hey all so here it is, thanks to all those who reviewed and told me what you thought, please let me know what you think of the story and Clarissa. hope i've done you proud! JJ X x

~ Fairytale World ~

The morning after acquiring his new housekeeper Rumpelstiltskin sits in his vast dining room, looking to the brunette in her white gown, her curls disheveled and she has a smudge of dirt on her brow as she pours him the tea he asked for and give her the list of her chores "You will serve me my meals, and you will clean the Dark Castle."

As she pours she has this look, a small smile and nods "not a problem"

Rumpelstiltskin examines the girl as he continues "You will dust my collection and launder my clothing. You will fetch me fresh straw when I'm spinning at the wheel… Oh! And you will skin the children I hunt for their pelts."

She glides over with a small smile on her lips "I'm your housekeeper, not your slave. Skin your own children!"

"That one was a quip – not serious." He says at her light tone in mild shock

She gives a sigh of relief and nods "thank god, getting the blood out of your shirts would have been murder"

He can't help but laugh at her comment and lightheartedness, she giggles with his and then asks "you have other clothes for me don't you, because this dress isn't exactly functional for house work, also bending is finding difficult"

He nods to her as she scowls at the frock "now dearie, don't you like your dress? I'm sure your daddy paid a lot for the thing"

She nods and pours herself a cup of tea without asking "I'm sure he did, however I'm no longer under my father's rule. Besides I hate white, it's not a very flattering color for my shape"

"I'll have the tailor come out later, now I need you to start on the kitchen… it's an awful mess" he commands her and she nods, gulping the last of her tea and leaving with the tray, humming lightly and this unsettles the dark one, because he's had many girls as housekeeper however in all his time none of them have ever seemed happy to be there!

The next few days are light and airy, Clarissa walking around in her new dress, it's not as glamorous as the white one, but it is far more… personalized. The dress is a deep bluish-purple, with cherry pink free flowing sashes down the skirts and a perfected bow on the back, the pink material also gliding over her forearms in plush sleeves. Her curls no longer falling down her back but pulled back with a violet ribbon and her feet covered in matching ballerina shoes.

The brunette is polishing the table and humming lightly to herself as her master walks into the room, taking a seat at his spinning wheel

"I found a phoenix nest on the roof of the east tower…" she says not looking up from her task

He nods and starts to spin "I trust you took care of it"

"Of course, by the way its boiled egg for lunch" she smiles up at him and he cocks an eyebrow to the girl

He shakes his head at her and says "what will you do if the mother comes back dearie, make a phoenix stew?"

She shakes her head and walks round the table "no… you can't make stew with something like that… but it would make a lovely roast"

They share a small laugh and he continues to spin his gold, Clarissa walks over and asks "why do you make so much gold, it's hardly like you'll run out"

"It helps me forget…" he answers absently

Her smile falters and she nods, watching the wheel vacantly with a tune on her lips until the man asks "Clarissa why are you always humming?"

She shrugs and answers "it sooths me"

He lifts a brow at her answer as she goes over to the curtains "do you ever open these?"

"Considering I nailed them down then no, not particularly" he answers as she runs one of her doll like hands over then material

Suddenly she yanks on them hard, ripping the drapes down and beaming as the light floods the room "there we are, much better"

"Did you consider I don't like them open?" he asks as he stands, folding his arms and making his way over to her

As they stand and she gathers the curtain she turns to him taking a step closer so there an inch apart "but I do and I'm the housekeeper, besides this way you can see who's approaching"

He turns to look out the window and sees that there is a clear view of the front of the castle; he looks back at the doe eyed girl "I'll get used to it"

He walks back to his wheel and she smiles triumphantly and carries on humming and pulling off the curtains.

A couple of weeks later Rumple walks into the kitchen at the sound of a shrill scream and is met with the crimson liquid spilling on the counter top and the wide eyes of the deceased looking back at him with their jugular sliced open… "Look who came back"

His eyes meet that of Clarissa, blood splattered on her apron, blade and smiling face. The gray-gold skinned man takes in the scene and smiles "so honey roasted?"

At dinner he calls for her and she skips in in her usual manner "something the matter?"

"This room is filthy" he says while taking a bite of the roasted bird

"This room is spotless… you just missed me" she smiles and jumps on the table, swinging her legs idly

He gives her a shake of his head "you're a strange thing aren't you dearie"

Her smile widens and she plays with a trace of her curls "what do you mean?"

"Most people are afraid of me, or at least skittish, you just don't seem to give a damn" he questions with wave in her general direction

She giggles lightly and says "you're not as terrifying as you think…"

"And why do you think that dearie?" he asks with a intrigued smirk

She leans back on her palms and looks at her feet "you're nice to me"

He stands then and smirks "well you're entertaining"

"And your amusing" she smiles back to him as he stands and takes a seat beside her, picking at the meat on his plate

"Why are you so happy?" he asks curiously, because he's been wondering about it since he heard that first giggle

She shrugs and snatches a piece of phoenix "I like it here, no one telling me what to wear or to behave… besides you're not the worst company in the world, Rummy"

He looks at her like she's crazy and thinks maybe she is as she pops the meat into her mouth and asks "so tell me something about you, after all I've answered your questions"

For a long moment they just look at each other, golden yellow meeting glistening azure "why are you so interested?"

She shrugs and smiles "I'm going to be here forever, I might as well get to know you"

He jumps off the table and points to her with a smirk "Perhaps… Perhaps you just want to learn the monster's weaknesses"

Her face falls and she answers "we're all monsters, we all have evil in our hearts, but at least you and I don't lie about it… it's one of the things I like about you Rummy"

He looks at her for a moment and asks "and how exactly are you a monster dearie?"

Her smile springs back into place and she leans in and whispers "maybe if you give me a nicer room, one day I'll tell you"

He watches then as she jumps off the table and skips back to her duties, Princess Clarissa, with a sparkle in her eyes and darkness in her heart… who liked it in a place that took away her title and liked the man the world thought a monster… and that day he smiled and whispered to himself "I like you to dearie"

~ Real World ~

Mr. Gold limps casually as he goes to collect the rents of certain businesses; he walks into a particular flower shop and barks "Mr. French…"

The other man gives him a fearful glance and swallows hard, scurrying round to get the money owed "Mr. Gold… here you go"

Gold looks to the larger man with a scowl and snarls "you nearly missed this month's payment… I'd see that you don't let it happen again Mr. French"

He walks out then, leaving the man biting his lip in worry, he knew Gold hated him; he didn't give his polite, general indifference as he did with the rest of those in his debt. He genuinely hated the man and he had no idea as to why and he'd never dare ask, but the florist would forever wonder why…

When Mr. Gold returned home that evening he put the money in his safe and walked into the living room, over to his glass cabinet. He opened the doors and pulled out a certain object, his most prized possession and caresses it tenderly "Give me time my dear, give me time…"