A/N ~ This is what happens when I decide 'what if...' in regards to that beauty of an episode- Skin Deep. So be warned there are monsters here in the land of Alternate Canon.

Alternate Canon - departs from Canon before Skin Deep.
Pairing/s: Belle/Rumplestiltskin|Mr. Gold, Mary Margaret/David Nolan, Ashley/Sean, Snow White/Prince James
Characters: Rumplestiltskin|Mr. Gold, Emma Swan, Henry Mills, Regina Mills, Belle|Anabelle French, Mary Margaret Blanchard etc.

This story is of two parts, the narratives of each separately consecutive, they can be read as two separate parts or as one odd whole. Up to you. Every even chapter takes place in the Enchanted Forest slash FairyTale World, every odd one in Storybrooke.

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The thing is, despite the fact that Henry knows who a lot of people really are, the theory keeps throwing up walls. Like, huge scary walls that he can't get around or see over. He has to bury under them and that takes forever so he generally just walks away from the walls. He'll work out everything once the curse is broken, and he'll know everyone for who they are.

One wall, though, one wall bothers him. It's, like, the tallest of them all and he can't even go near it let alone try bugging it until it lets up a bit. It's the wall around Mr Gold. He really is stuck on that one. Not. A. Clue.

He knows for darn sure that the others weren't so hard. He knew that Miss Blanchard was Snow White when he read the first story in the book.

The book!

But he's checked the book, like, a million times and he can't work out who Mr Gold is! It is so annoying and Emma won't help especially when it comes to Mr Gold because everyone's scared of him, but Emma's just angry at him and doesn't like him. Henry isn't really sure why Emma isn't scared, he thinks it might have something to do with the curse, 'cause she's not scared of the Evil Queen either, but he thinks it's mostly because his mom's so totally kick-butt.

Henry really wants to find out who Mr Gold is. He has this gut feeling - Miss Blanchard was calling it Instinct - that it must be really important.

So it's the weekend and he's cycling to the Pawn Shop. He has no idea what 'pawn shop' means but Mr Gold sells some pretty neat stuff for a heck of a price. He has some money though, and it's Valentine's Day soon.

The bell above the door chimes only once when he creeps in and the shop is still so dark and all of a sudden he isn't feeling too good about this. Turns on his heel-

'Henry? What are you doing here?' The weird accent sounds faintly surprised.

Too late, he turns back 'round and shrugs in a way that he really hopes is laid back and innocent because he is totally scared now. But he's ten, not stupid so he fixes Mr Gold with a look and walks forward. 'It's a shop, isn't it? Maybe I wanna buy something.'

'I would have thought all this,' Mr Gold gestures grandly to the stuff around the room, 'held little interest to you, certainly a little out of your price range, hmm? Mayor's son or not.'

Ugh, it isn't his fault that the Mayor adopted him but anyways. 'Anyways I'm here for two reasons-' Mr Gold laughed and stepped around the counter, cane first.

'And what might those be?' And Mr Gold's eyes are the weirdest thing since Spongebob switched to tuesdays. They're, like, flashing and it's scary but he files it away for future reference (whatever that means).

'Uh huh. The first is I wanna - wanna buy a gift for - someone, and the second is that I want your help.' And he is never saying that again, ever, it felt bad. Like bad things always happen to people who ask Mr Gold for help.

'Well,' Mr Gold leant against the countertop and smiled. 'The first of those should be easy, there are possible gifts aplenty in this shop, but the second depends on what it is you want help with,' the eyes narrowed on Henry, 'and why on earth you would ask it of me.'

Alrighty then. 'Alrighty then,' Henry says with a tad more bravery in his voice than in his nerves, 'I'm sure by now you'll have heard of my theory?'

Mr Gold is looking blankly at him.

Henry sighs and takes a breath: 'About the Evil Qu-'

'Ah, you mean your belief that the citizens of this town are all fairytale characters transported by an evil curse? Yes, I had heard some speak of it. So, what of Henry's Theorem?'

'Yeah, so I'm having trouble working out who you are.'

The shop owner and town terroriser shifts and Henry watches as he moves over to a display to the left of him. 'Who I am?' Mr Gold says as he picks up a crystal swan from a shelf. 'Who I am, well I'm not sure.' He moves to the counter and lets the swan dangle from his hand on its string. 'How about this for your gift for - ah, someone?'

Henry goes to the counter and leans on it to better see the trinket. 'Yeah, I guess, that's pretty cool but back to the problem-'

'May I inquire as to who this someone is?'

'It's for a girl, it's Valentines day soon you know, but anyway back to who you are!' Henry is getting annoyed now, Mr Gold isn't helping him, he'd of thought that Mr Gold would know who he was at least.

'Yes, yes, who am I. It's a pretty existential question isn't it?' And what the heck does existentshul mean? What? 'I don't know Henry, who are you in this theory of yours?'

'Me? I'm not in the book but my mom's the daughter of Snow White and Prince Charming so I guess I'm some kind of royalty-'

Mr Gold smiles and bows his head in some kind of mean way and Henry knows he's being made fun of.

'Hey, I get it if you don't believe me but I just thought that someone like you might know who you are better than the others.'

And that sent something whirring in Mr Gold's mind, Henry could practically see the shift in his eyes but the man keeps his voice airy and light as if nothing matters in the world to him when he says. 'The others? Does anyone know who they are in this town?'

'Well I've told Miss Blanchard that she's Snow White and that David's her Charming but I don't think they believe me. I'm pretty sure that the Evil Queen knows though, oh and I told Archie that he's Jiminy Cricket.'

He can see Mr Gold thinking and it is a scary thing but then Mr Gold smiles and sets the swan down before pushing it towards Henry gently. 'Well, little princeling, how about you and I strike up a deal? You may have this little trinket, and give it to you valentine, free of charge; so long as you are able to come to me, within a fortnight, with whoever I am clear in your mind. Can you do that?'

Of course he could do that, if he tried, and he will try. It isn't like it's impossible and maybe Mr Gold would make a mistake and show his true colours, or the Mayor would say something weird and let it slip.

'I can do that,' he says. 'I'm sure of it.' and Mr Gold hold out a hand.

'Then, little princeling, all you have to do is shake my hand and the deal is struck.'

Henry smiles and shakes Mr Gold's hand. Then he gets handed the swan all pretty and wrapped up and in a bag so he can hide it from Regina.

He pauses by the door. 'Oh, and, uhm, Mr Gold?'

The man looks up from the card he's writing on. 'Yes, Henry?'

'How much is the swan?'

Again he's being laughed at by Mr Gold but this time he giggles too.

'Just one hundred dollars, little prince, not too pricey.'

Henry actually feels his jaw drop and his eyes bug out of his head. $100. Crappity crap!

' A hundred dollars! You gotta be kidding?'

Mr Gold simply lifts his shoulders and smiles. 'It's crystal. Now goodbye Henry, it doesn't do to leave either of your mothers waiting.'

'Bu-'

'The deal is struck, Henry. You aren't one to renege, ah, back out are you?'

Henry turns around and walks out of the shop. $100. One. Hundred. Dollars. And he wonders what renege actually means.

But hey he has something new to add to Mr Gold'd list:

Is scary
Is rich
Scares the Evil Queen
Is shifty
MAKES DEALS

Emma welcomes Henry back to the station with open arms but warns him that 'Regina - your Mom - is looking for you and if she sees you with me it won't be good, kid, strictly speaking I'm not allowed to see you without her permission anymore, remember?'

But he wants to tell her about Mr Gold.

'Not now, kid, maybe later. Now go home, Henry.'

'Okay, 'bye Emma!' Then he thinks. 'Hey Emma, what does existential mean? And what's a fortnight?'

'Ah, existential means, uhm, to do with existence I guess, an existential question is deep and meaningful. And a fortnight means two weeks kiddo, why? What's up?'

'Nothing, 'bye!'

Emma smiles at him softly and ruffles his hair. ''Bye Kid.' And then she turns back to her phone call.

He leaves the swan on her desk, with a little scribbled note on a scrap of paper from the trash bin.

Love you Emma,
Henry

So he was lying about it being for a valentine but hey, Emma probably won't moan if he says he has to return it. Which he won't because Mr Gold likes to make deals, and that narrows the search loads.

A/N So that happened. And so it begins.