AN: Okay so spoilers in this Author's Note and the chapters so if you haven't watched Skin Deep you are warned! Okay, so am I the only one who is extremely pissed about the last episode? D: I mean I'm happy that Rumple has true love and everything, and I just wanted to cry for him over the broken cup, but this nearly eliminates the Gold/Emma ship in my mind. Especially since Belle is still alive! Kind of hoping this doesn't change anything! Oh well, one can hope...

"One of these days the mountains are gonna fall into the sea and they'll know,"

Weeks after his first encounter with the newly appointed Sheriff, Mr. Gold walked out of the store after bidding David Nolan goodbye and quickly made his way out of sight. He knew what was going on with David and Mary Margaret, it was pretty obvious. He cursed Emma Swan for forgetting the most important item out of the entire collection of goods stolen. Of course she didn't know what it meant to him. After all, it didn't look all too important.

Emma was coming along nicely for him and if he wouldn't have left earlier when he did he would've ruined everything. And he'd be damned if he did!

Gold walked briskly down the street, not caring that the rain would probably ruin his suit. He would get that item back even if he had to kill the bastard!

Emma Swan was frantic. She had just picked up word that the man who had recently nicked Gold's belongings had gone missing. Dear Lord, did she despise that man! Did he think he was above the law? That's when Emma stopped herself with a snort and a roll of her eyes. Of course he did, this is Mr. Gold after all.

All throughout her stay in Storybrooke the man had left quite an impression on her. He was a conniving, snarky bastard and liked to make people suffer through these "deals" of his. Emma still owed him a favor and as each day came and went she was starting to worry about what exactly this favor would be. But at the same time she couldn't help but flirt and tease him.

Of course she had taken Henry's warnings to heart. Striking up deals with him was a bad business. But she knew she needed his help, and he knew it too. It would only be a matter of time before she'd fully succumb and request his assistance. Emma knew he was wrong, shit, he probably knew what he was doing was wrong too. But what did a man like him have to lose?

Emma pondered this carefully. What was so important that he would actually kidnap a man to get it back? As she drove down the forest road, Emma noticed a white floral van parked in front of a suspicious looking cottage.

Got you.

"Where is it?" Mr. Gold roared as he continued beating the bound man with his cane. His temper was running very short and he was beginning to grow desperate. He knows where it is, Gold thought. Everything else was recovered, why not that?

"I-I don't know what you're talking about. Gold-"

"No!" Mr. Gold angrily cut off the florist. "It's all your fault," He began beating him again. "It's all your fault she's gone! You sent her away!" It was as if he was seeing red. Years of pent up anger and sadness flowed out of him. Half of the memories weren't even his, but somebody else's from a distant land. Memories that he had thought he had squashed from the very beginning.

Emma Swan crept silently past the front door of the cottage to be met with the thunderous shouts of Mr. Gold. What in the hell?

"She's gone! It's all your fault!" He kept shouting, which only confused the sheriff even further. So this is about more than just a stolen collectable.

Gold continued assaulting the helpless man, shouting so angrily that he nearly felt he was in tears. Hell, maybe he was. But before he could deliver another blow, a hand seized his wrist.

"Gold, that's enough!" A female voice shouted.

It was almost as if reality snapped back into place. He knew that voice. He turned to see the confused eyes of Sheriff Swan. The Savior.

"Enough," She repeated but with a weak voice.

He wanted to sink into her touch, to just forget. But he would never forget. He didn't deserve such luxuries.

The next thing he knew, Gold was handcuffed and sitting in the back if Emma's car. He silently watched the rain as they drove silently down to the Storybrooke Police Station.

"Are you going to answer my question?" Emma quietly asked, eyeing him from the rearview mirror.

"To which question are you referring to?" He asked, clearly playing dumb.

"You know," She began. "Who was this girl you were going on about? You were saying it was his fault that she was gone? Did something happen?"

The pawnbroker clenched and unclenched his jaw before answering.

"No, Sheriff Swan, it is nothing of your concern. Now keep that pretty little nose of yours out of other people's business." He grumbled looking back out the window.

Emma just gave an aggravated sigh and mumbled to herself angrily about overly cocky assholes.

For some reason this made Gold's chest flutter a bit.

"You'll be alone," The words rang through his head the next day as he stared at his most prized possession in a jail cell. "And all you'll have, is a broken, little, teacup."

Mr. Gold almost felt relieved now that he had the cup back. "The only piece of her that I have left," He thought bitterly. He felt ashamed that Mayor Mills had seen him in such a weak state. She had even gotten his name out of him. His hands had finally stopped quivering after the scare of her nearly dropping his cup. She thought she had power over him, but was sorely mistaken. He would see her fall if it were the last thing he did.

The Sheriff still had yet to come back from her little outing with Henry and he was beginning to wonder if she had gotten around to kidnapping the boy. He sure knew the feeling of losing a kid. And he had hoped that Emma wouldn't have to experience it. Yet another reason to bring that evil bitch of a Mayor down.

Speaking of the lovely Miss Swan, he wouldn't be surprised if she never wanted to see him anymore after being caught red handed last night. Except she seemed to have no problem teasing him with half a sandwich before Regina showed up. He couldn't help but snort to himself. As if he would waste his favor on a mere sandwich. No, when the time was right he would make his request.

That's when the door to the station opened and Emma Swan walked in with a little hitch in her step now that Henry wasn't present. Gold pretended not to notice.

"Hey, where's my ice cream?" He asked through the bars of his cell.

Emma stopped to give him a smirk and a shrug before making her way back to her office. Mr. Gold couldn't help but smile as he absent mindedly fingered the broken tea cup that was now safely in his grasp.