A Favor

Mr. Gold scooped the final pancake out of the frying pan and set it on top of the stack on the table. He sat down at his usual spot at the round, oak table before serving himself one. It had been so long since he'd had to cook for someone. Luckily, Rose was easy to please. She was scarfing down blueberry pancakes like they were the greatest thing on Earth.

"This is so delicious!" she exclaimed for about the tenth time, picking up a crispy strip of bacon.

He smiled with his eyes and thanked her, helping himself to some fruit. They would no doubt be finishing off breakfast leftovers for the next few days.

"Where'd you learn to cook like this?" she asked with her mouth full.

He couldn't help but chuckle at the sight of her, her terrible etiquette was endearing. "It's really not hard to prepare, I've been cooking for myself forever it seems like. Practice makes perfect I suppose."

She nodded, pouring some more syrup onto her pancakes.

He thought he'd never see it again; her curly hair and rosy cheeks, the way she squinted her eyes when she smiled. The shape of her jaw, the warm timbre of her laugh.

A few weeks ago he believed she was dead, and now she was joining him for breakfast. He'd gotten exactly what he wanted, and then some. Here she was, living in his home, and yet he couldn't help but feel clueless about what to do with her. The dog finally caught the car. What was his brilliant plan now? He was always in control, always two steps ahead. But this time there were no plans, no tricks up his sleeve. This time, the only thing he really could do was take things as they come. At least he got breakfast right.

She cleared her throat, finally slowing down. "Mr. Gold?"

He looked up at her, "Yes?"

"So," she picked idly at a stray blueberry on her plate, "I was wondering, and it's funny that I haven't asked before now, I guess all this newness has gotten the better of me, but… I can't remember anything from my life before. Emma mentioned you said you knew me and… well, I suppose I'm just curious. How did we come to know each other? Before this?"

Mr. Gold paused a moment, turning things over in his head. He knew this question would come. "You used to come by my pawn shop all the time. You had a thing for rare books." I was fond of you… No. I admired your… No. Leave it.

"So we were sort of friends you'd say?"

"Yes, I would say so."

Rose nodded and picked at the blueberry again for a moment, "Do you know why my father locked me away? It's just hard to believe anything they've told me, you know, after what they did."

He frowned and shook his head, "I wish I knew. I was told you had killed yourself."

She froze, her eyes widening, "Killed myself? But why on Earth would he tell anyone that?"

"My guess is that he didn't want anyone to know where you really where. Perhaps he thought it was better if they thought you were dead, out of self-defense I imagine, not wanting to take the heat from the public about committing his own daughter."

"So nobody knew I was down there…"

"If I did I would have come for you a lot sooner. Another reason for him to lie, really. Anyone who knew you would have been outraged."

Rose looked as though she had lost whatever was left of her appetite, she set the fork down.

"Hey," he said softly, she turned to look at him. "You'll have your answers soon enough, they've only begun to investigate." She gave a solemn nod. "And in the meantime, there'll be plenty to do."

There was a soft smile now. "Mr. Gold?"

"Yes?"

"Am I much the same now? As I used to be?"

He looked at her a moment, her blue eyes probed him for an answer, always curious. "You are."

She nodded, satisfied. "Good."

Today she wore a mint green, ruffled top and flowing grey skirt. Admiring the color on her, he suddenly remembered that he had only purchased three or four outfits. She was going to run out soon. Something would have to be done about that.

"I'll tell you what, I'm going to go out and run a few errands. Feel free to explore, read a book, take a shower, whatever you like, and I'll be back in a couple of hours. Sound good?"

"Sounds good."


The Sheriff's office was surprisingly quiet that morning considering all that was going on. Emma was hunched over her desk, writing quickly. Stacks of files surrounded her on the floor. She didn't even notice Gold had come in until he spoke.

"Good morning, Sheriff Swan."

"Can I help you?" she looked exhausted.

"Yes, I would actually like to ask you a favor."

She raised an eyebrow, "Busting an entire psych ward isn't enough?"

"You've done a wonderful job, Sheriff, but there is one more thing I'd like to ask of you, on Rose's behalf."

"I'm listening."

"As you can imagine, I only was only certain that she would be staying with me about a day before she was released. That being said, I didn't purchase a whole lot of clothing for her to start with because I thought it would be nice if she got a say in her wardrobe."

Emma gave him a strange look, not sure where this was going. He continued.

"Now let's be honest, I'm not exactly what one would call an ideal shopping companion for this sort of thing. It would be much more enjoyable for her to go with a peer. So I wanted to know if you, perhaps, would be interested. I'd pay for everything, of course."

Emma couldn't help but laugh. "Wait, so let me get this straight, you want me to take her shopping?"

"That's correct."

She shook her head in near disbelief, of all the favors to ask her. "Ok, but why me? Why not ask Ruby or someone more… I don't know, qualified?"

"She trusts you. I understand you've been busy, but I'm sure this would mean a lot to her."

Emma sat back in her chair, a smug grin forming on her face, "I don't know, Gold. Are you willing to make a deal with me?"

He smiled, "Of course."

"Good."

"So, what would you like on your end of the bargain, Sheriff?"

She paused for a second, savoring the moment. "Let's just say you'll owe me a favor."

He smiled, exposing his gold tooth. Clever girl. He appreciated her guts. He didn't prefer open ended favors when he was on the other side, but he didn't have much of a choice, and she knew it. "Very well then, Sheriff. How about this afternoon?"

She thought for a moment, glancing at the calendar on her desk, "Doesn't look like I'll be doing anything too important. Mostly just a lot of paperwork I need to catch up on."

"Excellent, then we have a deal."

"It appears we do."


Rose stared down at herself, feeling the soft cotton of the magenta tee shirt snug against her body. She pivoted in front of the mirror to get another angle. She loved the way the jeans fit her, they were form fitting but had a comfortable stretch to them. She had not worn pants in so long that it felt strange. It was a good strange though, a strange that meant her life was finally changing. She unlatched the door and stepped outside the dressing room.

"What about this outfit?"

Emma looked up from the clothing rack. "Oh, I like the dark jeans on you! It looks classy, you should definitely snag a few."

"Thanks! I'll go try on the next one."

Emma shifted idly through the racks for a few minutes and raised her eyebrows at a lacey, black racerback top. She found her size and added it to her own small pile in her arms. They'd already filled the back seat of her car with shopping bags, it's not like Gold would notice. Besides, she'd more than earned it.

"Funny seeing you here, Sheriff. I would imagine you'd be busy with all that's been going on."

The voice, like cold water, shocked her back to reality. Emma took a deep breath before looking Regina in the eyes. "I'm actually not here for me."

"Oh?"

She heard the latch on the dressing room behind her, Rose stepped out.

"Oh, look who it is!" chimed Regina, "Don't you look lovely."

"Oh, I… thank you," she sputtered.

"How is it in your new home? Is Mr. Gold treating you well?"

"Of course he is, I couldn't ask for better."

"Well, isn't that wonderful. He never struck me as the hospitable type, but what do I know?"

Rose just stood there awkwardly, not knowing what to say.

"Anyway, I just stopped by to return something. You two ladies have a lovely day," she smiled curtly and stepped toward the counter.

Rose looked startled. Emma touched her shoulder and spoke softly. "That's cute, you should get it."

"Ok, I'll go change back into my regular clothes."

Emma stood outside the dressing room, keeping an eye on Regina as she waited. It wasn't long before she left. In a matter of minutes, Rose was standing beside her again.

"I saw her in the hospital from time to time," she said.

"Did she ever speak to you?"

"No, I'm not sure what she was doing down there."

"Well, we haven't found any evidence yet that says she knew about what happened to you, but I wouldn't trust her."

"I don't."

"Good. Regina has a reputation for being involved in shady things. What she says and does are two different things."

"Ready to check out?"

Rose turned to look at the pile of clothing behind her in the dressing room. "I think so."