Rumplestiltskin stood looking out the window. It was the first day of Winter, nearly a year had passed since Keeva first stepped into his castle, frightened and quiet. She had proved to possess more of a voice than he had originally anticipated. "I was curious," she said, climbing the ladder to reach the high ceiling, "when is your birthday?"

"How does that concern you?"

"Birthday's are important."

"Not when you're immortal."

"Fine,"

He sighed, "You're not done pestering me about this are you?"

A satisfied, little smirk crossed her face. Realization wrote itself across her face, he saw it settle in her eyes a millisecond before a crack filled the room. Her foot snapped through the rung, her mouth parted as white hair fanned, hands grasped at the curtains, ripping them from the wall. He took a long stride as weight crashed into his arms. He quirked an eyebrow at the blushing woman in his arms. Eyes large with terror, she stared up at him. "In one year: Five sprained ankles, seven bloody noses, a split lip, broken finger, and one fall from a ladder. If you're trying to kill yourself you could just ask for help.

"Thank you for catching me." He felt some irritation in his chest as pouty lips parted into a smile.

"I don't want you getting blood all over my castle,dearie." He adjusted his arms to better hold her. "Have you always been this clumsy?"

"I, well, I suppose not."

"Think hard, Keeva, when did it start?"

She scrunched her face, "I guess about a month before I turned twenty-one I started getting hurt all the time."

"You mean a month before you came here."

He lowered her feet to the ground. "Thank you, Sir, again."

Rumple waved her off, taking a seat on his stool and began to spin. He hummed as magic vibrated in his chest.

Night had settled when he stopped, having figured out the answer to his question. He looked into Keeva's room, pressing his lips together at the sight of her empty mattress. "Where are you, dearie?"

"Dining Hall!" Came the reply. Placing his hands behind his back, Rumple entered the hall.

"What," he looked around the room, "is all of this?" A variety of dishes sat along the candlelit table, in the middle of the table a cake sat.

"You won't tell me when your birthday is, so, I picked a date." When he didn't make a move, Keeva grabbed his hands, looking up at him with earnesty. "Be mad at me tomorrow."

He tilted his head at her, mimicking the smiling woman. "If you insist." She grinned, the first, real, genuine grin he had seen from her. It made her eyes sparkle and dusted her cheeks with the lightest tint of pink. "Don't just stand there." Rumple said as she stood with her hands clasped together.

"This is for you."

"Eating alone on my birthday, sounds so nice, doesn't it?" He snapped his finger, turning her old, blue dress into a dark green ball gown. "Please,"

They ate together in a comfortable silence. "Now that I've enjoyed my birthday, why don't you go to bed? Those dark circles deter your fine appearance."

"Your birthday isn't over until you've received your gift."

"And what sort of gift can you give me? You've got nothing, dearie." He smirked, "I actually can think of one thing you could give me." Rumple wagged his eyebrows at her, causing Keeva to choke on her water.

"Here." She handed him a tiny box, smiling as she did so. "It's not much, but you do deserve a present."

"How do you figure that?"

Still smiling, she said, "You know, most people say 'thank you' and then pretend to really appreciate the gesture."

"Oh a present!" He opened his palms wide, "I'm really excited!"

"I hate you." She deadpanned, placing the box in his palm. "Don't just look at it; open it!"

Rumple pulled the ribbon, watching her from the corner of his mind. She was certainly more excited than he supposed she ought to be. "A pocket watch?" He questioned. It was marvelously crafted. A golden ship was engraved on the outside, he opened it, slightly surprised that it was working correctly. He shut it and turned it over where L.O. was engraved. "Keeva, I cannot accept this."

"Yes, you can." She breathed, pushing his hand away as he tried to hand the watch back. "I want you to have it."

"Why would you say that?"

"Because one day, you'll see the good in yourself. Then you will understand."

He didn't understand. Warmth encircled him. Swallowing hard, Rumple tried to ignore the woman hugging him. But he couldn't, not after the gift she gave him. His arms wrapped themselves around her, bringing her body close to his own. "You're a good woman, Keeva."

"And I know there is a good man in you. Happy birthday, Rumplestiltskin."