Sorry that was short. It was more of a prologue than anything else.

This will be better. I promise.

At Granny's, Alex sat down at a booth, and Rumpelstiltskin sat across from her.

"What was it you wanted to talk about?" Alex asked.

Rumpel paused for a moment, confused. "What do you mean? I asked you to lunch just a few minutes ago. That's why we're here."

"Well, yes, but one doesn't ask someone to lunch to simply stare at them," Alex pointed out, picking up a jelly packet from the condiment rack. "So, my question is 'What do you want to talk about?'"

Ah. That made sense. "Well, for one thing, what are you doing with that jelly? We haven't even ordered food yet."

Alex grinned widely. "To be honest, I don't really know why, but I always have grape jelly whenever I eat at a restaurant that has these little packets."

That made Rumpel smile a bit, as well. This girl is odd, he thought. "Okay, then. For a second thing, I wanted to talk to someone who didn't know much about my past."

"Why me, then?" Alex asked, having finished her jelly. "And why is it important I don't know anything?"

"I asked you to lunch because you didn't seem to care much about what was on the outside."

Alex was reminded of her books, one of which was currently resting in her lap under the table. "You don't think very highly of yourself, do you?"

"No, I don't. But it isn't because of how I look -yes, I saw you look me over at the library- it's because of what I used to be," Rumpel said, leaving Alex open to question what he meant.

"What were you?" Alex's blue eyes looked at Rumpel with concern, confusion, and a reasonable amount of fear. Her smile was gone.

Rumpelstiltskin took a deep breath to prepare himself for however Alex would react. "I used to be The Dark One. I had so much dark magic surrounding my heart that it nearly killed me. For centuries, my main goal in life was to ruin people's lives as mine had been ruined by my own greed for power."

Alex thought for a few moments about what she had heard, then said, "Something changed, didn't it? You care about how people look at you, and you aren't being, for lack of a better term, a royal pain in the ass."

Alex's bluntness and accuracy surprised Rumpel. "Yes... I did change. The sorcerer's apprentice healed my heart and expelled all of the darkness that was once there. Unfortunately, the majority of people in this town still judge my actions based on how I used to be. I don't blame them, but it does get lonely."

"Well, I can understand that," Alex said slowly. "So, that's why you wanted to talk to me? No one else will?"

"Exactly. And, I'm sorry if I came on too strong-"

"no, it's fine," Alex said. "I'm glad I could help."

The two sat in a sort of awkward silence for a few moments...

"Um, what book did you check out?" Rumpel asked, trying to sound casual.

"It's called 'Rose and Beast,'" Alex explained, grateful for a change in subject. "It's fairy tales re-written."

"Really? I haven't even read the original stories fully," Rumpel admitted.

The pair spoke like old friends, even long after they were both done eating lunch. It felt good for Rumpelstiltskin to have someone to talk to, and Alex liked being able to make someone happy.