Mr. Gold rose slowly from the chair, stretching a little and grimacing at the pain. The chair in Belle's room was never meant to be slept in. Not that he had slept much, not that he had any intention of staying the whole night with her. His intent has been to sit with her 'til she fell asleep before returning to his own room and his empty bed. Not that he minded, not really. Just having her here, just knowing she was alive was so much more than he had ever hoped for. He would have done anything to please her, a little bit of physical discomfort was nothing compared to the guilt and grief he had carried for all these years. But he had only just started to rise from the chair when her cry had alerted him. Nightmares, something with which he was intimately familiar. He had reached out, awkwardly. It had been a long time since he had soothed anyone's nightmares, more like caused them. He was quite good at that. But when he whispered her name, and stroked her hair, she settled instantly, almost like magic. The rest of the night had passed that way, with her twisting in her dreams, and his hand on her shoulder, her hair, whatever to took to settle her.
Only once had she truly woken, or as close to. She had opened her sleepy eyes, to see him. "Always liked that colour on you," she said vaguely, sleepily before sliding back into sleep. He had been stunned, but when the shock wore off, he settled back in his chair happier than he had been. Her memories were still intact, like those of the rest of town, only accessible in dreams or odd, subconscious likes and tastes. The way Mary Margaret reached for David Nolan, no memory, but a sense of what was right. When the curse fell, his Belle would be back, her memories intact. She might hate him forever, he realized, but he doubted it. Belle wasn't like that, too good for that. But he would make every effort to make it up to her, if it took forever.
After that, he spent the rest of the night planning between bouts of nightmares, working out a plan to get her some more clothes, how to hide her, the little details. Once his Belle was safe and settled, then it would be time to settle accounts with Regina. Killing her was indeed still an option he would like to explore, but he was fairly certain that Belle would oppose it. Besides, it would be too quick and too clean. Torture too was out. Belle had never been keen, and while he had never enjoyed it as much as he allowed other people to believe, still it was a messy, unpleasant business, and there were better ways.
Taking Henry away from Regina, helping Miss Swan gain custody of her son, that had possibilities. He was a smart lad, and Gold genuinely liked him, though he didn't consider himself over fond of children in general. Something about him reminded him a bit of his Bae, when he was a young boy, mostly but not entirely without the mud. Bae had always been capable, smart and loyal to his friends, even when many of them abandoned him after what his father had become. He had told his father once that his friends stood by him when the rest of the village treated his father as an outcast, he would do the same when his father was a threat to them. Of course then he had turned around and asked his father not to turn them into anything, but even he acknowledged now, with time and distance, that he had been a bit out of control at the time, drunk with his own power. It had taken losing his son for him to really come back to himself, or as close as he had come.
Gold pulled himself from these thoughts to focus on his more immediate problems, Belle's clothing and safety, breaking the curse, finding his son, then Regina. It never did to forget one's priorities. For the first, he knew clothing could be purchased remotely via the computer, not one of his favorite instruments, but he would acknowledge the usefulness. It never ceased to amaze him what people did, and how they got along without magic, but that was a thought for another time. So, he could get clothes for Belle that way, but even with all the money at his disposal, it would take a few days. He could hardly ask her to wash out her underclothes in the sink like a peasant with only one set of... he steered his thoughts away from there quickly. Besides those sorts of things, there were shoes, night clothes, toiletries, all the other things that a man, especially one who had not lived with a woman in so long, and never in this world, would not think of.
What he needed was a woman, one that he could trust, who wouldn't share his secret. The first one to come to mind of course was Sheriff Swan. Emma was a steadfast as her parents, strong, courageous and utterly trust worthy. And of course, in this case, completely useless. Not that he wouldn't trust her, but there was always the chance that Regina would have her out searching for the escaped prisoner/patient/whatever excuse she would use to explain her. Emma also couldn't defy Regina, not openly like that, not yet, while Henry was at stake. She would never risk her son, and rightly so, no matter how much it inconvenienced him. Despite the fact that there was no way that Regina could manage legally, the solution might take time, and he wasn't willing to put his girl even close to Regina's clutches. He wouldn't willingly let anyone take her out of the house but himself, not right now. That could be a problem, later, he realized, his possessive streak, but that would be keep, for when she was safe.
The second choice was just as useless to him. Mary Margaret Blanchard was everything her daughter was, but right now the two of them were sharing her loft, and keeping a secret in that kind of situation was not an easy task. Besides, Mary Margaret also had a lot going on, and he wasn't about to interfere with anything that would bring the curse to an end, even if it inconvenienced him. Slowly he allowed him mind to flick through all the women in town, who they were now, who they had been, toting up their debts to him as well as Regina, and organizing them by trustworthiness. Half the night, and he could only come up with one name, one woman in all of Storybrooke, who owed him nothing and Regina even less. She wasn't particularly friendly to him, but neither did she actively hate him, and she was a good person, regardless of what she sometimes thought of herself. Not ideal, but then what was in this world, he thought to himself.
Now it was close on 6 am. The sun had not yet begun to rise in the winter sky, but he had things he needed to do, and if his plan was to work, and still remain a secret from the rest of this over small town, he needed to get started early. Belle had woken as he stood, as though she was somehow aware of him movements even in her sleep. "What time is it?" she asked quietly, stifling a yawn.
"Too early for you to worry about, dearie," he said, unable to stop himself from slipping back into at least some patterns. "I have to go see someone about helping us. You can stay in bed if you like, you need your sleep."
"I'm fine. I can get up. I don't suppose I can go with you?" she asked, thought pretty sure she knew the answer.
"Not a good idea, Belle. I need to know what Regina is going to do about your disappearance. By now, she is sure to know you are gone, and since her emprisonment of you was entirely illegal, that doesn't mean she hasn't got something up her sleeve. I don't trust her, certainly not with you."
"What about you? What if she tries to do something to you?" she said, slightly alarmed at the idea of him out and about with the nebulous specter of the woman who had become her boogie man lurking.
"Now, you don't have to worry about me, dearie. I know how to handle Regina." The smile on his face was cunning and not entirely pleasant. "Besides, she knows better than to come directly at me. For now, you just rest."
"I'm fine, really I am. Isn't there something I can do?" she asked. He thought about it. Honestly, while he knew he had to go to the shop today, for all that it held no appeal to him, he'd not thought how she would occupy herself, though occupy herself she would, that about her he knew.
"Let me attend to this, and we will sort that when I get back. Perhaps, you could make us some tea?" he asked. Gods how he had missed that. The thought of her sitting on the table, swinging her feet, while he sat back in his chair... He pushed that thought back hard.
"Of course, I can do that, hardly a challenge," she smiled at him, and started to sit up, the covers falling down to her waist. The image of Belle in his pajama shirt was more than enough to get him moving, out the door and into his own room with a strict reminder to himself to keep his thoughts firmly away.
He dressed with more care than usual, moving slower than he would like to, but his leg was truly unhappy about the night in the chair. Only when his appearance was perfect did he finally open the door. Belle was out of the bed, the dressing gown wrapped around her, looking radiant even in her borrowed, oversized clothes and he couldn't help but smile. She was going through the dresses he had brought, her lip between her teeth, in concentration.
"Anything you like?" he asked. She turned a little too quickly, and he realized she hadn't known he was there.
"They are all lovely. I don't know. Maybe, when you get back, you could help?" she asked. He didn't know what to say. He cared little for what she wore, as long as she was comfortable, and what he knew about women's fashion was limited to what he liked and what he didn't, Regina had style but it was too cold, Mary Margaret, a little too wholesome, rather like the nuns, Emma, too modern, and Ruby Lucas...well that was an entirely different kettle of fish.
"I...if you like," he said, bemused. That was something to think about later. "I'm afraid I can't tell you anything about fashion."
"It doesn't matter, I've never cared much for fashion, at least I don't think so. I'll settle for not looking like a...like either a tart or a vagabond," she finished.
"You could never look like either," he assured her. "But there is time to worry about that later. Actually, there is something you can do while you are gone," he said, realizing it wasn't something he had thought about, but might be important, though he knew she would hate it, if the situation went on too long. She was never a creature of the darkness, his Belle. "Check the rooms, the ones where the curtains are open, close the doors, and keep from them. I don't want to make changes in case someone is watching but neither do I want you visible to prying eyes."
"Will there be prying eyes?" she asked.
"I expect so, and until we are sure, I want to make sure you are safe, yes?" he said, making a question.
"Yes," she agreed and came to him, reaching up to kiss his cheek. He smiled, pushing away all the other thoughts that suddenly came crowding in.
"What was that for?" he asked, putting an amazed hand to his cheek.
"For caring for me, and keeping me safe," she said. "Now, you had best hurry on your errand. The sooner you leave, the sooner you are back." He turned and made his way slowly down the stairs, reluctant to leave her, regardless of the necessity. He had just got her back, it was too soon to leave her.
He drove down Main Street with an eye open for his target. It was early and to say that the little town was quiet would be an understatement. More like comatose. The winter chill, and the lack of sunlight kept people home and indoors as long as possible. Only the light at Granny's was on. Though they weren't open yet, he knew that the formidable old woman was already at work in the kitchen, cooking and baking for the long day ahead. He also was well aware that her Granddaughter who served at the counter would go in no earlier than she needed to. Ruby was not one to be chained down. Regardless of the world, she was still half wild. But she had never been actively hostile to him, or no more so than many people in town, not since he had allowed Ashleigh to keep her baby in exchange for an undisclosed favour from the new Sheriff. Part of him had actually been glad. While he would have found the child a good home, still regardless of what people thought, he didn't enjoy taking children. He only took them from those who were too selfish or foolish or poor, those who would not have the resources to care for them. But Cinderella's prince had come through, in the end. Some stories were bound to repeat themselves, though this time without him ending in a cage. The girl had, in fact, been more capable than he originally thought, in both worlds. Perhaps he just didn't have a lot of faith in Princesses, or possibly women.
A moment later, and a flash of red and he saw his quarry, coming around from the back. Ruby Lucas was not particularly dressed for the weather. Perhaps she was just more immune to the cold than most, but so was he. He dragged himself slowly from the car, more aware than usual of his appearance, or rather of how people viewed him. Gold had a certain...reputation, and this situation could be interesting. "Miss Lucas," he greeted her genially.
"Mr. Gold, what do you want?" she said. She wasn't particularly rude about it, just abrupt, but that was her. Straight to the point. "We aren't open yet, and its not the beginning of the month. Granny is inside..." she said.
"Actually I wanted to speak to you, if you don't mind," he said, his voice as neutral as possible.
Ruby looked at him. Mr. Gold was generally considered the town monster, though he had never been particularly rude to her. He was neither a poor landlord nor a generous one. Things got fixed when they needed to, immediately, but he was also right there when the rent was due. Exacting, that was it. She had been angry at him about Ashleigh, well, not angry exactly, after all, she had made the deal, even though Ruby tried to talk her out of it. Of course Ruby had tried to talk her out of dating a guy who was still that tied to his father's purse strings too. She thought about what she knew about him, really knew. He had never been rude to her when he ate at the diner, not a bad tipper, but not generous either, exactly the right amount every time. He never flirted with her, or tried to pat her ass, for which she was grateful. He was rich and not exactly unattractive, but far to old for her. Overall, she supposed she could trust him well enough to talk to him, it wasn't like he was trying to lure her anywhere.
"What do you want?" she asked, a little harsh, but that's what he got.
"I find myself in an awkward position, I need...I need your help," he said. It was the first time she had ever known him to be unsure of...well anything actually.
"My help?" Ruby asked, confused. She wasn't sure what the richest man in town could want with a waitress.
"It's a little...delicate," he said, guiding her over to the side of the building, not wanting to be seen by prying eyes. Ruby went with him, but she kept a wary eye out. Got to watch the quiet ones, her Granny had taught her that.
He took a deep breath and she could almost believe he was nervous, if it was anyone else. "Well, I haven't got all day, Granny's going to be all over me."
"There is a young lady..." he started.
"Dating advice?" she asked, shocked and amazed.
"No, no," Gold reassured her. "Nothing like that. This young lady has just escaped a...bad situation."
"Boyfriend troubles? And she came to you?" she asked, again shocked and not sure she believed him.
"Miss Lucas, if you will allow me to continue," he said, slightly stern. Ruby was too curious now to distract him. She nodded. "Good, now, as I was saying, there might be people looking for her. She is safe for the moment, but there are things, things that I can't..." he paused trying to find a way to say what he wanted to say. "She left with nothing but the clothes on her back," Mr. Gold said finally.
"You want me to shop for her?" Ruby asked. Ok, not stupid or weird, well not to weird, she thought.
"I would like you to purchase some things, yes. As you know, this is a small town, I can hardly be seen purchasing women's clothing, not without having a lot of awkward questions," he said, with a passing smile. "Besides, I would have no idea...Suffice it to say, I have not purchased anything for a woman since my wife passed," he said it quietly, and suddenly Ruby remembered something, vaguely, about Gold being a widower, maybe something Granny said, but from a long time past.
Gold smiled. He knew the nature of the spell, he should after all. It would fill in little things, bits that he added, or that Regina did, things that hadn't been built in to round out the history of the town and its people, even him. Right now, Ruby was remembering, maybe feeling a little sympathy for him, as she already did for the girl who was escaping a 'bad situation'. She was an excellent choice.
"Ok, so you want me to help you get clothes for this girl. Why me?" she asked. "Why not the sheriff or..."
"Sheriff Swan is an excellent law enforcement officer. But this situation is...complicated. I wouldn't wish to put the Sheriff in an awkward position. Especially as the Mayor might take an interest in where the young lady is."
Ok, Ruby thought to herself, definitely bad situation. While she was mostly ambivalent about Gold, there was something about the Mayor that she had never particularly trusted. But didn't she want to get into a situation between them. She thought about it for a moment. Ruby didn't see herself as particularly altruistic, come to it, she didn't see Gold that way either. Still it seemed a simple enough deal, no twists that she could see. "What's in it for me?" She asked. Ruby knew she would probably do it anyway, but she was pretty sure that was how to cope with Gold.
"Why money of course," he said with a smile. "I will give you money to purchase whatever it is you need for her. Purchase yourself a few things as well, to make it look good. In addition, I will give you an extra...what is fair... one hundred dollars?" he asked. Mr. Gold knew it would be difficult for her to resist. The little wolf girl had been trying to save money to get out on her own for some time, everyone knew it, well everyone except possibly her Granny, but he thought even the canny old widow was aware that she couldn't keep her home forever. "Or would you rather have that apartment you have been looking at? I could forgo the deposit," he said invitingly.
Ruby thought about it. One hundred dollars was nice money, but she had been trying to save for that apartments for six months. Then there was Granny, how would she like it if she just moved out? It was a difficult choice. "I'll do it, not for you, but to help the girl," She said, just so he knew what her position was. "Let me think about the other," she said finally. Gold didn't look pleased. She was pretty sure that he didn't like leaving deals open ended like that, but he nodded cautiously.
"We have a deal then, Miss Lucas. Do you have a few moments now? Considering the situation, I don't wish to deviate from my schedule, it might cause...notice." Ruby thought about it, ordering her day in her head.
"Let me tell Granny that I need to...run home for something," she said quickly.
"Tell no one, Miss Lucas, not even your Grandmother. Not that she isn't trustworthy, but this is a small town." She just nodded and ran around to the back door.
Gold sat in his car with the heater running, hoping that it would dull the pain in his leg and wishing that the blasted girl would hurry up. It was still early, in fact the conversation had not taken as long as he was necessarily thought it would but still, he hated to be away from her for so long. It seemed like an eternity, but it was really only a moment when the girl came running out and ducked into his car. "Best be quick, Granny thinks I am just running back to the house to change my skirt, I told her..." she stopped, he was looking at the road. Men, so easy, she thought.
The large pink house didn't look particularly scary, Ruby thought. She had never been in, of course, few people had. She had to wonder about the colour, actually. Gold didn't seem like the Pink house kind, but then maybe his wife liked it, or he had just never got around to painting it. He took her around to the back door, keeping a careful watch out to see if anyone was around before ushering her into the back door.
Ruby looked around the kitchen, it was clean, nice enough, neither modern and fancy nor old fashioned and run down. There was a kettle on the stove and a tea pot full of what appeared to be water sitting to the side. Gold went first, telling her to wait for him. "Belle is a little...cautious," he said. She just nodded and sat down at the table, putting her purse on the top.
"Belle," he called as he went through the door, and a moment later there was an answer, and a quiet conversation she couldn't quite hear before the two of them came into the room. The girl he had called Belle was short, dark haired and had very blue eyes. She was also clearly wearing a robe that must belong to Gold, the sleeves rolled up, and hem at the ground.
"Hey, I'm Ruby," she said as she stood up and offered her hand.
"Belle," she said cautiously.
"Ok Belle, so we need to make a list. What kind of..." she started to say, before Gold cut her off.
"Perhaps, Belle, you and Miss Lucas..."
"Why don't we go into the other room?" Belle said, blushing just a little while Gold turned to the tea pot and poured the water into the sink, looked at neither of them.