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CHAPTER THIRTY; A TASTE OF THE LASH

     Sage slid her hand down to the waist of her denim jeans, carefully grasping the handle of her gun and cocking it to her side. Emma and David did the same, leading the way past the glass french doors as the other pair, Mary Margaret and her grandson, stayed a couple of feet back. When David's foot met the door and kicked both of them wide open, all three police officers went straight in. Once noticing the coast was clear and that a certain malevolent mayor was nowhere to be seen, Emma announced: "It's okay! She's not here!"

     The frightened eleven year old was guided into the room by his grandmother, who protectively stood behind him with her hands placed gently on his shoulders. "When you find her, you're not gonna hurt her, right?"

     "No, we just want the beans she stole from us." Emma responded, glancing around.

     "This is ridiculous." Sage muttered under her breath, uncocking her gun and placing it back into her holster. "How the hell did she even find out about them?"

     No one answered her, but Mary Margaret was proposing another mystery along side her's, "I don't get it. Why would Regina leave her office unlocked?"

     David paused, "Especially when she's keeping the beans here."

     Together, they walked over to a oval-shaped, glass case that was stationed openly in the corner of the room. Instead were the short and leafy plant that produced the beans. However when Sage came closer, she didn't notice the abnormally large beans anywhere near their stems. "They're gone now ― she's probably got them on her."

      "Something not right." Emma concluded, her fingers tracing the keypad of the alarm system on the wall. "Regina would never leave evidence like this behind."

     "Maybe she already used them to portal out of Storybrooke?"

     She scoffed, "Without Henry? I don't think so."

     Henry looked up at the four adults surrounding him, his original fear morphing into an overt concern for his adoptive mother. "What if something bad happened to her?"

     Sage softly petted the back of his brown hair, attempting to soothe the boy when it was already hard enough to conceal her anger towards his mother. Of course when they were all getting somewhere, when the possibility of returning home was nearly in their grasp, Regina had to swoop in and snatch all of that away. Honestly, Sage didn't know if she wanted to go home; truth be told, she never saw the Enchanted Forest as her home or anything close to it. It hold familiarity, but never a sense of warmth. The beans could have taken her back to Wonderland, but whenever that thought popped into her head, she winced and shook it away. Going back to her birthplace meant leaving all of them behind, not to mention going back to a land of danger and unwanted memories.

     Emma pressed a few buttons of the electronic pad, before reading off the sudden sentences that appeared on the lit-up screen. "Security system says the last time someone was in the office was around 6:00 this morning. They used an override code to get in."

     David's brows furrowed, " Why would Regina need an override code on her own alarm?"

     "She wouldn't."

     "You think someone else broke in and took the beans?" Mary Margaret questioned, her eyes widening.

     Sage shuffled on her feet and crossed her arms, becoming more bewildered as time went on, "It would make sense. I mean, obviously she took the beans, but maybe someone came busted in, because they knew she had the beans? Perhaps someone wanted to use them for themselves? I don't know. But it's got to be someone strong enough to take down Regina."

     Clearly, her own theory wasn't calming down the boy beside her, "So something bad did happen to her?"

     His mother approached him, "We're gonna find her, Henry, I promise."

     The pixie-haired woman sucked in a sharp breath, "There's only one person who could overpower Regina."

     "Gold." Her husband realized.

     Sage interjected, "Not to play devil's advocate or anything, but why would Gold need the beans? He's son and his new, weirdly hot, Amy Winehouse-esque girlfriend are all in town. He has no reason to steal them."

     "She's right, it wasn't him." Emma looked up at all of them, sudden determination in her green eyes. "This was Tamara."

     All of them had to hold back on their collective groaning. Mary Margaret, hesitantly and a little frustrated, was the first to speak, "Haven't you already gone down that road?"

     "Maybe not far enough."

     Sage put her finger up, shaking her head, "No, we are not doing the old Sherlock and Watson routine again. We didn't get anywhere the first time we spied on her!"

     Now that was a situation that happened not too long ago that she fervently want to get. She went along with the whole tirade, because she trusted her friend's judgement and she didn't think there was much harm to it. But in the end, all they received from their "investigation" was both her and Emma embarrassingly standing in front of Neal as he explained to them that she was a perfectly normal girl who knew the truth about them. She was not falling down that rabbit hole again.

     "Maybe it's time for you to let it go." Her mother kindly suggested.

     Emma's eyes grew larger, the indignation in her voice strong. "August was attacked the day Tamara came to town. I don't think that was a coincidence."

     David held up his hand, stopping her before she could get ahead of herself. "What if you're wrong? If Regina's in trouble, we can't just drop everything else because of a hunch."

     "Which is why we're not gonna drop everything else." She firmly corrected, "Go to Gold. I'm sure he has some kind of magic that can help locate Regina."

     Sage watched as she walked away, before calling out, "And where are you going?"

     "Back to Tamara's room!"

     With her arms crossed tightly against her chest and a strong purse forming her lips, Sage called out as she watched the determined blonde march out of the office, "Am I expected to be on your team for this one?"

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     Standing inside the front parlor of Gold's antique shop, Sage began to wonder if perhaps joining Emma on her quest of investigating her ex-boyfriend's new fiancee would have been a better, and more fun, idea. This notion became increasingly more logical when her, along with the Charming couple, made their way through the small parlor of the store and into the back room, only to be greeted with the sight of Gold standing next to counter with his new (but also not that new) girlfriend. Similar to her image in the bar, when she first got a look at the false version Regina planted in her mind, this new Lacey character contrasted heavily with the pre-designated view Sage had for Belle. Dressed in a tight-skin black dress with stylish rips that crossed her shoulders and the matching tights sticking to her skinny legs, Lacey looked both normally and abnormally out of place next to the Dark One.

     On the one hand ― a perfect match. The natural sly atmosphere of darkness and mischief that revolved around the infamous Rumpelstiltskin resonated with the sharp scent of ruptured boldness the new Belle possessed. Sage could see in her eyes that she liked the cunningness Gold had and in return, she saw the older man loving how he didn't have to try to be good anymore. If was as if they were back in the Enchanted Forest where his skin slithered of grey scales and the laws didn't apply to him. There was a new sense of freedom in Rumple, something that made his walk straighter when around Lacey.

     However, creeping in the corners of his expression and around his stance, there was also dissatisfaction. This wasn't the Belle he first fell in love with, but someone completely different with morals that paradoxes her former self. She didn't hold sweetness in her gaze or compassionate in her purely red heart anymore, only a stiff coldness that was artificially implanted. Gold could be his usual Dark-One self around him, but perhaps he didn't want to be if it meant that it was Lacey in his presence and not his former Belle. Obviously, the conclusion that Sage had conjured up hasn't quite been realized yet by Rumple because for now, as they chuckled together in their own cryptic world, he seemed desperate enough for any version of Belle he could get.

     Sage shook out of her dazed thoughts as David announced with a heavy sigh, "Sorry to interrupt the party."

     The shop's owner turned to meet them as Lacey confidently took a sip of his whiskey. "Well, I certainly don't remember inviting you three. We're closed."

     "Not to us." Mary Margaret rushed out, getting straight to the point before Gold could protest. "We need your help. Regina's missing and we think she may be in danger."

     "Just the way I like her." A small smirk curled at the edge of his lips, his heels turning. "Now if you'll excuse me ―"

    "No, I don't think so." David retorted, holding up his hand. "Whatever your feelings about Regina are, you still owe me a favor."

     That seemed to do the trick as Gold restrained releasing a guttural groan and simply turned to Lacey, who wore a strong expression of confusion. Not only did Regina's trick strip away any memories of her new lover's past, but any knowledge of the magical world and who they really are. This entire conversation must have been like listening to a foreign language without cheat sheets.

     "Lacey, if you could excuse us, I have some business to attend to."

     She seemed a bit affronted about that, since subtly she was being asked to leave the room, but nevertheless, the young stranger conceded, quietly replying. "Make it quick."

     With the help of Gold's hand, she jumped off the counter and walked behind the curtains, hip swaying as her glass of alcohol never left her grasp. Sage watched her leave with sad eyes and a keen observation that though her bouncy curls were lazily placed back, even her hair looked a bit redder. A determined plan appeared in her mind that after they saved Regina, there was going to be some reparations in demand and one of them was going to be returning Belle's memory.

      "I'm sure I can whip up something to find Regina." He limped over to a golden crest behind his counter, grabbing on the circular knob and pulled up a hickory door. Inside Sage could spot shelves of various sized bottles containing God knows what. "But tell me, why do the Charmings and their little helper want to help the Evil Queen."

     "Good question." Sage thought to herself doubtfully, but then the image of Henry flashed in her mind and she pushed that split emotion down.

       "Because we owe her ―" Mary Margaret replied, her face and tone stern. "After what we did to Cora."

      The young brunette resisted the urge to roll her eyes on instinct, instead crossing her arms and painfully nodding to her friend's statement in a silent effort not to start up this argument again. "I offered her my heart and even that wasn't good enough payment."

     Even Gold found the former princess' claim quite amusing, quietly laughing while pulling something out of his cabinet. He glanced up at Sage for a quick second, before returning to Mary Margaret's stare. "Never underestimate the power of a guilty conscious."

     "What is that?" Sage questioned, wanting to get the thoughts of the former Queen of Hearts out of everyone's mind.

     "This is one of Regina's tears."

      Mary Margaret, understandably, looked disturbed. "Why do you have one of Regina's tears?"

     "Because I do." Gold responded, smirking with a slight tilt of his head, as he uncapped the bottle and moved forward on his cane.

     Absent-mindedly, Sage opened her mouth, quiet, before abruptly asking: "You don't have any of my tears...right?"

     He glanced at her briefly, "I'm afraid not, dearie ― unless you're offering?"

     She narrowed her eyes at him, but remained silent. The elder man stopped right in front of Mary Margaret, holding up the delicately filled bottle in the air, the light from the window gleaming off of it, "This spell requires two tears."

     Reluctantly, Mary Margaret questioned: "You want one from me?"

      Before either David or Sage could interject, Gold continued, "Well, just think of a dark moment, dearie, something bleak and hopeless. I know you have a few." The brunette swallowed shakily, her feet shifting from side to side in discomfort. Her eyes blinked rapidly, becoming more distant, until eventually growing glassy. Slowly, while her friend and husband watched with weariness, a fat tear filled one of her oval eyes and slid down her face. Before it could fall from her chin, Gold gracefully slid the rim of the bottle against her skin and caught it, the combined sadness glowing for a second. He grinned, snake-like, "Perfect."

     Mary Margaret cleared her throat, quickly reaching to wipe away the lingering wetness. Discreetly, Sage reached up and rubbed her wrist in comfort, and in slight awe that she was willing to do this for Regina, of all people. Gold placed the bottle back on the counter and pushed the cap in tight, "Now, when you drop this into your eye, you will be connected to Regina wherever she is. Whatever she sees, you'll see, whatever she feels, you'll feel."

     "How long does the spell last?" The former prince inquired.

     "Long enough to lead you to her." Gold responded, curtly, like he was waiting for the end of his explanation and gift to finally get them out of his store. "And with that, I've fulfilled my end of the bargain ― goodbye."

     David glanced between the two women, both already turning towards the door, before sparing one last glance at the pawn shop broker, "Always a pleasure."

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     Back at the apartment, this process of conducting a spell onto Mary Margaret was taking longer than originally planned. While the former princess was more than eager to participate, the guilt withering away at her sense of self in broad daylight, her husband had spent every second since entering the living space to try and convince her this wasn't the greatest option. Sage had mainly stayed out of it, recognizing a marital argument when seeing one and realizing there was no space for her voice in it. However, the nerves were catching up to her, once calm in the morning when the rest of the group was panicking, but now, the anxiousness was catching up to her.

     Truth be told, if Regina suddenly disappeared from her life, it would be easier. Half of the problems that occur in Storybrooke would cease and the resentment over all the other problems that happened in the Enchanted Forest would float away like forgotten memories. She wouldn't have to look at the face of a woman she despised and wouldn't be reminded by her presence why Sage was even in this town in the first place. On a surface level, the hypothetical sounded nice, but then came the visual of little Henry, only ten years old, coming in with tears streaking down his face and his hope forever shattered over the loss of his mother. Even if she wasn't the best mother, she still raised him and loved him (Sage was positive about that), and Henry loved her in return even if things were complicated between them right now.

     There was also the flip-side of the debate, the other argument she had been trying to cast away even when Emma was hammering it this morning. Someone, or multiple someones, kidnapped Regina, and there was a limited amount of people who possessed the strength or power to do that (and most people on the short-list weren't in Storybrooke). So there were strangers in Storybrooke, people that were obviously capable and clever enough to capture the Evil Queen herself without leaving behind a clue as to her location. Tamara came into mind, the sweet and beautiful fiancee of Neal's who Sage knew Emma wasn't fond of, but it wasn't necessarily in Emma's nature to hunt someone down on the basis of bias or jealousy. Emma doesn't just attack all of her ex-boyfriends new girlfriends and she certainly wasn't actively pursuing the idea of getting back together with Neal, at least to Sage's observations.

     Briefly, her mind went to Killian, but last time she saw him, it was knocked out and lying on a dirty floor in New York City without his ship in sight. There was no way he could get back to Storybrooke, especially not this quickly. Sage didn't like not knowing who was in her town, she thought to herself as she reached into the upper cupboard of the kitchen and pulled out a bottle of whiskey. Three glasses appeared from the sink as the brunette generously poured into the trio and in the background, the couple sculpted from perfection continued to quietly argue.

     David sighed heavily, leaning towards her with internal exhaustion over the fighting, and the nervousness of essentially casting a spell on his wife, "You don't have to do this, you know. You've been through enough already."

     Gently, she smiled and tightened her grip on his hands, pleading for him to understand. "That's exactly why I do have to do it. My heart is dark because of what I did to Regina. If I can help find her, if we can save her, maybe it'll help let some of the light back in."

     Her husband looked at her like she had hung the stars in the name of her own selflessness and while it was sickeningly romantic, Sage did not want to watch those two share another True Love's Kiss. She interjected, finally, placing the two glasses of liquor on the table while her own remained in her hand. With her brows raised, she looked down at Mary Margaret, wearing a grin she intended as reassuring, "You might want a sip before you go under. After the day we've been having, I need some as well."

      As David untaped the bottle and slowly filled the dropper with the tears, Sage dragged a chair next to Mary Margaret and slouched against it, offering up her hand casually. The brunette looked at with a quivering smile, grateful, before clasping it tightly. She leaned back, her eyes wide and glued to the ceiling, as David reached above and gently squeezed the liquid into her socket. After a breath, Mary Margaret relaxed and dropped her head back to a normal level, blinking rapidly, but seemingly normal. Both Sage and David looked at one another, confused, before turning their attention back onto her.

     Disappointed, Mary Margaret shook her head, followed by David closing the bottle once more. Sage squeezed her friend's hand, hoping to convey some sort of support even though she knew, Mary Margaret would easily blame this on herself again. Suddenly, the woman's arms flailed to the side, the twin glasses flying across the table, before her back arched around the chair and began shaking, violently, aggressively.

     "Oh my God!" gasped Sage as she stood up, the back of her chair falling against the wooden floorboard, and grabbed the front of Mary Margaret's arms, holding them down in order to not hurt herself. David kept shouting his wife's name, grasping her face even though it was dragging all the way against the chair. Her breaths came out choked, her entire body shook rapidly, and before Sage could announce she was calling an ambulance, Mary Margaret's seemingly inhabited body fell forward with a drawn-out shout, then collapsed against the chair once again.

     David and Sage knelt in front of her, examining different parts of her body to see if any limb was hurt during her Exorcist-esque episode. With sweat stemming from her hairline and her eyes, filled with shining tears and a pained look, refused to focus on a particular part of the room.

     Thankfully, after a moment, she spoke, whispering, "It was awful. The worst pain I've ever felt. Wherever Regina is, she's powerless. She can't fight back."

     Sage ran to the sink, coming back with a cold rag. Gently, she placed it around Mary Margaret's neck, before resuming her original position and clasping their hands together. "Could you see where she was? Could you see who was keeping her there?" She thought of Killian Jones and the silver hook that gleamed menacingly in the dark the night Belle was shot, of Tamara and her innocent charm and her convenient placement in this town, of Gold and his viper tongue and his ability to conceal anything as long as it served his person.

     Weakly, she shook her head, "I just remember ― pain ― and screaming ―"

     Begrudgingly, Sage felt the worry sink in, tension filling her body as she watched Mary Margaret whimper at the memories. David slowly sat back down in his seat, still rubbing his wife's knee soothingly, "Concentrate ― the smallest detail might lead us to her."

      She sat straighter, breathing harshly, nodding her head as if to conjure up vacant thoughts, "Uh ― my hands were strapped down, and my legs ― it was cold and ―and it smelled weird, like sardines ― I don't know! I wish I could remember more!"

     She bowed her head down, frustrated and scared. David pulled her towards his chest, holding her protectively, while Sage rubbed her back, soothing with low whispers. Behind Mary Margaret's back, she looked up at David, "I'm gonna call Emma and try to tell her something."

     He nodded, still holding on tight to his wife, who had not stopped quivering. Sage walked to the other side of the room, behind the stairs while quickly scrolling down her phone's contact list for the blonde's name. After mere seconds, the call was answered, "Hello?"

     "Hey, it's me!" Sage responded, trying to appear calm for both Emma's sake and Mary Margaret, who was clearly within hearing distance. However, she couldn't stop tapping her foot against the floor. "Listen, we went to Gold and he gave us this spell-thing that was supposed to connect Mary Margaret to Regina, to see, you know, where she is."

     She could hear the indignation over the line, "And you listened to him?"

     Sage pinched the bridge of her nose, "Yes ― and it worked. Thing is, Mary Margaret didn't see much, or really, anything!"

     Emma huffed, frustrated and perhaps a little desperate, "She didn't see anything?"

     "Well, she could tell that Regina was in pain, as expected." Sage explained, "It was cold and she was strapped down. Oh and there was a smell of sardines!"

     One long pause, before Emma eventually stated, "Get down to the docks right now!"

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     "Do we really need weapons?" Mary Margaret questioned, whispering in the dark as the trio sped down the industrial hallway of one of the seaside buildings. David was by Sage's side, firearm drawn sharply, while their attention remained pointedly in front of them.

     Sage didn't bother to glance back at her, "Yes, hun, we need weapons, because we are about to confront psychotic tortures and try to get back Regina. I don't think they'll give her back so easily."

     They came close to a corner, coming around until eventually facing the pair they were originally searching for: Emma and Neal. The blonde sheriff had her pistol pointed up as well, the entire group sighing in relief when realizing they were just facing allies. Emma groaned, "What the hell guys?"

     Automatically, David handed her a walkie-talkie, "Here, so that doesn't happen again."

     "You guys see anything yet?" asked Sage.

     Emma shook her head affirmatively, "Nope, no sign of Tamara or anyone else yet." From behind her, the brunette could see Neal drop his head slowly in frustration. "We'll search the main floor, you three take the basement. Regina's got to be somewhere."

     "Aye, aye, Sheriff." She responded, calmly nodding while once more, the group split apart and went in completely different directions. On instinct, the two officers held up their weapons and stood protectively in front of Mary Margaret while they strode down every connected corridor, searching seemingly endlessly, coming around nothing, but darkness and the strong stench of fish.

     As they went lower into the building, spreading farther across the basement expanse, Sage heard the collective bundle of racketing movements, almost like the clutter of objects. They moved into a hallway with dozens of abandoned offices, all empty of human interaction.

     "Maybe ―" Mary Margaret started, but was quickly silenced by Sage, who heard the echo of something, or someone. The trio stopped, the air thick and unsteady, and remained completely still until again, that noise of electricity surging further into the basement began again. David and Sage glanced at one another, nodding, before the latter took the lead downwards.

     At the very end of the corridor, another open office space, but this time the noises coming out of it were clear as day. A male voice appeared, weak sounding yet angry, "That's the end of you ―"

     David busted into the room, his gun firing off and hitting a metal object. Sage appeared behind him, catching the end of the bullet flashes and the sight of an older, balding man of seemingly average stance forced against the wall, his hands raised high and his eyes wide with panic. Smoke lifted from the now broken machine ― a machine that produced electric shocks. Her brown eyes dragged from that to the motionless woman strapped onto the table, her face clammy with sweat and her temples attached with thin wires.

     Clenching her jaw, Sage glared at the man and shouted: "Hands up, don't move!"

     He didn't take her advice; he bolted, shoving the machine across the room as a disturbance, before running out of a back door. David attempted after him, almost catching him at the very last second, until his wife yelled: "DAVID!"

     He spun around, including Sage who was planning on going after him, witnessing Mary Margaret leaning over an unconscious Regina and desperately trying to undo the leather straps holding her down, "We can't leave her here! She'll die if we don't get her help!"

     David turned to Sage, placing a hand on her shoulder, "Go find Emma and block all the entries! We'll get Regina into the car!"

     Sage nodded and darted off, tracing her footsteps back to the main stage of the building. She got Emma on the walkie-talkie, informing her that it was Greg Mendell who was the true antagonist in this day-long adventure. Before she could ask for the pair's location, the communication cut off with harsh static. "Shit." She hissed underneath her breath, pausing for a moment, trying to listen for the sound of footsteps or commotion. There was no use continuing to mess with the radio; there was no answer on the other end. Then, suddenly, there was the echo of a gunshot coming from the floor above. Moments later, the floor began to tremble, violently, as if on the edge of an earthquake. 

     Sage ran as fast as she could up the stairs, nearly tripping over herself by the blind adrenaline running through her. When she finally reached the upper floor, she saw the true source of the aggressive shaking. An electric green portal had been opened in the middle of the corridor, by who she didn't know, but Emma hung from a dilapidated metal rod on the wall, her legs flailing and the rest of her body struggling not to fall in. Neal was on the other side, crumbled in the corner, failing to fully stand up. Her wide-eyed stare swept over him, finally noticing the wet blood blending in with the dark material of his coat. 

     "Emma!" She shouted, striding closer, but remained limited due to the vastness of the portal. One wrong move and she would be stuck in some alternate world without the possibility of getting out. "Don't worry, we'll get you out, okay!" 

     Thankfully, Neal was able to stand somewhat steadily and leaned over safely enough to grab Emma by her waist, and yank her to his side. They toppled on the ground, with Sage yelling across: "Are you guys okay?" 

     "Yeah, yeah, we're fine." Neal answered, muttering as he and Emma stood back up, though telling by the grimace on his face, 'fine' wasn't even the correct word to cover his current health situation. 

     Emma clutched him by his shoulders, her panicked eyes looking over his cowering body, "We've got to get you to a hospital ―" 

     The wooden floor on their side cracked, boards splintering off and falling into the green abyss of the portal. Sage watched in horror as the pair once again slipped, with Neal nearly falling off until Emma caught him by the arm and held him up with only bits of her last remaining strength. The brunette attempted to get closer, but knew in the back of her mind that she couldn't; the floor had already proved to be unsteady and from her pertained knowledge of portals, she knew the surface was going to try to suck anything within its reach. 

     "Just ― hang on, I'll get to you!" She shouted, retreating backwards and out of the hallway, running to get to the other side of the floor. If she could just get to Emma in time, help her pull up Neal or at least hold onto to him long enough for the portal to close ― everything would be alright. They got Regina back, they knew Greg Mendell's car crash into the town was no accident, surely Emma and Neal knew the second assailant in this crime ― they had all the pieces and knew where to go from here. As long as Emma just kept holding on ―

     "No!" Sage heard Emma yell and just as she had reached the other end of the room, Neal had slowly let go of his grasp on her arm. She panicked and without thought, Sage leaped over and tried to catch the man's arm, before the portal caught him. But it was too late and the women watched as his body floated downward until disappearing into nothing. Within the blink of an eye, the portal closed and the green light vanished from their gaze. 

     Emma shook violently, muffled sobs slipping from her mouth. Sage didn't know what to do, what to say, her mind running a thousand miles per second. There was no way he was gone, there must be some way to get him back, we weren't through all this work to get back Henry's mother but know we've just lost his father ― she didn't know what to do. Slowly, she wrapped her arms around Emma and pulled her closer, mindlessly rubbing her back without a single word of comfort to provide. The crying woman couldn't hold herself up, retiring herself to lying her head on Sage's lap and clutching her knees tightly. For the longest time, neither of them moved. 

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AUTHOR'S NOTE: Writing this chapter was harder than expected, because since it's been such a long time I've wrote for Smother or even watched an episode of Once Upon A Time, I kind of forgot a lot of what has happened prior to this point. I know Sage didn't do much in this chapter, but honestly, there wasn't much wiggle room for her to do anything besides just being a player in the plot. Some of the episodes of OUAT are like that. Only a chapter or two more then we're done. I've stated this before, but I'm not planning on continuing this series. However, once I'm done writing this book, I'm going to create a page where I talk about what I was planning on doing with Sage's arc for seasons three through six and what I had in store for her romance with Killian. I think I might even add some scenes I prewrote about them, because I promised you guys a romance and I should at least hold up half of my promise. 

( also, yes, Sage totally does have a crush on Lacey even if she misses Belle )