It's been several years since he last saw her, and several years since she broke his heart.

But when a man of certain status hears rumors of his ex appearing at a gala in D.C., it shouldn't be unexpected for him to make an appearance.


Washington D.C. was colder than he remembered.

But perhaps, it was the icy glare he shot at his former lover that was making the room seem dry and chilly. A reminder of their last meeting that hung in the air, he supposed.

When she finally noticed him, it felt like all the breath was scooped out of his lungs. She was as beautiful as he remembered – her hair pulled back into a bun and bangs tousled over her forehead in a way that should've looked messy, but she pulled it off. Her dress was a light blue – almost white – with angled sleeves that his eyes followed to the long gloves adorning her arms. A fitting look for the Ice Queen.

They met in the middle of the floor just as the band started to play a new song. He recognized it as the Blue Danube – a song he and Goldie had danced to many times before. But to them, it was never just a dance. Never just a waltz or a tango - there was too much in their past and too much in their present for that to be all that was going on. They were drawn to each other the moment their eyes locked from across the room.

Her hand fit inside his like a glove, and he felt surprised by that as if they hadn't done this a thousand times. His hand fit alongside her waist like it had always been there since the first day they met. And their motions were in sync from the moment they started to move; there was no doubt or hesitation in the other's ability to keep up.

The music was loud, but not loud enough. And there were too many people dancing around them, and yet...not enough. Scrooge wanted them to be alone, Goldie wanted the crowd. They always managed to be in sync yet completely out of sync at the same time, and they knew as much.

"How've you been, Scroogey?"

They twisted and turned and waltzed around the floor.

"Ae've been better. An' yerself?"

He wanted to dip her, but the music wasn't calling for it just yet. In time…he could be dramatic and romantic.

"Feeling a bit awkward, if I'm being honest."

"Why's 'at?"

"Well...it took you a lot longer than I expected to find me."

Scrooge frowned at that, not entirely sure of what she meant. Though he knew she saw their relationship as a bit of a game of cat and mouse, surely she wasn't going to ignore their five years spent together?

He dipped her in time with the music and leaned his face down close to hers. "Ah wasnae looking."

She came back up and they moved back into position, but Goldie's expression showed a brief flash of hurt. "Is that so? I suppose there's a first time for everything."

They stared into each other's eyes for a moment - Scrooge was eager to snap back at her with some witty remark, but felt the urge melt out of him. He just wanted to hold her in his arms for a bit, even if it was just for the rest of the song. After everything they'd been through, she could give him that simple luxury.

"What dae ye want, O'Gilt?" he managed to say with no small amount of bite.

She smiled, happy to feel their usual rapport. "Same as always: I'm just here for some treasure."

"No," Scrooge paused a moment, completely stopping their dance. "I mean...what dae ye want with...us?"

Goldie blinked, clearly shocked by the question. "I, um...well…you can't just put this all on me, Scroogey. What do you want?"

He stared at her and sighed, grabbing her hand and waist again to continue their twirl as the song was coming to a close. "Ah...Ah want you."

She didn't say anything and he took that as a sign to continue.

"Ae want tae wake up tae ye every mornin' and go on adventures with ye where ye don't leave me behind and Ah want to see ye every night before Ah go tae sleep. Ah...Ah want ye tae be a permanent part of my life. That's what Ah want."

He didn't look up at her, but Scrooge knew she was still staring at him with that wide-eyed shocked expression from before. They didn't do emotional confessions. They had fun together: they traveled together, trained together, adventured together, danced together. This was the furthest thing from fun. It was, in fact, making his heart beat at ninety miles an hour, and the billionaire wasn't sure if he'd be able to wait much longer for her response.

"...Scrooge, I, um..."

He looked up at her face, finally, to see a surprising blush across her cheeks paired with an uncomfortable frown. She hadn't been looking at him, either.

"...you're really putting all your cards on the table here, aren't you?

He squeezed her hand. "Donae ye think it's been long enough?"

Goldie slowly moved her head to finally make eye contact with him again, and he didn't want her to look away.

"...do ye?"

At that question, Goldie tore herself away from his grasp. His hands felt empty and cold. "Look, Scrooge, I just...I can't do this right now."

She tried to walk away, so he reached out and grabbed her wrist. "Then when?"

Without looking back at him, Goldie tugged her arm and brought her hands together in front of her chest. "I don't know."

Scrooge watched as she quickly left the dance floor - couples still sashaying around him without a care in the world. And why should they care? A man with a broken heart wasn't a rare sight for anyone. But he'd thought this would go so differently for some stupid reason. He still wasn't sure how she felt...somehow the lack of definitive response made him feel even worse.

His hands started to feel dry and he finally left the hall, grabbing a few water bottles from the table and making his way towards the door. Why had he even come here in the first place? Just because he'd heard Goldie was going to be there? It'd been almost eight years since she left him in a block of ice. He couldn't keep letting her take over his thoughts every time she came into view. Two times she'd broken his heart now. How many more times could he take it?

On his way out of the museum, Scrooge opened one of the water bottles and took a big swig. The dancing didn't tire him out, yet he felt exhausted. He just wanted to get Goldie off his mind. Focus on work and money instead. Maybe take a break from adventuring for a little bit and really build up his business.

He glanced at the table next to him in the large entranceway and his eyes locked onto a very special piece of jewelry displayed there that looked slightly out of place. Without a second thought, he pulled a loupe out of his jacket, leaning in for a closer inspection.

The necklace was fake, he was certain of it. And there was no doubt in his mind where the real necklace had gone. He should probably tell security that someone had taken off with The Hope Diamond only a few days after its' arrival.

Though he hated himself for it, Scrooge smiled and leaned against the wall. His heart was still thumping loudly in his chest, but somehow it was a comfort to know that the Goldie he fell in love with throughout all their years together hadn't changed one bit.


I don't remember what I originally had planned for chapter four of this fic, but I wrote this sometime last night and felt like it worked. Though I hope it's obvious - takes place a few years after the flashbacks from Golden Lagoon of White Agony Plains.

In case anyone's confused - canonically, the flashbacks from Golden Lagoon were not the last time Scrooge and Goldie saw each other. He specifically says she looks younger than the last time he saw her AND Beakley has clearly met Goldie before, so Scrooge and Goldie have met (at least) several times since being frozen in ice.