Once Upon a Time © ABC.
Okay, so I've noticed a lack of stories (and an extreme fondness on my part for) the Gold/Emma pairing. This is a series of one-shots about how their relationship might develop, and how that might change the way the series plays out.
First Impressions
The way he says her name intrigues her. There's something about the way he looks at her – like she's an unexpected delight to his day – that has her seeking him out. She follows him out of the inn and quickly catches up in the street.
"You know me." It's almost an accusation. He smiles faintly.
"I know everyone, dearie, but certainly not you." he replies. "I just wanted to make sure you enjoyed your stay here." With that he starts walking again. She simply follows him, watching from the corner of her eye. He sighs. "If you've got something you want to ask, just ask."
"What do you do?"
"I own a pawn shop." he says smartly. "I'm a deal broker."
A deal broker. The words almost make her laugh. She thinks of Henry and his obsession with fairy tales and wonders if he has Gold pegged yet. She certainly does. "Well, Mr. Gold, since you seem to know everything about this place, how about you let me treat you to a drink?" she asks, falling into step beside him. "You can tell me all the ins and outs of Storybrooke."
"I'm sure there are other people you can pester for that information."
She smiles at his sour tone. "Well, yeah, but none of them have your charming personality." she teases.
For a brief moment, Mr. Gold pauses, his hand gripping his cane compulsively. Then he relaxes. "Well, is has been a while since I've had decent company." he replies airily. "Sure. Why not?"
To his surprise, she proves to be very decent company. He finds himself talking freely around her (or as freely as he ever talks, at any rate). She takes in everything he says, committing it to memory. Gold knows she filing away the information for later use.
Regina has made an enemy of this one already.
"Tell me something, Emma." He leans across the table at Granny's. "Why are you so interested in Regina?"
Emma's face darkens. "She has my kid." she says flatly. "I'll be damned before I leave him with someone who doesn't love him."
Gold smiles faintly. "So you're Henry's mother."
"Apparently."
"The thought never occurred to you that the child might be lying?"
"No."
The answer is so flat that it takes Gold by surprise. Suddenly he can see it, something he thought lost when the curse took them all to this wretched land. Magick dances around her, so faint only his trained eye would notice, silver spider webs of a promising power. He's only ever seen this brand of magick once before, back home.
His smile grows. Next time he sees Henry, he'll have to check if the silver webs of magick surround him as well. On a whim, he leans forward. "You've already left him with her for ten years, Miss Swan." he reminds her.
The stiffness in her shoulders makes him wonder if he's pushed her too far – if she'll hit him. Everyone in this town is too scared of him to actually lash out, but Emma doesn't seem to be afraid. "I had no other choice." she says softly, and there's a world of hurt in those words. "I'm going to correct that."
Gold leans back. "Well, then. If you ever need assistance with this town – or Regina – you may call on me. I'm a wealth of information. For a price, of course."
To his surprise, Emma doesn't grimace or glare at him. Instead, she just smiles. "An exchange of favors, then?"
He smiles back. "Of course."
She nods and stands up. "I guess I'll see you around, Mr. Gold. You know where to find me."
He watches her leave. "That I do, dearie."
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When she gets back to her hotel room, Emma reaches into her bag and grabs the one thing that she always keeps with her, besides her old baby blanket. It's the one thing that kept her from calling Henry crazy and walking away, sending him back home via Greyhound.
It's a thick, leather bound book. Written across the front in gold lettering are the words Once Upon a Time. For a moment, Emma just stares at it. She remembers the stories well enough. When she was a child, she read them all the time, so much she still has them memorized. They kept her sane during the darkest moments of her life. She remembers imagining that she was the Emma in the last part of the book, that she was important, that she was loved.
More than anything else, she remembers the night she put the book away forever, the night she had to grow up and wasn't left a choice. The night she learned that was a lie. No one love her. She smiles faintly.
She no longer believes in magick. But maybe, just maybe, she can keep the same from happening to Henry.
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AN: So, intrigued? Wanna know more? Review, and I'll keep adding chapters as they come. And in case you can't tell, this is a slight AU.