The Moon Shines Again
To be honest, he never expected to see her again. After the curse, that is. He never knew what would come of the creature that he had plucked from the realm that his kingdom was supposed to be transferred to. He didn't know if she was going to be trapped in the realm they were leaving or if she would be returned to her own time in this other realm.
So, when he saw her strolling into town with a long barreled rifle and tall western boots; he tried not to make himself noticed. He succeeded. He was able to make it to his shop without drawing her attention. Of course, even if she did stop for him, she shouldn't remember him. That is how the curse is supposed to work.
No one remembers. He keeps telling that to himself. Only he and Regina remember their old world. His quiet and disciplined disciple of golden skin has to remember nothing.
In this world, he is Mr. Gold, the town's main proprietor and acquirer of "things." Regina is Mayor Mills and runs the place in accordance to what they have both agreed upon. It's a paradise of sorts. Every one of their enemies has been denied their happy ending and he, Mr. Gold, gets all of the power.
But Poc-
No, she is now Astor Moon, the Park Ranger for Storybrook National Forest. He reminds himself of that as he sips his chamomile tea and tries to be rid of the fear that takes over whenever he sees her on the street.
These frenzies of his has to do with how she looks at him. Yes, he leans back in his leather chair and decides that that's it. Her stare. She no longer has that creepy "moon in the eyes" effect but the seriousness of a harsh night is still there. Ranger Moon stares at anyone as if she knew every little secret that they try so hard to hide.
The lovers that they've hidden away with, in dark corners and shady hotel rooms. The substances tucked into pockets, drawers, and purses for when they're alone. The habits that happen only behind closed doors. Moon acts like she knows them all and yet, she greets everyone with a smile accompanied by a hearty handshake.
That is another odd effect of the curse.
In their realm, she was a quiet little thing. She only smiled when she was with him or when she was running free through the heavy woods that surrounded his castle. Here, she is always smiling and talking.
During her apprenticeship, she hardly spoke to him. He knew that she wasn't afraid to speak and felt free to do as she pleased. She never made a deal that bound her to him or acted as if she was lower than him in any sort of manner. In fact, there were times that she displayed an intelligence that was commonly unheard of in his realm or hers. She could see a spell performed once and be able to repeat every step immediately after. The herbs that he used for potions became second nature to her after she only brewed once. He only gave her a tour of his home once and that was all that she required. When he asked her and he certainly did ask her about this, she only replied:
"Where I come from, there is only live or die. You must remember everything you see and hear the first time. If you don't, then the second time may kill you."
After that, he ceased questioning her about her past, her understanding, and her skills. She was his student and his best one. Many times, he would hold it over Regina that was far more powerful beings than her but she never knew to whom he was referring to.
Thank goodness, although Moon could have handled herself if she wished.
The clanging of his welcoming bell steals him away from his remembrance. Customers couldn't be kept waiting when there were deals to be made. He straightens his tie and grabs his cane. Hearing the sounds of heels across the floor, his sense of chivalry speaks for him.
"Please! One moment!"
He hobbles from his office to the front and then as he catches sight of his customer; he wishes that there were some way to run back the other way. It's her, Astor Moon. The woman that he had been trying to avoid for almost 12 years.
He had been very successful on most counts. She was the head ranger of the park and only ventured to town every few months. Each time, he knew to keep off the streets and to avoid Granny's diner. Only once or twice, had he been forced to pass her. Each time, she tipped her Stetson at him and continued on her way as he had done the same.
It looks as though his luck has finally run its course.
"Hello. How may I help you?"
The brogue that he acquired through the curse gives him the appearance of being out of place in the town. He is well aware of this fact but instead of inquiring about it like everyone else has; she drifts towards the first glass counter.
"I am looking for Mr. Gold."
Her voice, still low and gruff as ever. He remembers telling her that girls in his realm spoke high and proper; the old Moon had wrinkled her nose at the thought of speaking like a "twit." Her words, entirely. He wishes that he could avoid missing that gentle sound.
"I am Mr. Gold and you must be Ms. Moon."
"Ranger Moon, please." The same wrinkled expression of distaste comes up and he has repeat to himself that she is not the same person. "Ms. Moon" holds me open to the many connotations of being single and this is a small town."
"Understandable." The businessman in him thankfully saves him from himself. Resting the cane against the glass, he lays a hand on the glass that she's peering at. "Is there something of interest that you wish to purchase?"
He notes how she grabs at the strap around her chest. A rifle holder. He had seen it when she was speaking but now he wonders why she would ever part with it.
"No. I have this though and it's not your run-of-the-mill rifle." She unzips it in a military fashion of efficiency and quickness. Places it gently on the counter and reveals it in all its glory. Now, Gold understands why she would bring this to the antique store. "I actually found this in a camp out in the park. No one called my office or the Sheriff's about it and I think that this may be worth something. However, I'll leave the valuation to you."
"It's in wonderful condition."
It's not in his manner to ask to do something, so he picks up without question. The weight feels balanced enough and the barrel is as straight as it could be. No dents or marks. He runs his hands across the handle for nicks.
He puts it down and finally dares to look deep into her eyes. "How minimal was the exposure to the elements?"
"Whoever camped was there during our dry season. No rain or anything moist got to it. When I found gun, it was leaning against a tree in this same carrier."
Suspicious. Very suspicious. He knows that she was thinking along the same lines, "You suspect that this may be stolen or have some other string attached to it?"
And there is that bright smile.
The funny thing about Moon is that she's not a siren. She's not like Ruby at the diner with short skirts and tight blouses cut too low. She's not the slithery snake that Regina is with seduction and deceit pouring from every pore. Yet, she's not the dapper daisy that Mary Margaret is.
Moon is striking and strong. Her youth never fades and neither does her resilience. It's like staring at the ocean, when a storm is far out and all one can see are the clouds gathering but the wind is steadily sweet. He always admired her splendor and her sweetness but he never forgot what she could be capable of.
"I did. That's also why I went to the Sheriff's office but Graham told me he has," Moon plays out the other man's words with lowered tone and jesting fingers. "Better things to do because Mayor Mills says so."
"Of course, he does." He laughed a little at how much of the same silliness and lack of trepidation remained in Moon. "Mayor Mills is here every day and his service is always available to her but you come in every four months and of course, can't be helped at all."
The long black locks are tucked up into a french braid that bobs with each nod she makes along with his points. "Actually, it's every 5 to 6 months. It doesn't matter though because I'm not about to let him piss me off. I just wanted to make sure that if it was stolen or missing then it was returned."
"And if it's worth something?"
Her pearly smile brightens up. "Then I would like to use the profit from the rifle to go towards the park."
Gold feels slight confusion. Yes, the old Moon could be nice but he had never seen an aversion for charity. This other version of her is quite different. "If the value is miniscule, what are you going to do with so little?"
Her eyes squint off into the distance and he knows that she has already put thought into this possibility. "Just use it towards buying some fertilizer for the new blackberry bushes I planted along the creek."
Again, this is was not his Moon. He grits his jaw as he notices that he had thought of her as his. How wrong his thinking is. If there was ever a certainty is that Moon was no one's property. She has always made sure that he knew that at every moment.
"But if it is worth something more, I will be repairing the fencing on the north side of the park." Gold shakes his head in wonderment and she catches on to his curiosity. "Hunters and poachers have a tendency to cut through that fence because it is next to tagged areas. I usually catch them trying to be sneaky and get through but luckily, I have yet to have a single animal harmed by them in my park."
"You must be quite the tracker."
"I hope so. I don't like killing for sport. It's tasteless." Again, the wrinkled expression tugs at his heart but it's gone just as quickly. "Anyways, when these guys come through the fence; they always cut it open. Too high to climb over and you can't crawl under. So, the idiots cut it wide open and every time, I have something get out or something comes in."
The shopkeeper tries to imagine what woul-
"Mountain lions. Stray dogs. No wolf packs in this area but there are coyotes." She answers the question in his head and Gold shudders at the sudden recollection of her doing that so often in another place. At another time, when they were more colleagues than strangers. "That was what you were thinking about, right?"
He likes that she is pleased with herself. She used to brood so much over personal mistakes and errors that it would annoy him to no end. Moon was right when she told him that she lacked the indifference that Regina and he had. They didn't care how wrong they were, they both do as they wish.
"Yes, that was my thought." Back to the gun with a well-placed palm on the barrel, he drums up a price. "This rifle is an antique. Very late 1800s. Reminiscent of the rifles that cavalry soldiers carried-"
A growl of displeasure erupts from her. Immediately, she ducks her head and mutters an apology. Leaning against the glass as well, she has put herself in the position of being in deep counsel with him. He decides to use this position to his advantage.
"Point being, I can give you-" The height of his sympathy threatens to overwhelm as he considers what she's going to do with the money.
She will never know the truth.
"$1,800. That's my offer."
Moon mouths the word "wow." Then pushes the gun towards him and beams excitedly. "I'll take it. Thank you so much. I didn't imagine that it was worth anything at all."
"One person's garbage…"
He doesn't bother to end the quote as she responds adamantly.
"Too true. The other day I found a cache buried beneath rocks on the edge of the park. I think that whatever tribe was here must have left it. It was, you know, nice to see something like that remaining."
He stops himself from asking because he does know the answer but it will be a very long time until they speak again. "You are a Native American, right?"
"Yes, I am. I'm Algonquian, Sioux, and Kiowa."
He says the only thing that he can think of as he steps away. "I'm sorry that you even had to touch this."
Again, he can't understand why he is doing or saying these things. He just keeps doing it. It is true though he doesn't believe that something like this should have ever fallen into her hands. He covers the rifle and keeps it away from her as he takes it to a shelf underneath the counter.
"Thank you, Mr. Gold." He freezes at the sincerity in her tone and when he turns around, the rounded features are appreciative. "I don't think that many people have an idea of how it feels to have something that is meant to destroy you be treated with more value than yourself."
"On the contrary, my dear. I understand. I may not know entirely but I can understand how much power one object can have over a life."
She knows better than to ask so she accepts his words with a thoughtful musing. Her back turns to him and her attention goes to the rest of the cabinets. Gold watches her peruse coins, lockets, and music boxes. She was always like that; consuming everything around and never ceasing to find something interesting about all of it.
He takes the moment to really examine the woman before him. Her physique is the same. Strong legs covered in loose straight leg jeans. She was never particularly feminine, at least, not in his culture's sense. The brown boots add more to her strong character. It's too warm for a coat so she wears a mint green button up shirt. Same western style.
Her style would be a terrible addition to his golden tie and black fitted ensemble.
Her frame still lacks major curves. At their first meeting, he recalls that she was a very enticing figure once revealed but not in a common way. The understatement of her slight curvature resulted in the budding of feminine beauty in other ways.
Clear dusky skin over her entire body. Full and opened lips of rustic plum. Naturally curling eyelashes. High cheekbones that made her seem cunning like a fox. Small hands of smooth complexion and touch.
You always were lovely in my opinion, Moon. He ponders for a moment if she still has all those tattoos.
He thumbs through his register loudly with a ding. Truthfully, he had been watching her so closely that he hadn't noticed that he had even made his way over to the register. Now though he picks up the main tray and finds his cash bag.
"Would you like me to count it out for you, dear?"
He waits quietly as she approaches, heel to toe against the floor. "Oh no. You're fine. I think I trust you."
Gold hums underneath his breath as he lays down the cash and counts it out once again to himself. The money slips down on the surface, one hundred bills after another before turning into fifties and twenties. His gold ring flashes in the light and shines brightly against the glaring light from the windows.
He can only picture how odd of a character he must appear to her.
"I like that song." He ends his counting and pushes it towards her while she stutters. "Uh, it's not a new song. I know the words. Closing time, you don't have to go home but you can't stay here…"
Why can't she falter in some way?
That was his problem with Moon. She was somehow perfect. She knew every tiny detail that he would refer to and she kept on sync with his moods. His highs were her lows and his lows were her highs. They balanced each other and clashed just as much but she usually knew everything that he spoke of. Even now, she was on beat with him.
"Very good, Ranger Moon. Perhaps, you should have been a performer. Studying can keep you from going flat."
It's a very tight-lipped comment and it came across as very rude. If she's anything like the old Moon then she will-
"Nah, I ride horse and shoot guns much better than I could ever sing." Her gleefulness doesn't even change at his shocked expression. "Looks like we all can't fulfill every calling, now can we?"
"I will admit that you are much more than meets the eye."
He now believes that he has turned this to flirting. If it were any more obvious, then he would have purred that last line. Gold prays that she will ignore it entirely.
"I like to think of myself as simple, Mr. Gold."
"Such an inaccurate way of thinking about yourself, Ranger Moon." He watches her scoop up the bills and stuff them down her jeans pocket. "Don't most women want to be mysterious and enthralling?"
Her head is thrown back in laughter with her hand on the door handle. "Just as men want to be debonair and dangerous, I guess. But honestly, I prefer simple. Like me. Like you."
Heartbeat, please die and go away.
Her last words heighten his heart's palpitations even further.
"Even if you don't think so, Mr. Gold."
Gold doesn't dare smile at her comment and he can't even register if he looks pleased or not. However, Moon is shining at full peak. Her youthful vigor makes him feel even more trapped by his lack of vivacity.
She waves goodbye with a twinkle in her eye and steps out through the door without his farewell. In one way, he didn't want to tell her goodbye and then again, he stares at the door with the hope, she will never return. He knows better though then to believe that such a wish will ever come true.