Author Note: Happy October! Here's some October/Halloween/Fall based short little things to read during the month! If you have any prompts you would like to read featuring Regina/Evil Queen or Rumple/Gold post in the comments. You can add a third party to their fun by including the name of another character in the OUAT series.

These stories will probably be pretty short (unless I get extra inspired and need to write a lot to get the story out). They will not be related to one another unless stated in the Author Notes. And per usual; I do not own any rights to these characters.

Rating: Will be included at the beginning of every chapter. I have it set to T for the moment. The one below is rated T just because it mentions intimate moments and there's light flirting and a moment from Gold (ever the opportunist) with Regina's bottom.

October: Haunted House

Mere steps from where they stood, a three story dark gray Victorian home sat on dying grass. The windows were vacant save for the flashing lights in one or two upstairs. Gargoyles perched high above as if signalling in the distance a warning to stay away for ones own safety. Baron trees decorated around the towering real estate nightmare. It looked like it would fall in on itself given the right amount of rain or even one occupant stepping just the wrong way in the attic. This was not her idea of fun. Nor was it anyone else's - if what everyone around Storybrooke had been saying were true.

"Are you just going to stand there?" Mr. Gold's voice cut through Regina's thought process, pulling her back to reality and where she had to face the one thing she didn't want to admit.

"I don't want to go into that house." Her voice shook slightly, giving way to her insecurities.

"Excuse me?"

"I-You heard me, Gold." She snapped, her eyes narrowing at the man before her who appeared unperturbed by the large house in which they were speaking of. The problem with this picture was that this house belonged to Gold. She knew, like many, that the man collected items from all around realms and whatever would be in that house wouldn't be fun. "I don't even want to think about what monstrosities you have hidden in there."

"Monstrosities?" He nearly fell over at the sight before him. Given what his brightest pupil had been through and seen, he wouldn't have pegged her to be afraid of what magic could create. Or hell, what he could make appear just with a simple glamour on any object. "Come on, Regina. You never once recoiled from me during our lessons. What makes you think there's something in there that could cause you actual fright?"

"Because Henry let slip this morning over his pancakes that the dwarfs ran out of this house screaming at the tops of their lungs."

"And you believed him?"

"Not at first.." She paused to push a strand of hair out of her eyes, so she could see him better. "..then I asked a few people at Granny's and they all said they would never set foot in another one of your Halloween props or decorations again."

"That's a little rash, don't you think?"

"They asked me to pull your booths at the Halloween Festival this year."

Silence. A beat and then two. The sound that emitted from the man before her caused her to jump. The laughter belonging more to the imp he had been in the Enchanted Forest than the human man standing before her.

"Now why can't you pull that cackle when we're having fun?" Her brow raised, opting to bring up something a little more interesting than the matter at hand. But he wasn't having any of it, wagging a finger in her direction.

"Nope. Bringing up what we do behind closed doors will not work on The Dark One."

"You keep insisting everyone call you that all month. We know you're the Dark One," she lifted her hands to shake them as if she were in terror, eyes going wide. Then added - "we would just rather refer to you as Gold." Her hands going back down to her sides where they had been before.

"You're no fun."

As if the haunted house behind him agreed, lights flickered and a large smoke cloud rolled out from the chimney. A shrill scream echoed out and down the street from inside of the creepy looking structure. It didn't help matters, Regina noted, that something kept moving in front of the windows every few seconds.

"Nope. Nope." She turned on her heels and began making her way down the street, trying to shake off the chills that had formed along her skin. To get her in that house he would have to-

Just then Gold reached out a hand to turn her around. And then, swiftly, he threw her over his shoulder. "You're going in, Your Majesty."

Red stilettos kicking in the air, she tried to wriggle herself free from his grasp but he only tightened his arm that held her thighs against his chest. His other bringing a hand up to give loving and playful pats to the swell of her bottom over the black pencil skirt. If that was meant to soothe her, it wasn't working, "Put me down, Gold."

"Gold isn't here."

"Stop playing around." Her fingers gripped at the hem of his suit jacket, balling the fabric in her firsts as she pushed herself up slightly, trying to see over his head to gauge exactly how close they were to the door of hell. Or so she saw it as that. "Please. I don't-" she kicked her feet once more with every ounce of energy she could muster up. "I want to leave, put me down. Don't make me go in there. I'll scream."

"I half expected that much. Anticipated it, actually."

Anxiety welled up deep inside of her, sweat prickling at her skin. "Is it going to be bad? Be honest?"

He waited until he had climbed the steps and stood right at the door, fingers on the handle before answering - his voice dropping an octave. "The worst."

The End.