Lying Low

By: RosexKnight

Anon Prompted: You live across the hall and hide in my apartment when you want to avoid your one night stands AU. Rum and Belle

"He's gone, dearie."

Lacey's head poked out of the kitchen. "Did you get eggs? You're out of eggs."

Gold rolled his eyes, mumbling curses under his breath as he limped into the kitchen, leaning heavily on his cane as he set a bag containing a carton of eggs and coffee beans on the counter beside her. The kitchen already smelled of freshly-cooking bacon and he was sure the oven probably had something baking in it.

"Miss French I have spoken to you before about invading my kitchen in the morning…" He grumbled.

Really he didn't mind having Lacey French around. If it weren't for the reason she was here. He wasn't sure how it had happened, but somehow she'd taken to hiding from her one-night stands in his apartment. Leaving them a note that she had work and then coming over to hijack his kitchen and make them breakfast (or lunch depending on the time f day) and talk or read or watch a movie until whatever boy she'd invited into her bed was gone.

Sometimes, when he was feeling bold, it pretended it had been him, and this the morning after, her in his kitchen, always slightly disheveled, doting on him. It was a silly notion, but it got him through the worst days.

"Come on Gold I couldn't face him in the morning. He was the clingy type. He would have asked me out for coffee or offered to make me breakfast."

"And instead you're in mine, acting as if it's your own…"

"Don't be a grump." She moved to set the bacon on the plate and started a pot of coffee. "I made your favorite."

As if on cue the oven's alarm went off, and she put the bacon on two plates as she moved to pull the pastries out. Cinnamon rolls. Sometimes he thought she knew him too well.

"I'm beginning to think you enjoy having me over." She said, moving to begin on scrambling eggs.

"And I'm beginning to think you enjoy inviting men who aren't worth a second glance into your bed as an excuse to tear my kitchen apart."

"I put it back together again! Besides I've extended the same invitation to you."

"Oh yes because I'll need to cash that one in soon." He grumbled.

He could feel her eye roll from his seat at the breakfast bar, pretending to focus on the paper and not how she moved in his kitchen. Looked so alive there.

"I don't see how you won't." She said, putting the whisked eggs into the pan to scramble. "Honestly how are you not having to beat away girls with that came of yours?"

"The cane is usually what drives them away." Gold grumbled. "That and the divorced single father far too old to begin to get back into the dating circuit thing."

Lacey turned to look at him, at first looking as if she didn't believe him, and then quirking her head, looking him over as if she were studying him. Finally, she shrugged.

"Their loss." She said simply. "Do you want me to play wing-woman? I know a few ladies looking for a good time at least."

"I'm grateful for the offer but no. Good times aren't exactly what I'm looking for anyway."

The eggs were added to their plates, and Lacey went uncharacteristically silent as she set the plate before him, adding a cinnamon roll and went to pour them coffee.

"Lacey?" Gold ventured. He'd expected some snarky comment about not knowing what he was missing, perhaps a promise that one of her little friends could make him forget his name. Or that she could.

"I'm getting pretty tired of them too." She said simply, taking her seat across from him. She gave him a sheepish smile. "I mean at first it was fun but lately it's just kinda…empty."

Gold could only nod. They had never talked about anything like this before. He'd assumed Lacey was perfectly happy with her life choices. The kind of woman who did what she wanted, society and reputation be damned. The small town saw her as a tart, but those who mattered knew better. He knew better. And here she was now, across from him, eating breakfast, confessing that she was actually lonely.

They ate their breakfast in silence for the most part, making light conversation about whatever book she was reading and what new wine and knick-knacks he'd acquired.

"You said he was gone?" She asked as she turned to put their empty dishes in the sink.

"Yes. Saw him coming out of your place as I was headed in." Gold replied deftly.

"Alright. I suppose I should head over and clean up…" She bit her lip. "Is the dating circuit really so hard to get into?"

Gold raised his eyebrows at her, pausing for a moment as he slid off his stool to limp over to help her with the dishes, opting to wash as she rinsed.

"You're a beautiful woman." He began, his voice perhaps holding a twinge of bitterness as he continued. "I don't imagine you'd have trouble getting back into the ring."

"Yeah but there's my reputation to consider." She said as she took a soapy plate from him. "I might need to start outside of storybrooke, or with one of the guys who know me. All…three of them."

Gold gave her a look. Three. Three men knew Lacey. Knew she wasn't a tart. He fought the twinge of jealousy by reminding himself it was him whose apartment she was in, and hopefully not just because it was convenient.

"Three?" He asked flatly.

"You…" She glanced over at him, and he suddenly didn't care if she saw his relief, "Jefferson, and Will."

He made a noncommittal noise of acceptance as he handed her the last of the dishes, reaching for the towel to wipe his hands with. Lacey gave him a smile.

"I uh…suppose I won't be tearing your kitchen apart again for a while. Hopefully."

"You don't have to come over just to hide…"

She seemed just as surprised by his words as him, and she raised a brow at him "I can come over for other reasons? Like what?"

Oh but how didn't she know? How didn't she feel it? He could she just run off with one of…THEM?

"To see me, of course. If memory serves we never did finish the Disney musicals you insisted on watching. Or we could go out. Have dinner…"

Lacey's eyebrows shot up. "You…Gold come on you don't want a girl like me." She stammered, her throat suddenly dry.

Gold tilted his head, leaning on the counter. "What do you mean, dearie? You and I both know your reputation is false and just as exaggerated as mine."

"Yeah but…Guys like you go after fancy women. Ones with a killer figure who can appreciate expensive wine fully because their pallet is more than cheap who have more than just some dumb associate's degree. Ones who–"

"Lacey." Gold cut her off stepping forward to put his hands on either side of her, effectively pinning her to the sink. "Shut up."

And then his lips were on hers, a soft sound of relief escaping both of them. She tasted sweet. The cinnamon roll lingered on her lips but so did another taste, all her and sweeter than honey. Her arms came up, wrapping around his neck and scratching against his scalp. Another low rumble came from his throat and he had to fight the urge to press himself against her. The last thing he needed was to scare her off. Give her the wrong idea…

"Well it's about time…" She whispered when they parted, a giggle escaping her. "I've been wanting to do that since day one…"

Gold simply gaped at her "Wha…?"

"Let's talk about that dinner later." She said, pulling him down for another soft kiss. "Take me upstairs."

His mind caught up with him and he shook his head at her. "I thought you wanted more than a good time."

"I do." She said, playing with the hair on the back of his neck, her gaze almost shy. "I want you."