Ok, so I'm trying to pump out this Chapter without making it too long, but who knows what will really happen. Curse you Ren and Mr. Gold. You two make it too easy to toy with you. And by the way to my loyal readers and reviewers, Thank you, you make this all worthwhile. :3


"You think so, huh? Guess you got the hots for Mr. Gold, then, huh?" Essie asked excitedly as Mr. Gold's ear practically caught on fire.

"Oh, wel-"Ren started to explain when the door flew open and Regina came charging in, making Ren jump back slightly.

"Mr. Gold, What the hell is going on?" Regina growled as she stormed past Ren to slam her purse down on the counter.

"I'll just-"

"Oh, no you don't. I want to talk to you, too." Regina growled whirling around on Ren with rage in her eyes. "You have done a lot of cruel things, Jenny. A lot, but I thought we were over this. I thought you had finally grown up, and now you've done this." She hissed, making Ren recoil slightly, Mr. Gold had to physically force himself not to hit Regina for insulting Ren like that.

"Regina, you will not insult her in my shop!" Mr. Gold growled grabbing her attention. "I won't have it, whatever your issue is with her you can take it outside, but I won't have it here in my shop." He growled warningly. Not that he'd allow it outside either, but at least that didn't sound as possessive-protective.

"Fine, then I'll deal with you first." She growled stepping up to stare him down while Essie backed off to find really anything else to do, besides be here.

"Fine, then what is it?" He growled right back. She had cut into his damn time, not the other way around, dammit. She was the one interrupting.

"What's the meaning of you and her telling Henry that Graham is a Fairy Tale character!" Ren's eyes widened in shock. Ah, clearly she'd said something she shouldn't have to little Henry. "Now, he's going around thinking that Graham's still alive, and that's-"

"I am so sorry!" Ren interrupted suddenly lunging forward. "I was just trying to offer him some comfort. He was so upset, and he said that Graham had come to him, I was jus-"

"I know what you were doing. And I've had enough of it." Regina growled spinning back around on Ren. Ren's eyes filled up, slightly, clearly upset. "You're not to go near my son, ever again. Is that understood?"

"Regina, I just wanted him to know-"

"He's my son, Jenny. He doesn't need to know anything from you or anyone else." She growled, and then promptly went to leave. "In fact, Jenny, I think you spend far too much time around my son. I'll have to correct that." And then she left with a whirl of coat. Ren's eyes suddenly spilled over, stray tears beginning to fall.

"I'm so sorry that you had to see that, Mr. Gold." She whispered hoarsely, wiping stiffly at her tears. "I'll just be-"

"It wasn't your fault." Mr. Gold growled as he grabbed a box of tissues and walked around to hand her the box. "Don't blame yourself, whatever Henry believes is his business. You did the right thing." He growled glaring at Regina's back. "Whatever you said to him, I would have said, I promise, it's fine."

"I doubt that." She chuckled lightly wiping at her eyes.

"Don't."

"So you would have told him Graham had gone back to the Enchanted Forest?" She asked looking up at him through wet lashes.

And didn't that just seal his throat right up? Why, why, why? "Yes, I would have." He agreed easily. Why had she had to call it the Enchanted Forest. "I may have called it something else, but definitely something along those lines, if it helped."

"Thank you, Mr. Gold. I appreciate that." She whispered softly as Essie peeked around the corner.

"Is she always like that, or just cause of you?" Essie asked as she came from behind one of the small aisles.

"It was, because of me." Ren whispered softly. "She just doesn't like me for whatever reason."

"Well, that's not very nice." Essie humphed.

"Says the girl who hid behind the aisles."

"I was giving you privacy." She explained with a shrug, before looking back to Ren. "I just don't get it, I mean she knows you dated Graham, before, and Henry likes you well enough. Why shouldn't you comfort him?" Essie asked earning a glare from Mr. Gold.

"It wasn't like that." Ren said quickly. "Graham and I were just friends."

"But he proposed to you?" Essie asked earning a glare from Mr. Gold.

"Yes, but I said no. We weren't dating. He and I were just together as a way of…well, it doesn't matter, it's in the past. Point is, his proposal was just his way of saying thank you. But we weren't dating." Ren stated softly looking out the window of the shop. "Look it's complicated, ok? At any rate, point is, it wasn't my place to try and explain Graham's death that was Regina's place, since she is his mother."

"No, you've just as much right as Regina to comfort him, if he came to you for comfort then you deserved to give him that comfort. Screw what Regina thinks." Mr. Gold growled, making Ren blink in shock.

"Thank you, Mr. Gold." Ren whispered softly making Mr. Gold blush and look away.


Ok, shorter chapter, but after the new episode, I'm armed and ready with new revelations. Thank you writers, I'm sorry I ever doubted you! Also, this chapter is much shorter than I thought it'd be, but don't worry next chapter will have Enchanted Forest time. I think I have an idea where I want this to end, just have to get there now. Also, my beta reader has moved to Maryland, and a friend of mine has decided that I'm a waste of her time, so yeah. Life happened, but don't worry I'll keep the chapters coming, but don't be surprised if it goes dark for a while.