Thicker than Blood

Rated: M

Chapter 3: Heart not for the Taking.

(That night)

"Sorry that you have to come to work with me Tara," I stated as I led her toward the Rabbit Hole, I was wearing normal clothes for now. She looked so out of place in this side of town, she was tougher than she looked and could take care of herself, but she still looked slightly out of place here. "I don't like my job but it's the only one I can have really." Tara nodded with a smile; I had missed her so much, after I had been turned into a vampire she and I had become like sisters. I opened the door and led her into the bar; I sat her at a booth. "I get out at midnight."

"Love you sis, nothing is out of your reach remember?" Tara asked as she looked at me with a smile and a knowing look. I snapped my fingers and changed my outfit to a button up white shirt with a black bra, a red plaid skirt with a red pair of panties and garter belt. As well as a pair of high heeled shoes with knee high socks. "What exactly do you do Avy?" I looked at her.

"Stripper," I replied quietly as I sat with her. "I have to go my shift starts in five." Tara nodded with a smile as I walked into the back.

(After her shift)

"Did you have fun?" I asked as I looked at her and changed my clothes back to what I had on before work. "Now I'll find you a place to stay tomorrow but for now let's go to the place I'm staying." I grabbed Tara's hand and led her outside. "Shit! What are you doing here Gold?" I looked at Mr. Gold with a glare on my face. He didn't look happy so I turned to Tara and whispered, "Run." She nodded and ran off back toward the center of town.

"Dearie, you need to come back to the house," Mr. Gold replied as he looked at me, all I was worried about currently was that Tara was safe. I shook my head and continued to glare at him, it was late and he should have been asleep. "I'm not going to argue right now Clara, you're going to come back to the house and I've already put in your letter of resignation at The Rabbit Hole." He grabbed my arm and dragged me toward his car, I tried to break his grip, but I also noticed that he wasn't limping. "Avyanna! Stop fighting me." I felt myself go slack and I saw Tara, she looked out of sorts in a new area much like I had at first.

"Avy!" Tara screamed as she saw me, she ran up to me and Gold. "Let her go!" I watched as she flung her arm out and smacked Mr. Gold, it stunned him long enough for me to get away, but I couldn't make it all the way to Tara. "What's wrong Avy? Come on let's go."

"I can't Tara… But I'll see you soon," I whispered as I reached out a hand to her, she walked to me and gave me a hug before backing away as if burned. "I want you to go to the local inn and stay there." She nodded and quickly ran away; I knew she would be safe so I was happy. "Let me go Gold." He shook his head and pulled me into his chest, he felt different somehow, I couldn't pinpoint it but I knew he felt different. "You feel different, let me go." I tried to break his grip on me but couldn't, it was as if he was stronger.

"I'm not going to argue this anymore Avyanna," He growled, his voice a different pitch, a different sound altogether. I fought against him as much as I could, not understanding what was making me unable to fight him. "You and I have a deal to make, on top of the one we already have." I tried again to get away from him, this wasn't Mr. Gold, this was Rumplestiltskin, this was The Dark One. His grip stood firm and I went slack. "Now get in the car Avyanna." I did as he said.

(Mr. Gold's P.o.V)

"Yes master," She muttered snidely as she closed the door of the car. I watched her as she adjusted in her seat, and then walked around to my own side and got in. "Is there any way I can serve you you pompous rat?" Her tone was snippy and short, I knew she was angry but that wasn't my problem. I started the car and drove toward home, I was curious as to who that other girl was, but currently my only concern was getting this feisty little vampire home and make her sign a few contracts. As I pulled into the garage I was suddenly relieved that Belle had decided to stay at her father's tonight. "I'll sign your blasted papers tomorrow, I really want to sleep right now." I shook my head as I got out and then opened her door, I grabbed her by the arm and dragged her into my home office.

"You are going to sign them right after I draw them up dearie," I stated as I flicked my wrist and two separate contracts appeared on my desk. "This is the one for that favor." I handed her the first contract and waited for her to sign it, unlike all the rest she actually read it. "Sign it dearie, it's nothing more than we agreed upon." She reached for a pen and signed it. "This one's just about the renting of my spare room." She signed it after reading it and handed them both to me before she ran away from the office, what she didn't know was that I had made it so that she couldn't leave. I read the contracts as I had to sign them as well when I noticed that she signed them Rose and nothing more, but it was the signature style that had me confused, it was similar to how my first apprentice Cora had signed her name. I left the office and found Clara, she was hiding in her room.

"I signed them Rumplestiltskin," She whispered as she kept to herself in the corner. I walked into the room and dragged her up again. "What do you want now, I signed your damned contracts even though it kills my very soul. Leave me alone would you." By this point I could usually hear people's hearts racing, but hers wasn't, not even a hollow sound that you'd expect from a vampire. I spun her around quickly so that she was facing me, I put a hand over where her heart was. I didn't feel anything. "Stop touching me! Let me go!" I pushed her away slightly.

"Why don't you have a heartbeat? I know vampires have one," I demanded as I looked at her, she raised an eyebrow. I had let the Dark One out and he refused to be brought back in, so she would have to deal with the consequences. "Come along dearie, you can tell me. It's just us deal makers here." I watched her shrink away from me farther so I grabbed her again and pulled her closer. She muttered something that I couldn't quite hear. "What was that dearie?"

"I don't have one…" She muttered a little louder as she looked up at me. I let go of her with my right hand and shoved it through her chest to where her heart should be, I felt around and felt nothing, not even the remains of where a heart had been. "I said I didn't have one… why would I lie about that?" She was upset, my hand still in her chest, and I could understand her anger nobody likes having a hand in their chest. "Now please take your hand from my chest, it's becoming uncomfortable." I had her over a barrel at this point, I had my hand in her chest and while impractical to keep it there I could plant a seed of control if I decided to do so.

"You're going to do what I tell you if you want my hand out of your chest," I whispered in her ear as I looked at her, she looked highly uncomfortable but wasn't making a move to get free. She closed her eyes and put her hands up to my shoulders. I heard her let out a whimper as I gripped around where her heart should have been, she pushed against me and tried to get away. "Are you going to take the deal?" She shook her head and made a choking noise before her knees went out from under her.

(The Next Day (At the Shop))

"Hello Rumple," Belle stated from the doorway as she looked at me. She had shown up right on time, and for that I was happy about that. "Where's Clara, I thought she would be here?" Always the astute and inquisitive girl I had fallen in love with. I had woken up and found Clara holding her chest and screaming so I let her stay at home, she looked like hell so I had warded the house so that I knew she would still be there.

"She had a rough night last night, I let her stay home today," I replied calmly as I looked at Belle, she had a bag with her, I looked at the clock and realized that it was lunch time. "Come on in dearie, I'll go set up the back room." I walked out to the back of the shop as Belle stepped into the shop and flipped my sign from open to closed. I looked around and set up the chairs, but found that they wouldn't move. "What's going on?" I tried to move the chair again but found it stuck fast to the floor, something moved in the corner and I looked to find Clara, still holding her chest but looking much better than I had found her this morning.

"Why did you find it a good idea to shove your hand into my chest last night?" Clara demanded quietly as she looked at me, I raised an eyebrow, I had done no such thing. I was trying to figure out how she had gotten out of the house. "You warded the doors not the windows Rumplestiltskin, amateur mistake." She grabbed me around the throat and squeezed.

"Clara stop!" I exclaimed as best I could with her trying to choke me. "What are you talking about? I never put my hand in your chest, why would I do that?" She raised an eyebrow, almost as if to say something about if I questioned her intelligence or something similar. Belle stepped through the door and I found myself released and I found Clara on the other side of the room. "Feeling better I see, you looked awful this morning which is why I didn't wake you."

"You had your damned hand and arm in my chest you wretch," Clara exclaimed as she glared at me, Belle looked shocked to say the least, I took a look at what she was wearing, Clara was wearing a pair of tight leather pants with a tight fitting shirt and corset combo over it, she also had on knee length leather boots with a sharp spike heel to them. "Why else would I be upset currently? You're Rumplestiltskin for gods' sake, I made a deal with you and now I pay the price, not a big deal in all reality, but I'm not going to be your repercussion free magic monkey!" She kept saying that I had had my hand in her chest but I didn't recall ever doing that to her. She smacked me in the face after walking up to me then she walked away, I heard the chime of my front bell and knew she was gone.

"Rumple, is everything ok?" Belle asked gently as she put the bag of food on the table after I had set it. I nodded gently as I pulled out her chair for her. "Why was she asking about hands in chests?" This gave me pause and I thought on it, there were flashes of things in my mind that didn't make sense really there was one of me creating contracts and getting angered by the result. I saw another flash of memory and saw her screaming at me, my hand and arm in her chest, I watched her collapse with my hand still in her chest. "What's wrong Rumple? You zoned out there for a few moments."

"The Beast got out after being angered… I tried to rip her heart out," I whispered as realization hit me, I had let Rumplestiltskin get out, he always lurked right below the surface, flashes of her telling me that I felt different hit me like a brick wall. "But I couldn't rip out what isn't there." Belle looked confused for a moment before she put a hand over her mouth, she was shocked. She sat down and I pushed her chair in. "I'll talk with her later, let's eat." Belle nodded with a slight smile as she separated the meals and we began eating.

(With Clara and Tara) (Clara's P.o.V)

"Hey Tara," I stated happily as I picked up my best friend at Granny's inn. "How was the room?" I looped arms with Tara and smiled as we walked down the street. I wasn't going to let her anywhere near Rumplestiltskin for the time being, for everyone's best interest of course. "I'm currently trying to find a place to live, we could totally live together." She smiled as I lead her towards the center of town, she was dressed in a flowy skirt in an emerald green a looser top in a royal purple that was fastened with a royal purple corset.

"I've missed you Avy," Tara stated as we walked, I was going to take her to the diner later, but I wanted to visit with her more first. "Where did you go before this? You were gone for almost a month." I nodded and put my head down, I knew that our family must have been worried. "We were so worried about you when you didn't come home from that last deal making session." I felt horrible, but I had no control over that.

"I ended up here while I was on my way home," I murmured as I looked at her I was leading her toward the woods where I knew a bench to be. "It's not all bad, I currently live with the Dark One and well that's a bowl of interesting." We sat on the bench and I grabbed my chest again, it felt like a fire ripping through where my heart should be, I had no clue what was going on. "It burns!" I was digging at my chest trying to make the burning stop.

"What's wrong Avy?" Tara asked calmly as she looked at me, I must have looked crazy at the moment. "Stop digging at your chest, you'll injure yourself if you continue." She grabbed my hands and held them away from my chest. I felt tears come to my eyes and the burning continued. "Let's get you to a doctor. Tell me where to go." I shook my head as she attempted to drag me back toward town, I struggled against her, I just wanted to lay down.