Between the Lines
Summary—With stories, as with contracts, one should always read the fine print. A collection of one-shots about what happened between S1 episodes.
Disclaimer—I own nothing. All rights to Once Upon a Time belong to ABC.
House Deals
"You enjoy your stay…Emma."
With that, Mr. Gold had left the inn, hundreds of memories suddenly flooding his mind as he headed for home.
Memories—many of which he would just as soon rather remain forgotten—of another realm, one where magic always came with a price. A world where he had made countless deals (and paid a great price twofold) for the power to create the ultimate curse that had brought them all here, trapping them in time for 28 years. Everything changed now. The savior had returned.
The next day, as he left for his shop, he was thinking back on all of the deals and what would happen now that Emma had arrived when something made him stop and turn around to look at what had been his home for nearly 30 years.
In the other realm, he'd been Rumpelstiltskin, the Dark One whose very name had struck fear into the hearts of king and commoner alike for centuries; he was the most powerful being in the realm. Here in Storybrooke, while his power was not exactly linked to magic, he was still the most feared man in town…
His house was pink.
Looking at the house, Mr. Gold recalled the last deal he'd made in the other realm with Regina.
"Well for that, there's a price."
"What do you want?"
"Simple. In this new land, I want comfort, I want a good life."
"Fine. You'll have an estate, be rich."
Impressed she'd gotten one over on him, Mr. Gold smiled.
Well played, Your Majesty. Well played.