Note: In this universe, Eli traded places with Telford and was captured by the Lucian Alliance. The end results were a little different – more Lucian soldiers arrived on the ship and had also brought more supplies before their base blew up.
Rumplestiltskin had just enough self-control not to tear into Young until he'd ended his conversation with the Lucians over the communicator. No reason to let the people with the hostages know about dissension among their enemies.
Then, he grabbed Young and shoved him against the wall.
"Belle," he snarled. "Where's Belle?"
Attacking a commander in a room full of soldiers. If one of the oh-so-Charming royal family had tried something like this, he would have snickered at them for weeks.
Right now, he just didn't care.
Young held up a hand, holding the soldiers back. "She's not here," he told the man he thought was Rush. "They've taken her."
He said it so calmly. He had no idea what was standing inches away from him. He was just trying to soothe the understandably distraught mad scientist.
No, not even understandably. He'd been careful since taking this body, stupidly careful. He hadn't wanted anyone to see a sudden change in his relationship with Belle. At first, he'd been able to pretend that they still hoped whatever anomaly had broken the link between Belle and Dr. Perry might reverse itself at any moment. So, of course, Rush would drag Belle along with him as he tried to save the ship from the Nakai.
And, being Rush, that was reason enough to decide Belle made a decent assistant/gofer/all around slave.
Or that's what everyone was supposed to think. Belle already had a reputation as sensible, self-controlled, and considerate. It didn't shock them that she hadn't run off screaming and/or tried to kill "Rush." There were a plenty of furtive looks aimed at them and they all seemed to say, "Better her than me."
But, it meant that Young hadn't even anticipated this, he hadn't even thought "Rush" would care.
Regina had taken and imprisoned – and casually abused and tortured – Belle for twenty-eight years because of what she meant to Rumplestiltskin. Now, she had been taken and imprisoned for the exact opposite reason, because no one thought she meant anything to him at all.
No, not true. She might have been taken even if Young had thought she was the most important person on this ship. TJ was pregnant with Young's daughter, and the enemy had been able to capture her as well.
Rumplestiltskin told himself this and fought to control himself. He kept his voice calm, almost a whisper. "And what are you going to do about it?"
"We are going to resolve this," Young said. "And you are not going to get in our way, not if you really want to help her."
He almost snapped.
Not get in their way?
Not get in their way?
The man had no idea who he was dealing with.
He had no idea what he was dealing with.
And it wasn't worth the effort it would take to teach him otherwise, not now. It would eat up precious time – and probably convince Young he had two deadly enemies instead of just one to deal with.
Swallowing his anger, Rumplestiltskin let Young go.
"Let us handle this, Rush," Young said in that condescending, calming voice of his. "Go back with the other civilians. I promise you, we're going to get them out."
'Them.'
Not 'her.'
Rumplestiltskin understood about acceptable losses. Inevitable losses.
He forced himself to nod, to turn, to walk away.
Young never even noticed that 'Rush' had taken his knife.
Not till he saw the bodies Rumplestiltskin left in his wake.