Have You Forgotten That Magic Comes With A Price?
by Gwin Gold

-X-X-X-

Author's Note: I was looking through my library of song lyrics (that I keep for inspiration purposes), and the verses below kept standing out.
And so, I've decided to write a series of one-shots, featuring characters that I believe would relate to the lyrics. That is, characters with completely awful luck-characters that could greatly relate to the lyrics.
Enjoy, and I'd love reviews! Reviewers will get one wish for me to grant, so long as it's do-able. For instance, I'm an expert editor; I catch almost all punctuation, grammar, and spelling mistakes. And I can fix them too. Or I can write you a one-shot using your favorite character from a book, show, or movie; if I haven't heard of them before though, you'll have to provide me with information about the character. ;)

-X-X-X-

I created the sound of madness
Wrote the book on pain
Somehow I'm still here to explain
That the darkest hour never
comes in the night
You sleep with a gun
But when you gonna wake up and fight
For yourself?

Shinedown - "The Sound of Madness"

-X-X-X-

Mr. Gold gazed down into the old well. The purple fog that had spread over Storybrooke had faded away now, leaving what appeared to be an ordinary well.

He stepped back. As he put weight onto his previously stiff leg, he realized it had been healed-he no longer needed the cane.

A flash of triumph seized him, and with a smile he tossed the cane into the bushes.

He looked around. The hope he felt was so overwhelmingly fierce, it was almost as though he was being suffocated by a great wave. Now that magic has returned, I have the means I need to find Bae...

Memories of his wonderful, clever, amazing son took over his mind, and unlike the times before, he did not fight them. He welcomed them with open arms as he made his way back towards town. If his suspicions were correct, any man, woman, or child from the fairy tale land would be immediately drawn to Storybrooke because of the arrival of magic.

Baelfire had used a magic bean to open a portal to a world without magic-Earth.

Mr. Gold (though he had been known as Rumpelstiltskin in Fairy Tale Land) had been too cowardly to follow. And the deal he had made with his son had been the first deal he had ever broken.

But you can try to make up for all of that now, Gold told himself. Or...at least I can apologize, and hope that he can be the better man that he always was and find it in his heart to forgive me.

He was jerked back to reality when he heard voices. He was back in town already.

Everyone was out wandering the streets, all of them either confused or terrified. Mr. Gold kept walking, not stopping to answer any questions that people happened to ask him.

"Where were you, Mr. Gold?"

"What's happening?"

"Did you see the fog?"

He reached his shop and shut the door, locking it tight behind him. He drew the shades and went back into his office. It was dark, but he didn't mind. It gave him the opportunity to think.

He sat down in his chair at the desk and leaned back, gazing into the shadows. There was one darker shape in the back of the room; an old cloak hanging from a nail.

It was Baelfire's. It was one of the only things Gold had brought with him into this world.

Mr. Gold drew in a deep, shaky breath, determined not to shed anymore tears over his lost son. If all worked according to plan, they would soon be reunited...

A week later, Mr. Gold was in his shop. He had kept a careful eye out for any sign of a man who resembled his dear Bae, but so far hadn't seen any. There had been a new arrival with shaggy black hair who called himself Aladdin, and several others that Gold hadn't caught the names of, but none were the people he was looking for.

Then again, Gold hadn't gone outside much since magic had come to Storybrooke. He knew for a fact that Regina was furious with him. And he didn't want to deal with that at the moment. His mind was on more important things.

Mr. Gold had his head lowered, studying a few pieces of paper on the counter, when he heard the door to his shop open. He looked up, expecting to see another lost soul searching for someone to give them directions.

A man was standing in the center of the room. He was middle-aged, with dark hair that brushed his shoulders. He looked as though he hadn't shaved in about three days, and he wore jeans, a white shirt, and a black jacket.

But what caught Mr. Gold's attention was the man's keen eyes. They were dark; it was unclear of whether they were green or brown. The most noticeable thing about them, however, was how bright and keen they were.

For Gold, it was unmistakable. These were the child's eyes he had gazed into with love; these were the teenager's eyes that he had avoided, his shame too great. The eyes that always seemed to see everything. They were the eyes of...

"Bae..." Mr. Gold whispered, his voice cracking. "Baelfire..."

The man's brow furrowed in confusion. "How do you know my-" But then he broke off, peering into Gold's face. Recognition sparked in the man's eyes. "Papa."

"Bae," Mr. Gold repeated, unable to stop saying the name he had thought many times before but hadn't actually spoken for so many years. "My son..."

Baelfire's face darkened. "It's been a long time."

Seeing the anger in Baelfire's face, Gold winced. That anger hurt him worse than the cruellest knife. "I know."

"You broke our deal, Papa." Baelfire's voice was sad...hurt.

"I...I know," Gold said. He vaguely realized that he was trembling. "Bae...oh, Bae, I'm so sorry. I know that nothing I do or say can make up for the lost time, but for what it's worth...I searched for you, Bae. Every single day, I searched for you."

Baelfire watched his father, his expression unreadable. Mr. Gold continued on, painfully aware that his voice was shaking.

"You were right, Baelfire. You were right. I was a coward. I am a coward. I promised you I would come with you if you found a way, but I let my fears get the best of me. Just...I..." Gold drew in a deep, shuddering breath. "I've missed you so much, boy. I don't-I don't deserve your forgiveness."

It had been agonizing to say, but it was the truth, at least for Gold. He didn't deserve it. He had broken a deal with the most precious thing in his life-his son. He had left his son to brave a new world alone.

Mr. Gold lowered his head for a minute, trying to force back the tears. When he managed to look up again, he was shocked to see Baelfire shaking his head.

"Oh, Papa. You know me better than that; I forgive you for it. I forgive you for everything. I've...I've missed you so much."

Hearing those words broke Gold's heart, and he couldn't stop himself anymore. Tears began trailing down his face, and before he knew what was happening, Baelfire had stepped forward and thrown his arms around him.

Mr. Gold returned the embrace, shaking with sobs. "I love you, Bae...my beautiful boy..."

"I love you too, Papa."

They stood there for several minutes, father and son once again, reunited. Finally, Gold broke the embrace, and they stood there silently.

-X-X-X-

Author's Note: Okay, I know I said this was meant to be a one-shot. But I love Gold and Bae so much, I had to add another chapter in, as this was getting too long. If you don't like angst (and would prefer not to see how the lyrics fit into the story), then don't read on. Leave the page now and keep memories of a happy ending; if you go on, you will not get one.