A/N: First of all, I am SO sorry for taking so long. This was supposed to be the "fun" chapter to write, yet for whatever reason, my inspiration was practically non-existent for the past few weeks. And then after watching Skin Deep? Yeah. I honestly thought of scrapping this story, because it frustrated me SO much/put a wrench in a lot of my plans. I just found the Rumpelle relationship super forced, and I didn't really like seeing that emo/human side of Rumpel. I prefer him being an imp, so sue me. I also didn't like their interpretation of Belle, because she was more giggly than one of Gaston's Bimbettes. SO irritating! I actually tried making a crossover vid (with Belle), and she needed to be a prisoner/horrified, but then I came to an insane realization: BELLE NEVER FROWNS/CRIES IS UPSET LIKE THE ORIGINAL, BECAUSE SHE LIKES RUMPELSTILTSKIN FROM THE GET-GO. Sorry for ranting, but Skin Deep was NOT the sweet, tentative love story that I've adored since my childhood. If anything, they liked each other from the beginning, and Belle didn't show him ANY form of defiance. Not exactly behavior for a girl who's been ripped from all that she knows and loves, but hey, what do I know? I'm just a gal who believes you can't write an OTP romance in 45 minutes.

RANT OVER.

So yes, in answer to one of my recent reviews, I will NOT NOT NOT NOT (was that a quadruple negative? :P) be including Belle in this story. Gold and Emma's relationship is already complex enough as is, so I don't need to add a third wheel to the story to complicate things. Seriously, it would NEVER end if I did, so I'm trying to make things as easy for me as possible. I'll probably refer to Belle at one point during one of Gold's internal musings, but as far as I'm concerned? BELLE DIED IN FAIRYTALE LAND AND DOES NOT EXIST IN STORYBROOKE.

In other news, this story has officially left the realm of "T," so you'll no longer find it in the K-T section. I'm hoping the ending of this chapter won't seem weird/off to you guys, so to further solidify my point, I'll be explaining why Gold and Emma did what they did at the end of the chapter. I need to explain myself a lot, don't I? lol

CH 7: Desperate Souls

The drive back to Storybrooke had been silent and amiable, but only because Emma was far too distressed to argue or make demands. The minute Gold pulled in front of the apartment complex she shared with Mary Margaret, he moved to get out and open the door for her, but Emma wordlessly got out herself and went around to his side of the car. Eyes puffy and devoid of the spark he'd grown to adore, she held out her hands as a silent demand to be released.

Not needing any provocation, Gold unfastened the zip ties and made an attempt at speech, but Emma's back was already facing him as she retreated toward the building. Her movements were stiff and careless, and Gold hated to admit to himself that he was the cause of her degeneration. Very much like himself, Emma didn't feel the will to go on without her child present.

Gripping the steering wheel between his hands, Gold sent the heavens a vengeful look before putting the car in reverse.

Emma, meanwhile, had made it to her apartment and shuffled listlessly toward the kitchen.

"Emma?" Popping her head out from the bedroom, Mary Margaret's heart gave a leap of recognition the minute she saw the blonde. "Oh, Emma, you're alright!"

"Am I?" she dryly asked, sitting down at the counter with a despondent plop. "Henry is gone, Mary, and it's all my fault..."

The school teacher winced. "Oh no, so you've heard... Emma, I am so sorry, but you know we'll get him back, don't you? Regina has the finest detectives on the case, and-"

"Oh, to hell with Regina!" Emma thundered. "I'm willing to wager that she's the reason he ran away in the first place!"

"Oh, Emma..."

"No, I'm serious! That witch can't honestly expect a child to remain under her oppressive thumb - Henry is a smart boy, Mary, so he probably decided to..." Trailing off, Emma's face lost all color and her mouth opened almost helplessly.

Bewildered by her friend's sudden reaction, Mary Margaret reached over and touched the blonde's wrist. "Emma," she uneasily began, "Emma, what's wrong? Talk to me..."

"Gold," the blonde whispered, her lips almost appearing bloodless. "He whisked me off into the night without letting me leave a single note, so what if Henry decided to come looking for me? Oh God, Mary, that means he could be anywhere!"

Slipping an arm around Emma's shoulders, Mary Margaret sat down beside her and soothed, "No, honey, we don't know that for certain... You're not helping yourself by thinking up these scenarios, so why don't you just go get some rest?"

Emma scoffed. "Right, because I can just magically shut off my brain... Mary, I can't stop thinking about Henry!"

Appearing pained, the school teacher drew back and announced, "Well, maybe Regina will have good news at the banquet tonight... I somehow have a good feeling about all of this."

Looking up from her hands, Emma immediately shook her head. "Oh, no...no, no, no, you can't seriously expect me to go to that, can you?"

"You're our sheriff now, so you have to," Mary Margaret reminded her. "It's Storybrooke's annual fundraiser, so anyone with any means of importance is expected to attend."

Emma grimaced. "Then that means Mr. Gold...?"

"Will be attending? Yes, I'm afraid so." Now rising from her seat, she announced, "I went dress shopping earlier this evening, so you can borrow one of mine again, if you'd like. I have a real red-hot number that I know will stop men in their tracks."

"Well, if they literally stop and screw off, that'd be wonderful," Emma grumbled. "I'm sorry, Mare, but I'm not exactly in the mood to get all dolled up..."

"Then let me do the "dolling up" for you," Mary Margaret persisted. "I think we both know that all eyes will be on you tonight, so I think it'd be in your best interest to appear strong and unaffected. At the very least, it may keep Regina from further pouring salt in the wound."

Emma nodded, but her response was very noncommittal. "Promise you'll never leave my side tonight, ok? I seriously don't think I could handle anyone's questions..."

"Of course, sweetie - I'll even ignore my date for you," Mary Margaret wryly assured her.

Emma found she couldn't even make the joke she desired, for her stomach was in knots over the idea that her son was hurt. Miserably allowing Mary Margaret to lead her into the bathroom, she sulked and stood in front of the mirror like the school teacher instructed.

"Do you mind if I ask what you and Gold did while you were gone?"

Emma's scowl deepened. "Do I mind? Actually yes, I mind very much, Mary, and I seriously don't want to talk about it. What happened out there was no choice of mine, and that's all you really need to know."

Dipping a makeup brush into some eyeshadow, Mary Margaret appeared thoughtful before asking, "Well why haven't you arrested him yet? Surely the man can't get away with kidnapping and breaking and entering..."

"You'd be surprised," Emma bitterly returned. "Believe me, I've thought about it, but deep-down I know he'll just get away with it - he always does."

Although Mary Margaret wanted to ask what really happened on the trip, she held her tongue and began to paint Emma's eyelids. After a moment, she softly mumbled, "Well for your sake, I hope Gold won't try anything tonight."

"Yeah, well if he does? He'll be needing to be whisked off to the emergency room," Emma snarled. "I'm serious, Mary, I am so upset with him right now... For a minute there, I almost found him tolerable."

In spite of herself, the school teacher couldn't help but blanch. "Uhh, come again? The man breaks into our house and kidnaps you, yet you say you almost found him tolerable?"

"Ugh, God, never mind! It doesn't matter," Emma growled. "I mean, can we just drop it? I am this close to committing a murder, and I'd rather it didn't end up being you."

Mary Margaret winced. "Ok, wow...fair enough. I'll just finish your makeup and give you your dress for tonight."

Emma sighed, but said nothing. At this rate, she wanted to stick her head in an over and just be done with it.

As Mary Margaret predicted, every person of influence had arrived for the fundraiser. Rubbing elbows with the townspeople was one thing, but having to pretend she liked them was a completely different matter to Emma. For one, many of them were rich snobs who preferred comparing bank statements over giving money to charity. Of course, there were some kind-hearted people present, but Emma was far too distracted by individuals like Gold and Regina to enjoy herself.

"This is ridiculous," she muttered, finally able to pry Mary Margaret away from Whale as they headed for a table. Their names were neatly printed on high-priced, exorbitant cardstock with gold leaf trim.

Rolling her eyes at the place settings, Emma then noticed the name across from hers and instantly froze. "You have got to be kidding me...is this some sort of joke?"

"What?" Mary Margaret demanded, only to follow her friend's gaze and pale. "Oh... Well if it makes you feel any better, I don't think he was assigned to sit with us on purpose."

Emma scoffed. "When Regina's involved, these sort of things are never a coincidence."

"No truer words have been spoken," Gold agreed, thus causing both women to jerk around in surprise. Now that he had their attention, he warmly greeted, "Hello, Miss Blanchard...Sheriff." Here he nodded. "It's so very nice to see you both again so soon."

Emma bristled, yet found she couldn't speak the words she yearned to express. Instead, she felt the heat in her cheeks rising when Gold's dark, shark-like eyes roved appreciatively over her curves. Down, down, down they went, only to quickly return to linger on her barely concealed cleavage.

Pervert.

"Shall we have a seat?" he asked.

Emma stood glowering at him, but Mary Margaret, always the peacemaker, made the first move and began ushering her toward her chair.

Sitting with an unabashed sense of disdain, Emma draped her napkin over her lap and looked down at her empty wine glass. If it wasn't filled within the next three minutes, she just might make a scene...

Now staring down at her hands, she could feel Gold's eyes burning into her and she shivered. After she'd had enough of his scrutiny, she snapped, "What do you want? I don't like being appraised like a piece of meat!"

Gold appeared momentarily affronted, but his trademark smile came into place and he shook his head. "Ah, Miss Swan, must I always have an ulterior motive in your eyes? I'm merely hoping we all can have a nice conversation tonight."

"Yeah? Well you pretty much killed that chance when you kidnapped me, terrorized me, and caused my son to end up going missing."

At this barb Gold visibly paled, his lips pressing together as he smoothed the front of his blazer. Emma hadn't noticed before, but the lines on his face seemed deeper, and his eyes were faintly bloodshot. Why did he seem so upset?

Mary Margaret had been nervously staring off to the side (obviously wishing she were anywhere but that table), but took this moment to try and restore a sense of cheer. "So, Mr. Gold," she began, "have you gotten any interesting new stock for your store lately?"

Emma rolled her eyes. "You're not seriously pretending you care, are you? We don't have to be civil with each other just because we're at the same table."

Balking, Mary Margaret found she could only open and close her mouth in mute horror.

Mr. Gold, however, appeared unruffled by the blonde's attitude. He'd grown accustomed to her outbursts, and in this instance didn't blame her for hating him. He'd single-handedly brought their son into danger, and could only hope and pray for his safe return.

At that moment, a tormented wail rose from the front entrance, and a distraught Regina Mills came rushing into the dining hall.

"Who did this?" she demanded, eyes wild as she held up a piece of paper. "Who has my son?"

Gold rose as though attached to a spring, his eyes wide as he furiously gripped his cane. Regina, however, somehow missed this instinctive reaction and continued to wave the paper about.

"Someone knows where he is...give me my son!" she thundered.

Unable to take the suspense, Emma also rose and demanded, "What does the note say, Madame Mayor? Why do you think someone has Henry?"

Eyes cold and accusatory, Regina handed over the parchment and Emma took it with trembling fingers. "If you want to see your son alive again, things need to start changing around here," she breathlessly read, her face ghost-white as she stared down at the typed words in shock. "No..."

Viciously snatching the paper from Emma's hands, Regina then turned back toward their audience and snapped, "Well? One of you has to know something about this, so you'd better start talking now before I find out about your involvement!"

Exchanging horrified glances with Mary Margaret, Emma placed a hand over her chest and tried to steady her breathing. As she did so, she caught sight of Gold briskly limping off toward the exit.

Eyes narrowing in suspicion, Emma grabbed her purse and stealthily snuck out after him.

"You son of a bitch!"

Looking up from a lamp he was polishing, Gold stiffened as Emma slammed the door and began to heatedly approach him.

Extending her index finger, she shouted, "It's your fault I wasn't here for Henry - it's your fault he ran away to find me!"

For the first time in his life, Gold found he could say absolutely nothing in return. Instead, his fingers gripped his polishing rag so tightly that his bones began to ache, his lips turning downward as he tried to save face. Henry was his son, so of course he was already blaming himself for the boy's disappearance.

Close to tears, Emma was now directly in front of him, her face red from suppressing emotion as she shrilled, "Well? Aren't you going to say anything? Perhaps an 'I'm sorry' for being such a stupid, ignorant asshole?"

When Gold still failed to respond, Emma gave a shriek and smacked the polishing rag right out of his hand. Catching her by the wrist, Gold surprised her by yanking her body flush against his own, his mouth angling roughly over hers in an act that both silenced and infuriated her.

Tongues battling for dominance, the couple soon found themselves crashing into the counter, Gold carelessly clearing the surface and causing several items to scatter to the floor.

Struggling within his grasp, Emma began to urgently shrug off her shawl as Gold assisted in the removal of the bothersome garment. With his hands supporting Emma's bottom, he lifted her legs and forced them apart as he tore her black, lacy panties straight from her body. Grinding against her bared heat, Gold gave a hiss of pain when Emma bit his bottom lip so hard that it began to bleed. Licking the blood away, he assaulted Emma's lips once more as she squirmed beneath him, his ears ringing as the blonde's fist connected squarely with his jaw.

Now grappling as if they were in some sort of street brawl, Gold allowed Emma to kick, punch, scratch, and bite him as they groped at one another, his teeth gritting when the little succubus gripped him firmly between the legs.

Crashing his mouth forcibly against hers, Gold stormed his tongue past her lips and grunted when Emma rolled over top of him.

Breathing heavily, Emma began to unfasten Gold's pants before delivering a swift punch to his gut. Winded from the surprise blow, the older man lurched forward and found his lips entrapped by Emma's once more, his hips giving an involuntary jerk when she reached inside his pants and stroked him.

Tongue tracing along his lips, Emma lifted a leg and straddled Gold as they laid sprawled out across the counter, her hand now guiding him toward her throbbing heat as her teeth sunk into his bottom lip. A sense of pride filled her when Gold moaned into her open mouth, her nails now digging into his cheeks and drawing blood as she began to slowly, tortuously ease herself down Gold's arousal.

Gritting his teeth, the pawnbroker fought off a growl as Emma teased him, his hands grasping at her hips as he desperately tried to force her down to the hilt.

Cheeks flushed and her lips slightly parted, Emma began to pant from the effort it took to keep up her tease. The man deserved to suffer, so she'd be sure to prolong his agony for as long as humanly possible. For once she was in control, and she was damn well going to savor in Gold's sudden weakness.

At that moment Gold thrust up into her heat, and Emma gave a cry before bowing forward, her eyes blazing as she reared back and struck him clear across the face. Again and again she slapped him, the adrenaline running through her veins now causing her to harshly, almost frantically ride the aroused man beneath her.

"You smug son of a bitch," she hissed, completely breathless as she rose and fell against the desperate jerk of his hips.

Gold found that he could only give a soft snarl in response, his face stinging from her slaps as she sporadically struck him. Digging his nails into her undulating hips, he gave a soft hiss as he felt her walls gripping him like an iron vice.

Hair falling into her line of vision, Emma panted as she began to bounce up and down his shaft at a more urgent pace. She could sense the end approaching, and she wanted nothing more than to take him down a few pegs.

Striking Gold for good measure, Emma hissed, "How do you like that, you smug son of a...? Oh!" Head tossing back, the blonde was instantly silenced when she began to contract around his girth, her back arching as she dug her nails into his arms and screamed.

Gold winced as her center began to abruptly milk him, her orgasm causing him to follow soon after in a rush of liquid fire.

By this point Emma was crying - sobbing, even - her self-loathing only mounting as she rolled off of Gold and straightened her dress. Her dear, sweet little boy was out there somewhere needing her, yet here she was, fucking the frustration out of her body with Storybrooke's infamous dealer.

When Gold moved to speak, Emma gave a fierce, "Don't," her eyes glittering with an odd mixture of lust and disdain as she tore away from him and stood up. Wiping at her eyes, she reluctantly turned to face him and choked out, "As far as I'm concerned? You don't exist. This was just a severe lapse of sanity."

Bewildered, Gold shakily tucked himself into his pants and rose from the counter. "But Emma-love..."

"Don't you fucking call me that!" she screamed. "I will never, ever be your love!"

Gold's eyes flashed dangerously, yet all he could do was grit his teeth. If she wanted to keep dancing around the inevitable, then so be it. "Get out," he softly urged, his voice barely above a whisper. "Just go."

"Don't worry, I never plan on coming back to your goddamn shop ever again!" she barked, now slamming the door so hard behind her that the shelves rattled. In that instant, the bell overhead broke off and went skittering to the floor, Gold's jaw twitching as the silver object rolled directly alongside his foot.

Well, he'd be damned...she'd broken his little bell.

A/N: Sorry, couldn't resist the last line - for some reason I'd been wanting to have her actually break his bell after "Desperate Souls." lol And yes, I know the love scene may seem random and weird, but believe it or not, a lot of people become aroused when angry or upset. Ever heard of people loving angry sex? Well, I'd like to think that sort of thing is right up Gold and Emma's alley. ;) It's a form of venting frustration, so if anything, they both just snapped under the pressure and relieved themselves in the only way they knew how.

From here on out, I definitely can't promise a weekly update. I know how I want to end this, but the only problem is getting there.

At this time, I'd like to thank my LOVELY reviewers. You're all so amazing, THANK YOU!

Funky Giraffe: I finally wrote more, yay! :P Sorry I took so long! And no, Gold doesn't tell Emma about their child just yet, but I promise it'll be soon. ;) Thanks for reading!

aoeicfzs slasdkvsflwei: I'm sorry you didn't like my story. I guess I shouldn't be writing this since you're not ever going to see this, but thanks for reading the three chapters that you did!

Twilightluver1966: I sure will, don't worry! ;) I've just been in a bit of a creative slump lately. Quite frankly, I've been spoiling you guys with my weekly updates, because my usual update time is 3-4 weeks.

DarkFairy207: Aww, well thank you, that really means a lot to me! Seriously, it does. :) I'm very sorry I kept you and the others waiting. I love your new story, by the way! And I'm glad you didn't find my last chapter boring. lol

helikesitheymikey: Wow, you're reading it again? You must be bored! LOL And don't worry, I REFUSE to bring Belle into this. I can't say I really liked her, which is sad since she is my absolute FAVORITE princess of all time. I hated that they turned her into such a shallow, watered down version of the original. I say shallow, because she seemed to love the IDEA of Rumpel more so than the actual man. She kept harping on how he was once a "normal man," and she asked Regina if the kiss would make him "normal" again. That to me means she doesn't truly love him. At least, not the way she should. :/ And that's a really good point. I doubt she WOULD want to play second fiddle, which is also why I have a feeling she erects all those walls. She's accustomed to disappointment, so she doesn't want the chance of love in case it backfires.

Eden Graham: Wow, thank you so much! I really appreciate that!

last to dance: LOL It's ok, stupid auto correct! ;P Sometimes that feature writes the oddest things... haha But don't worry, I understood you. :) And thank you so much! Hopefully I didn't keep you guys waiting TOO long!

ClaudiaRain: Aww, well thank you very much! I'm so happy you think they're in character, because I've found they're probably the hardest ones to nail. :)

Lycy: Hopefully this was fast enough for you! lol

Alamy: Hopefully this wasn't a disappointment since I kept you waiting! ;)

khan81: Oh pshaw, don't feel bad! I love reading your story! And thank you so much! I really hope this theory comes true on the show...

Tori: Thank you, I'm so glad you like it!

DamnationoftheDead: Hahaha, well when you put it that way... ;D Thanks so much for reading!

Miriette: LOL Well when you're drunk/have many one night stands, that sort of thing tends to happen. :P And I think Gold and Emma's scenes sizzle for a reason, so even if they don't get together any time soon, I wouldn't say never to the possibility.

lady-hook: LOLOLOL Yeah, this is the HBO version for sure. ;P I wish we could at least get a heavy make-out scene, but so far nothing on the show is remotely "hot 'n' heavy." I'm so glad you think everyone's in character so far!

ElizaSP: Aww, well I'm glad you didn't find it boring! lol I guess I just felt it was too similar to the chapter before it, so I was bored writing it. I naturally loved that part on the show, too. How could I not? ;P I need to re-immerse myself in the "good ol' episodes" to forget the horror otherwise known as Skin Deep. LOL

Rylee87: Sorry! xP lol Henry is...somewhere. :) I can't say just yet! Thanks for reading!

Emerald Imagination: Oh wow, well thank you so much! And I agree, I LOVE the theory, and I hope it's true! Tell your brother it's an awesome theory, and that he needs to accept it! ;P

Dr. Temperance Brennan: LOL I can't help but love them. Any time two people share such brilliant chemistry, I'm automatically drawn like a moth to the flame. I'm glad this fic doesn't repulse you! LOL

Hippiechic1967: Sorry for the cliffhanger, especially since it took me so long to update! And I'm so glad you like it so much. :)

wishfullliving89: Thank you so much! Sorry if I kept you guys waiting!

Suzie Q: Aww, thanks for reading/reviewing all my chapters! That really means a lot to me!

RavenClaw992: I agree on hooking up right away to be OOC... This is probably the slowest I've ever taken a relationship, and it's KILLING ME. lol But fortunately, now that I've got a love scene out of the way, I won't feel inclined to rush. It's much easier to take things slow when there's no "GOTTA GET 'EM TO KISS!" reaction from my end. LOL I'm so glad you're enjoying it so far! Thanks for reading!

MonkeysDoctorWho1987: Haha, yay for catching up! I'm so glad you liked that part, because I was uncertain of it. :)

E: I AGREE WITH YOU COMPLETELY. WHERE IS ALL THE GEMMA? NEED MOOOORE! lol I loved how in Skin Deep, it seemed that EMMA was doing the flirting instead of the other way around for a change. The sandwich scene was just so cute. :P And so far it looks like things aren't working in our favor, but at least Gold and Emma were giving each other sex eyes when she arrested him. Someone has a fetiiish! ;P Thanks for reading!

TheWordMasterofFiction: Gemma was sadly never very popular (in comparison to other ships), but I'll agree that the Rumbelle ship has taken off like nobody's business. I honestly can't see why, because I didn't find their relationship believable or interesting... But oh well, I'll never stop shipping. :) And thank you, I appreciate that!

Lady Elena Bella Petrova: Thank you so much, hope you liked the update!

thablueGRRL: LOLOL A guard dog? Somehow I could see Emma doing that. :P Cute idea. Thanks so much for reading!

Morzan's Elvish Daughter: Thank you for pointing that out - I fixed it the minute I got your review. ;) Sometimes I write things and forget I wrote something that prevents said thing from happening realistically... LOL

Musicalfan2012: Thank you so much, I really appreciate that! And I agree full-heartedly...I really wish we had more Gemma scenes on the show!