Surprise! Just a short little chapter for you - and thank you for all of your feedback for this story!
I do not own 'Once Upon a Time.'
Gold ambled around his kitchen quietly that morning as he brewed a pot of coffee and made himself breakfast, as Lacey was still asleep on the sofa in the next room. He offered her his own room once again, but she refused, not wanting to deprive him of a good night's sleep when she had already disturbed him. Not that it would have mattered – Gold was up for most of the night anyway, barely getting an hour or two of sleep, as he pondered how he was going to contend with Keith Sherman without actually murdering the man, an option he did not truly rule out.
After finishing his coffee and breakfast, Gold silently peeked into the parlor. Lacey was curled up on the sofa, wearing nothing but one of his pajama tops that he loaned to her. The blanket that he had given her had fallen onto the floor. Gold made his way to her side and carefully covered her back up with the blanket. The movement caused Lacey to stir and begin to awaken.
"Rum?" Lacey whispered groggily as she began to sit up a bit.
"Go back to sleep. I didn't mean to wake you, your blanket fell, that's all." Gold said.
"What time is it?" Lacey asked.
"A bit after seven." Gold told her.
"Oh god." Lacey said, lying back down and snuggling back under the covers. "I don't think I've ever seen seven in the morning in my entire life."
"I told you – go back to sleep. No need for you to be up." Gold said.
"Why are you up?" Lacey asked.
"I'm – a bit of a morning person most days." Gold admitted.
"On purpose?" Lacey asked in disbelief. "You have fun with that, then." Lacey buried her face in the pillow and pulled the blanket over her head. Gold smiled a bit, trying not to make a sound as he exited the room. He went back into the kitchen and poured himself another cup of coffee and sat down at the counter. Barely five minutes after he did so, Lacey entered the room. Her hair was a tousled mess, the top button on the pajama top she was wearing was unbuttoned, and she yawned as she moved toward him.
"Lacey, what are you doing in here?" Gold asked.
"Well, I'm up now. Might as well have some coffee." Lacey said. She reached into the cabinet for a coffee cup and poured herself a cup. Lacey glanced over at Gold as he drank his own coffee.
"Why do you always use that broken cup?" Lacey asked as she sat down next to him.
"It, um – has sentimental value." Gold replied.
"Sentimental of what, your clumsiness?" Lacey teased. "How'd you break that one?"
"Actually – I didn't break it. It was – someone else. Someone I cared about very much." Gold said.
"Oh, so this is about a woman, isn't it? Who was she?" Lacey asked.
"She was – she worked for me. She was my – caretaker. Cleaned my home, cooked my meals – she was a lovely person." Gold said.
"Was? Where is she now?" Lacey asked.
"She, um – she's gone." Gold said.
"Oh. I'm – I'm sorry." Lacey said. "You loved her, didn't you?"
"Yes I did. I just – it didn't end well between us, and – it was my fault. I just – didn't think I was loveable." Gold admitted. "But that was a long time ago. I was a different man back then. I made – many mistakes. Many – wrong choices. I would give anything to go back and – do things differently."
"Yeah. I get that. I miss my old life sometimes." Lacey told him.
"Your old life?" Gold asked. False memories – he knew she had to have them. Regina had created quite a back story for Mr. Gold, and he was definitely curious as to what was planted in Belle's false persona's mind.
"With my father. My mother left us when I was a little girl, it was just he and I for the longest time." Lacey said.
"My father left me when I was just a lad. So I understand that." Gold said.
"He was just so – overbearing, my papa. Trying to push me to pursue this or that path when I started to get older. I was a bit of a party girl in my teens and – well, I met Keith when I had turned eighteen. He spotted me at a nightclub, told me I might be good at – well, you know. What I do. He said it was good money. My father found out and – he pretty much disowned me. I've stopped by his shop a few times since then, but – he wouldn't even talk to me. Said I was a disgrace and that – as far as he was concerned, he had no daughter."
"Lacey, I'm sorry." Gold said, and he put his hand on top of hers.
"It's alright. I like what I do." Lacey admitted.
"Why? Why do you like doing that?" Gold asked.
"Well – when I'm up there on the stage – I can be – whoever I want. I can get lost in whatever tale I imagine for myself that evening. Most of the time I don't even notice the audience because – part of me isn't really there, you know? But I always noticed you. Isn't that funny? I always noticed you there. And you never, ever looked like you wanted to be there. It was almost as if you – had to be." Lacey said. Gold looked down, not knowing what to say. "I want to take a shower. Can I use your laundry, I want to wash my clothes too, they're pretty dirty from – well, you know."
"Yeah. That's fine." Gold said. Lacey stood up and started to leave the room, then turned around.
"What will you do to him?" Lacey asked.
"Who?" Gold asked in return.
"Keith." Lacey said. "Please don't – please don't go after him." Gold stood up and stared at her in disbelief.
"Lacey, do you really think I can just ignore what he did to you last night?" Gold asked. "I won't let him get away with that."
"Look – Keith has a temper, alright. Especially when he's been drinking, and I suspect he had a few too many before he started in on me yesterday. There's a good chance he won't even remember what happened last night, and if he does I – I can deal with it." she stated.
"Lacey, you're not going back after what happened, you can't possibly want to go back there." Gold said.
"Didn't you hear what I said before? I like what I do. Keith is the worst part of it all and I can usually maneuver him to back off, last night was just an off day for me. I don't want you doing anything, he – I don't want him to hurt you, alright?" Gold chuckled a bit.
"Lacey – trust me – he won't hurt me." Gold told her.
"You can't take him on, are you insane? I mean – you – you're no match for him. I'm not trying to put you down or anything, but – you're not going to win that battle." Lacey said.
"Lacey, I think you'd be surprised at what I'm actually capable of. But don't worry – I will not be challenging Mr. Sherman to any sort duel if that's your concern. There are other things I can do to him that will be equally as painful." Gold said. "I do own the deed to his property after all."
"You gonna raise his rent?" Lacey asked, smiling a bit.
"Something like that." Gold replied. "Go on – go shower and – just worry about yourself. Let me deal with Mr. Sherman in my own way."
"Just don't do anything stupid." Lacey said, and she flitted out of the room.
"Don't intend to." Gold said to himself after she left. "At least not yet."
Gold entered the strip club early that afternoon. Keith was behind the bar organizing his bottles of alcohol. He looked up when Gold entered. "Gold." Keith said. "I'm not late on my rent, it's not due for another week." Keith said in a cocky tone. He was less nervous, more self-assured than usual. The curse was definitely weakening more and more each day, Gold observed.
"No, you're right on time with that, as always." Gold said, and he reached into his jacket and pulled out a piece of paper. "You are, however – not quite up to code on a few things in the club." Gold pulled out a piece of paper and handed it to Keith. "This has been submitted to the city's building regulations department. You have sixty days to comply with building codes – or the city will have no choice but to shut you down." Keith looked the paper over and slammed it down on the counter.
"YOU'RE the landlord! YOU fix it!" Keith shouted.
"Yes, I thought you might say that. I also just happen to have a copy of our rental agreement." Gold said, and he pulled out another paper and opened it to a specific page. "Now – as you'll see right here – your rental agreement states that I will pay for any and all upkeep to the property that would affect daily activities – plumbing problems, extermination issues, structural damage, that sort of thing. However – any changes to the appearance of the property made by the renter – well, it's your responsibility to make sure that the changes meet the standards of city building codes. You are the one who built the stage extensions, are you not?"
"With your permission." Keith stated.
"Yes – and with the understanding that, per your rental agreement, YOU would ensure ample seating space that is handicapped accessible." Gold said.
"Handicapped accessible? You're the only one who comes in here that would apply to! And you don't even come in here anymore!" Keith shouted, becoming angry.
"Yes, well – you do have to consider the safety of potential future customers. It's not just that – the sign outside – according to city requirements, it is three feet too large in height and is considered a nuisance. You did – have the sign crafted and installed, correct?" Keith looked both documents over, still fuming in anger. "Unfortunately, your rental agreement also states that any code violations that are caused by your upgrades that aren't repaired in the allotted time not only requires you to shut down your business – it also gives me the right to break your rental agreement and take back the property. You really should be more careful about reading the fine print when you sign a legal document, Mr. Sherman."
"That stage and the sign have been the way they are for as long as I can remember, and NO ONE has said a word to me!" Keith shouted. "It's only an issue because someone made it one."
"Yes, it appears that is the case. I can't imagine who would do such a thing. Perhaps you . . . . angered someone, and this was the most . . . . legal way they could think of to let you know their . . . displeasure with you." Gold stated.
"I don't have the money to fix this. Not in two months." Keith said.
"Well then – I suppose that I will be the proprietor of a strip club in sixty days. Not exactly the business venture of my dreams but – I'm sure I can think of something to do with it." Gold said. He stood up, picked up his cane, and smiled to himself as he sauntered out the door.