Chapter 1: Chances

Neal Nolan had never intended for the day's events to unfold as they did.

It began when he ran into his best friend, Lara Gold, on his morning run. She had always been somewhat of an early riser, and that particular morning, she seemed to be going somewhere with great determination. Her soft brown curls had been pulled back into a ponytail, and she had traded her usual dress for a pair of shorts and t-shirt.

If he had been more attentive, he would have realized that the length and purpose of her stride meant she was on some sort of a mission, but Neal wasn't that attentive, especially not after running for four miles.

He jogged towards her, calling out her name twice before she noticed. When she did, she smiled slightly, waving. "Where're you going?" He asked, falling in step with her. Lara was slightly under a year younger than he was; she would be turning sixteen in a couple of weeks. Her father had already planned quite the surprise party for her, though Neal wasn't allowed to breathe a word of it if he wished to live.

"The library," she replied hastily, and he grinned at how typical it was. Along with her delicate stature, bright blue eyes, and much of the rest of her physical appearance, she had inherited her mother's love for books, something which both Mr. and Mrs. Gold couldn't have been more proud of.

Of course, if they knew what their daughter now wanted to read, they would have realized quite how dangerous this love was.

"I've got a favor I need to ask of you, actually." He flashed her a quick smile, and she raised an eyebrow, not missing a beat.

"And what's that?"

Neal paused for a second. He had asked this favor from Lara so many times it almost felt meaningless, but yet, he knew for his sake he might as well ask it again. "Could you let me into the back of your father's shop?"

She stopped for a second, and he stopped as well, not breaking eye contact. Then she laughed it off, waving her hand with dismissal, before continuing on her journey. "Absolutely not. Neal, you know it's off-limits."

He sighed; he should have expected that response. "What does your dad even keep in there anyways?"

Lara shrugged. "I don't know. If I'll do so kindly as to remind you, it's off-limits."

"You're almost sixteen." Neal said, choosing his next words carefully and speaking with as much purpose as he could muster. He had been curious about what Mr. Gold kept in the back of his shop for as long as he could remember; it was something that sparked the boyish mischief that seemed to only become more prominent as he got older. "Are you really going to continue to let your parents decide what you do?"

Lara pursed her lips, shaking her head as she slowed down again. "It's not like I am." She frowned. "Papa wants the best for me. There's probably a perfectly good reason I'm- we're- not allowed there."

"And that reason would be…?" Neal asked. He was teasing her now, and he knew she knew it.

"I don't know!" She laughed lightly, though there was a slight worry in her eye that made Neal aware to the fact that he had succeeded.

"Because you haven't been there." He stopped, standing triumphant. Lara looked at him for a second, deviated, if only briefly, from her original plan.

"Fine," she shrugged, reasoning with herself that it couldn't be that bad. Besides, between the two of them, they would be able to look after themselves, if something bad did happen. "But only to shut you up." Neal bounced in his spot with glee as Lara turned around, and the two of them began their way to Gold's Pawnshop, both unaware of the implications of what she had just agreed to.

Belle only really went to the Town Meetings because she knew Rumple hated them as much as she did, and she didn't want him to have to endure them without somebody. By now, she had mastered the art of looking like she was attentive while being half-asleep, something that had gotten her into quite a bit of good-natured trouble before.

Currently Snow White was discussing the renovations by the woods. As Belle watched her, she was struck again by how slowly they had managed to age. Rumple had told her this was a side-effect of the Fourth Curse, and frankly, it frazzled her how her daughter was getting older at a perfectly normal rate for a teenager while she still looked and felt young as ever. Not, of course, that she was complaining.

The meeting couldn't have been dismissed fast enough, something Rumple didn't fail to whisper to her as they made their way out. Belle giggled almost silently, waving goodbye to Hook, who had previously spoken on littering by the docks.

When she looked at her husband, however, there seemed to be some sort of shadow cast over his eyes. "Oh, Rumple," Belle leaned gently against his arm. "You shouldn't worry that much about Lara. She'll be fine."

"Who said I was worrying about our daughter?" He asked, trying his best to sound surprised.

Belle, to her credit, merely smiled. "I happen to know you quite well, after all these years," she teased him. "I mean it. She'll be fine. We've managed all these years just nicely, and I doubt her sixteenth birthday will do much to change any of that."

"No," he agreed. "I'm probably just paranoid." He didn't need to mention his countless enemies- those in Storybrooke and those outside it- nor the fact that he had bargained his child's life away seventeen years ago.

"You're definitely just paranoid." Belle replied sweetly, pointing as they approached Granny's. "Now, a more pressing matter at hand," she began.

"Yes," Rumple cut her off quickly, making her laugh. Despite their differences, food was something they both agreed on and unconditionally loved. Along with their daughter, of course.

They entered the diner, ordering their usual brunch, and sat across from each other- just the two of them- completely oblivious and unassuming, which was unusual for this particular couple in this particular context.

It wasn't difficult for Lara to enter her father's Pawnshop. He kept a key underneath the smallest garden gnome, and it was protected only by blood magic. She unlocked the shop and entered, only to notice Neal staring at his reflection in the window.

No doubt he was admiring his dark hair or fair features, which he inherited from his mother; or perhaps his intelligent blue eyes, courtesy of his father. Unknown to Lara, he had once been told by a certain girl in a certain situation that he had the cheekbones of an aristocrat and a jawline she could have cut herself on, and even more unknown to her, he happened to think of the almost effortless way she had told it to him every time he saw his own reflection.

Neal knew he didn't feel strongly for this girl, however, except for perhaps in the context everybody felt strongly about her. Fear.

"Hey, anytime you want to look at my father's secrets instead of your face," Lara called out sarcastically, and he stepped in with a sheepish grin.

Somehow, the interior was even more impressive now that it was being looked at in secret. Every trinket seemed to glow brighter; every crack in the mirrors appeared sharper. Suddenly he felt extremely powerful, a feeling that was exhilarating and completely new around anything that had to do with Rumplestiltskin.

"Neal?" Lara's voice broke him out of his trance, and he looked up.

"This is remarkable," he whispered breathily.

"Wait until you see the back," she whispered back, keeping her voice low despite the fact that there was nobody else there.

He followed her as they tip-toed towards the back of the shop, though when they stopped, he could see worry lacing her emotions. "Don't worry," his voice sounded reassuring. "We won't get in trouble."

"Please don't touch anything," she sounded hasty, and just as hastily, he promised her he wouldn't. Then, he noticed something behind her, and his face broke out into a grin.

"What is that?" It appeared to be a sword of some sort, but every inch of it was made with diamonds. Lara turned around, and gasped inaudibly. Neal took a step forward, hovering over it, but not quite touching it.

"Neal, we shouldn't be here…" Lara's voice of reason seemed to be coming back, and Neal knew if he wanted more time in there he would have to find a way to convince her to let him have it.

"Oh come on," he grinned. "We're fine. If anything here could have hurt us, it would have by now."

She crossed her arms, and said with a very slight smile, "The things I do for you are unbelievable."

"But you still do them," he reminded her with a fleeting wink. Neal stepped behind her, carefully opening the cabinet on the bottom. He didn't see what he was looking for, but what he did see delighted him.

They were rows of potions, in clear glass vials of every shape and size imaginable. Some of the potions looked quite regular; others were vibrant shades of cerulean, taupe, burgundy. "Now, was this such a bad idea?" His voice was husky as his eyes skimmed the different vials.

Neal had always had an interest for magic as long as he could remember, but with his parents being who they were, he had never been allowed to be anywhere near it. They were afraid it would corrupt him, but as he knelt on the ground, hovering over the potions- the possibilities- he couldn't help but feel they were quite wrong.

"Neal!" Lara whispered. He looked up, smirking at how nervous she was getting. Of course, she had nothing to worry about: he had told himself repeatedly that he would take full blame if they did get into trouble. And after the looks her father gave him, something told Neal their parents would have no trouble believing him.

"Are you worried?" He asked. For a second, he forgot that they were surrounded by some of the most secretive works of one of the most dangerous men to exist, and instead focused on Lara's concerned hazel doe eyes.

She glared at him, though he could tell she was aware he was teasing her. "What if I did this?" Faster than she could comprehend, he reached for a bottle- a random bottle- and closed the cabinet, holding it above his head.

Her eyes widened, remaining focused on the bottle, rather than her best friend in front of her. The liquid it contained was a hazy mixture of purple and blue, catching and reflecting the fragments of light to look like a galaxy of stars in a vial.

He stood up, holding it above his head. "If you'd like for me to put it back, you'd better get it yourself." He lowered his eyelids, sticking out his chin.

"We're not children anymore," Lara hissed, fully aware of how dangerous a situation she was in. "You could get us killed."

"Then I'll guess you'll have to save us." If he was under any better judgement, Neal would have put back the vial and done as Lara insisted they do; he would have left the pawnshop and its mysterious objects alone, but Neal had been quite blinded by his curiosity and he hadn't got any better judgement.

Lara lunged for the vial, but instead crashed into Neal. What happened next happened almost as if in slow motion.

The vial slipped from his hand as he exclaimed in surprise, and as it approached the floor, it shattered. Lara screamed and held on to Neal, feeling suddenly quite thankful for the fact that he was holding onto her like a lifeline. A purpley-blue fog began to envelop them, and the last thing either of them remembered before they lost all sensation was the impression of falling and the impending feeling of danger they should have gotten long before.

A/N: Hoped you enjoyed reading! It seemed like Chapter 1 was pretty long, but nevertheless, Chapter 2 will be up soon, and it'll probably be a little shorter. It would be wonderful if you could review/rate, and as always, suggestions and requests are always welcome. :)