When Regina woke up in Storybrooke for the first time, she'd taken her time going through her 'daily routine', reveling in the conveniences that this Land Without Magic provided. Regina then went to see the havoc her curse had caused first hand, enjoying every second of her revenge. Snow White was miserable, Prince Charming was in a coma.
The cost had been high, but the result was worth it. No more happy endings for the annoying do-gooders of the Enchanted Forest.
Out of habit forged through the memories the curse provided, Regina found herself outside of Mr. Gold Pawnbroker and Antiques Dealer, the shop she had given Rumple as a pastime for the years the curse was enacted. It also helped that he'd had many of the items in the Dark Castle already, and it had made sense at the time to keep that the same in this new land. For convenience sake, of course.
Regina entered the little shop, a small bell announcing her presence. She looked around at the seemingly empty, crowded shop, inhaling the scents of wood, old books, and leather. A curtain that separated the main shop from the back parted, revealing a human Rumpelstiltskin.
Gold, Regina reminded herself, was a small man. In both stature and in weight. Brown eyes peered at her through long hair, and a smile revealed several gold teeth, "Hello, dearie," his voice was quiet hoarse and rasping. Unassuming, odd, lacking the theatrics of the Dark One, "What can I do for you Madame Mayor?"
Regina watched as Gold limped over, coming out from behind the counter. A golden handled cane rested firmly in his grip, and he walked with it like he had no problem with it. Regina felt a little bit of confusion, as she'd never seen Rumple with so much as a hint of a limp, much less requiring a cane to walk.
"Just checking up on things," Regina answered smoothly, smiling.
Gold nodded, "Yes, I suppose-" his voice gave way, Gold leaned heavily against the glass counter as he coughed. He coughed harshly into a darkly coloured handkerchief, fumbling with a trembling hand before pressing it to his lips.
Regina felt her eyes widen, and her heart almost stutter in shock. She had never seen, or heard, of Rumpelstiltskin being ill before.
Gold wiped his lips, breath rattling harshly in his lungs, "I apologize, Madame Mayor. You know how the cold gets into my lungs."
The Curse to End All Curses supplied her memories then, of Gold laying in a hospital bed, coughing and choking on blood. Supplied her images of the man, choking down mouthfuls of food to keep himself going. Images of a crushed, horrible scarred ankle, elevated and swathed in ice packs. Gold, pleading with her to go out into the rain or sleet to collect his rent.
All this must have been from before he took the Dark One's curse. Regina realized belatedly. Gold was human here, cut off from magic. Clearly, he'd been beyond desperate when he killed the former Dark One.
Regina smiled easily, "It's alright, Gold. I was coming over to ask if you'd like to have dinner with me tonight."
Gold's eyebrows rose, but he slowly nodded, "Of course. Would you like me to bring the wine?"
Regina nodded, "A nice red wine would be best, I believe. Bring your appetite, I'm one hell of a cook."
Gold nodded once, "What time would you like me over?"
"Does 6 work with you?"
"It does. Now, if you excuse me, if I'm to make our dinner appointment, I'm going to have to get back to work."
Regina nodded, "As do I," she stepped out of the shop, and worked her way back up Main Street, smiling at the misfortunes of those she hated.
(LINE BREAK)
At six o'clock sh0p, just as Regina had finished plating the meal, a sharp knocking began on her door. She untied the apron from around her waist, hanging it up, and smoothed out her business suit. Regina opened the door to reveal a slightly shivering Gold, holding a bottle of wine in obviously chilled fingers.
Regina ushered him inside, ignoring the rattling, horrid sound of his breathing. Gold was dressed as he was before, in a fancy suit and tie, his shoes shining in the light of her kitchen. Regina shooed Gold so he would sit at the table, and she brought the plates in, watching as he poured wine into the wine glasses she'd already set out.
"How have you been doing, Gold?" Regina asked cautiously, unsure of what to expect from him. Rumpelstiltskin had been notoriously close-mouthed about anything even remotely personal. Regina's memories told that Gold could be just the same way, depending on who asked the questions.
Gold offered a half shrug, "Can't complain, dearie. Haven't been hospitalized in a while, and I haven't run into any patches of ice. People paid their rent on time last month, and no one has tried to get out of a loan, yet."
Regina nodded slowly, "That's promising."
The pair said nothing else for the rest of the meal, though Gold did compliment her cooking skills. Gold made it through half of his dinner before setting his fork down, content to sip wine while Regina herself finished.
"I'll get you a container. You can take the rest of your dinner home with you."
Gold's brown eyes warmed, "Thank you, dearie. I'll repay the favour. Would you like to have dinner with me, same day and time, next week?"
"I think I'd enjoy that very much," Regina had seen Gold's house during her exploration of Storybrooke. She found it a little ironic that the Dark One lived in a pink, three story estate.
Gold smiled, his gold teeth flashing in the light, "Good. You bring the wine. I'll let you know what kind closer to the date."
Regina took Gold's plate into the kitchen, hearing the man follow her, the tell-tale click-tap of his uneven steps giving him away on the hard tile of her flooring. Regina found a container, put Gold's leftovers into it, and snapped the lid on. She offered the container, and Gold took it in his free hand.
"Thank you," Gold said softly, shifting his weight. He looked over at the clock and winced, "I hate to dine and dash, dearie, but I have to collect rents tomorrow. That'll keep me busy most of the day-"
Gold's voice gave out, and he leaned heavily on Regina's counter as he coughed into his hand.
Regina couldn't hide the flare of terror that rose from deep in her chest when blood flecked his pale lips. Gold wiped it away with his handkerchief, breathing slowly and deeply. A wan smile blossomed, "I'll be alright, Regina. You know that."
"I know," Regina replied harshly, "have a good night."
"You too, Madame Mayor."
With that, Regina watched as Gold hobbled down her front steps, easing himself into his car. He disappeared into the cold, November, night. A cold grin spread across her features, as she thought about Gold's many weaknesses.
"Oh, how the mighty have fallen."
One week later...
Regina approached the large, pink house that Gold earned, a smirk resting easily on her lips as she took in the salmon coloured outside. Lights were on, but Regina couldn't see anyone moving around in the kitchen.
Regina knocked on the front door, expecting to be greeted. Nothing, no movement, not even a yelled invitation to come in. Regina felt exasperation rise in her throat as she knocked again. Nothing. Regina tried the door to find it unlocked.
Regina pushed it open, entering cautiously. What if something was wrong? What if Gold had been attacked? She set aside her curse-driven worry away, and entered the house proper, noting that the house smelled like the shop did.
It was clean, and Regina couldn't see any sign of a struggle. Walking quickly, Regina spotted Gold curled up on his couch, fast asleep. Regina watched as Gold's thin chest moved up and down. Relief flooded her system, partly from her cursed memories, but partly from seeing that her old mentor was okay.
Regina sighed, checking the kitchen to find a burner on, and some preparation done, but nothing more. Regina turned off the stove, and put things away as best she could, returning to Gold when she was done. The man still slept, oblivious to her presence.
Gold looked...peaceful when he slept. He looked years younger than he was, sleep smoothing out the deep lines of his face. Regina sat in one of the other chairs, determined to make sure Gold wasn't on the verge of death, yet unsure of what to do.
(LINE BREAK)
Regina woke to the smells and sounds of someone making breakfast. She felt beyond confused, sitting up in an uncomfortable chair, in an unfamiliar room. A blanket pooled around her waist, and Regina noticed that she'd been given a pillow sometime during the night.
Regina stumbled to her feet, ignoring the aches and pains brought about by sleeping in a chair all night. She threw the blanket back onto the chair, slipped on her shoes, and followed her nose into the kitchen.
Gold was there, hovering over a pan of eggs, his cane hanging from one of the drawer handles beside the stove. He looked up when Regina walked in, a shy smile hovering on his features.
"I-I'd like to apologize for last night," Gold said softly, using a spatula to move the eggs around, "I had a rather...draining coughing fit after coming back from collecting the rent. Meant to just sit for a few minutes."
"It's alright, Gold," Regina replied softly, "I-I didn't know if I should call the hospital or not."
"You made the right choice, dearie. Dr. Whale would be quite...angry with me, I believe. I've been eating, but I've still lost weight."
Regina felt a smile tug at her lips, "I can imagine...do you need a hand?"
"I've got it. I wanted to say thank you, for staying. Since you missed dinner last night, I decided to make us breakfast."
Regina smiled,