What do you mean?" Belle questioned.

     "Am I the only one who just blacked out for a second? And where did that woman go?" Zelda asked as she looked around for the ginger whose name they never got.

     Belle sighed. "She didn't even take the gift," she said.

     Zelda sighed as Belle got back to her work but she was still confused about what just happened with the customer. She had no idea who she was and she was gone in a split second and she seemed to be the only one who thought something weird was going on. Maybe she could tell Killian or even Emma what happened since strange happenings seemed to be their thing. But even if she did tell them, what would happen after? There were probably dozens of gingers in Storybrooke so there wouldn't be a way to narrow it down to the woman she just encountered. It was like things just got weirder and weirder and she had no idea how to deal with it. At this point, she might as well be losing her mind.