Once Upon A Time: Heart Of The Devil, Part Nine
By Rebekkalee Mouri-Hibiki
Emma sat outside the shop, trying to work the courage to get out of the car and go inside. After going back to the mine and discovering she had drawn the wrong conclusions, she knew she had to apologize to Mr. Gold. She had been so mean to him though and she didn't know if he would forgive her. She wouldn't blame him if he didn't.
She took a deep breath, reaching for the door handle and pulled it slowly. The sound of the car door popping open increased her anxiety, making her consider closing it again and just leaving. She frowned, telling herself it had to be done. She pushed the door open and stepped out onto the curb, shutting it behind her.
She took a deep breath to steel her nerves before walking to the shop. She let it out as she turned the knob, the tiny bell announcing her arrival. She stepped into the shop, closing the door as she waited for Mr. Gold to appear. A few excruciating moments passed before the curtain rustled, Mr. Gold stepping out from behind it.
His expression was stony and cold, " Miss Swan. I wasn't expecting to see you today. How was your breakfast with Henry? "
Emma wasn't surprised that he knew that. She had just come from Granny's. She had been there to buy her son breakfast and see him off to the bus. " Good, " She sighed. She shoved her hands in her back pockets, " I need to talk to you. "
" Oh? " Mr. Gold arched an eyebrow. " Do you have more unfounded accusations to throw at me? "
" About the other night, " Emma started. She felt intimidated by the slightly angry edge he had to his tone. It seemed he was still hurt by what she had said.
Mr. Gold took a few steps into the shop, " Yes? "
" I may have been a little... too swift to judge you, " Emma said though the words threatened to stick in her throat. " You see, I went to check out your theory about the mine and I... "
" You found my footprints there, didn't you? " Mr. Gold cut her off.
Emma nodded, " Yes. I thought you had... "
Mr. Gold chuckled, " You thought I had done something to Kathryn and stuck her down there? "
" Until I remembered her story, " Emma looked at the floor. " She said she was chased across the river and she fell. " You can't... I mean... You aren't... "
" In any shape to chase anyone, my dear. Not through the river and not up a steep embankment, " Mr. Gold took a few more steps to her. He stopped a few feet from her, " So tell me what you think I did. "
Emma looked at him, " You somehow figured out where she was and you rescued her. "
Mr. Gold smiled, " Indeed I did. Regina, or whoever it was, left her down there to die. I simply thought about the location and the possibilities, came up with a theory and tested it. I just happened to be right. "
" You were, " Emma looked at him. " But why couldn't you just tell me? "
" I couldn't tell you because I was quite sure you would think I was lying to you, " Mr. Gold said firmly. " You would have, wouldn't have you? "
Emma sighed, " Probably. "
" So that means you really don't trust me after all we've been through, " Mr. Gold replied. He frowned, " And I don't bother with people who don't trust me. "
" But I trust you now, " Emma put a hand on her chest. She shook her head, " You've done nothing but try to help me and I've been horribly unfair to you. I've listened to the words others have said about you and doubted the words from your mouth and I realize now I was wrong to do that. Could you please just forgive me? "
Mr. Gold stared at her for a long moment then quirked his mouth, " I suppose I can. But on one condition. "
Emma blinked, " A condition? Does everything you do have to involve conditions? "
" Oh, " Mr. Gold smiled the smile that made her heart race. " I think you might find this one rather enjoyable my dear. "
Emma looked into his eyes, her breathing changing as she did. She felt herself getting lost in his smoldering brown eyes. Though he still had a bit of anger on his face, his eyes were alive with something else... something seductive. " And what is it? " She whispered.
" A kiss, " Mr. Gold murmured as he closed the gap between them. He grazed her lips gently with his, her body trembling as she inhaled the scent that haunted her mind. " And you have to give it to me. "
Emma hesitated before taking his lips in hers, kissing him gently. He put his left hand on her waist, sliding it to her back as he pulled her closer rather roughly. She gasped, her eyes flying open when he slid his tongue into her mouth. She was stunned for a brief moment before meeting him with her own.
They continued to kiss as he gently urged her backward until her back was against the wall. He pulled away, gasping for air and using her for support as he reached out with his right hand to lock the door to the shop. Once it was locked, he bought his right hand up to the back of her head, fisting it in her hair as he seized her mouth again. He gave her a bruising kiss before nipping and sucking his way to her throat.
Emma brought her hands up to tangle in his hair as he nibbled at her neck, lightly biting her then licking the bites before doing it all over again. She gasped when he parted her legs with his right leg, causing her to straddle it as he moved to the other side of her neck. She let out a sharp pant as he pressed his leg against her crotch and his chest against hers.
He removed his hand from her hair, slipping it down to her shoulder. He began to push at her brown leather jacket. " Take it off, " He whispered against her throat, his breath prickling her skin.
He moved his hands so Emma could do as he said. She took her hands away from him, pulling the jacket off as quickly as she could. As soon as it was off, he seized her again. His right hand went back to where it had been in her hair but his left slipped past her waist, going to her ass.
He caressed her through her jeans, urging her even closer to him than she already was. The thought of being in such a position without clothes on made Emma's mind swirl and a surge of heat run through her veins, centering in her belly. He moved back, pulling at her so her back was arched. It gave him access to her chest and he leaned down, taking one of the buttons of her shirt in his mouth.
He bit it off, moving to the next and doing the same as he worked with his left hand to untuck her shirt from her jeans...
Emma's eyes flew open as she gasped then she frowned. She rolled over and buried her head in her pillow, trying to shake the dream she had just had. It had felt the most real yet, each one seeming to get more that way than the last. She sighed, wondering if she would ever have a peaceful night's sleep again.
If that wasn't bad enough, she still had to figure out a way to apologize to Mr. Gold. It was difficult enough to do that but it would be even more complicated because of the dream she had just had. In it, she had went to apologize and ended up making love to him, just like she had in all of her dreams of him. She had to set that aside though and focus on reality.
She knew she had hurt his feelings one other time but didn't know if he would bounce back as easily as he had after the first time. This time was different. She hadn't just pushed him away when he tried to kiss her. She had flat out accused him of kidnapping Kathryn as a means to some mysterious end. Now, she had to admit she was wrong, something that was never easy for her to do.
" Emma? " Mary-Margret called from downstairs. " Are you up? "
Emma rolled back over. " Yeah. I'm up, " she called back. She could hear her friend's footsteps on the stairs and she stopped when she could see Emma's bed. " What's up? "
" I thought you said you were going to meet Henry at Granny's and walk him to the bus, " Mary-Margret said. " It's almost seven. "
Emma sat up and looked at her alarm clock. It said it was six fifteen. She furrowed her brow and looked at Mary-Margret, " It is? But my clock... "
Mary-Margret came up the rest of the way and went to Emma's dresser. She picked up the clock, frowning. " The batteries died half an hour ago. "
Emma threw her comforter off, sitting up and swinging her legs out of the bed. " Crap, " She said. She got up quickly, going to the first pair of jeans she saw. She then went to the wardrobe and grabbed out her green silk shirt. She walked towards Mary-Margret, stopping when she saw the concerned look on her friend's face.
" What's wrong? " Emma blinked.
" You look a little flushed, " Mary-Margret said. " Do you have a fever? "
Emma blinked, pretty sure it wasn't a fever that had made her that way. " Uh, no. I don't think so. "
" Sit down, " Mary-Margret said. " I'll go get the thermometer. If you're sick, you need to rest. I'm surprised you haven't gotten sick before now. "
Emma grabbed Mary-Margret's arm as she started to turn to the stairs. She looked her in the eyes, " I'm not sick. I feel fine. "
Mary-Margret sighed, " If you say so. "
Emma nodded, " I do. Now, I got to go. "
Mr. Gold sat in the den, staring out the window. After parting ways with August, he had made his way home. He hadn't slept though he had tried to. He was too busy pondering all the new possibilities that were now available to him.
It seemed August needed Emma to believe in the curse just as badly as he did. His reasons were vastly different than Mr. Gold's but he still needed her to open her eyes to what was the truth. He heard the scraping of a key in the front door, realizing it was later than he thought. He looked at the grandfather clock in the corner of the room, finding it was seven-thirty.
He was usually out of the house by seven-thirty. He would stop by Granny's to see if Ruby had anything for him and then he would head to the shop. He tried to have it open by nine unless he had other things to do, like collect rent or other business matters.
He got up and headed for the back stairs. He had almost made it when he sensed a presence in the room. " Oh! I'm so sorry sir... I thought... " It was the housekeeper, Jasmine. Her sweet quiet voice trembled as she spoke.
" It's quite alright, my dear, " Mr. Gold turned to look at her. She was a petite exotic looking girl of probably twenty three, if that. She had long dark hair she always wore in a braid, big dark eyes and olive skin. She was dressed in a dark gray maid uniform and carrying a basket filled with cleaning supplies.
She blinked, " Are you going out today, sir? "
Mr. Gold frowned, " I had a late night. I may not leave for a while yet... if I leave at all. "
Jasmine lifted the basket slightly, " Do you want me to clean now or come back later? "
Mr. Gold thought about it and sighed, " I really wasn't home that much this weekend. Perhaps if you just concentrate on the kitchen then take my laundry to the cleaners today. Another day's worth of dust won't make much difference. "
Jasmine nodded and bowed, " Yes sir. "
" You may go now, " Mr. Gold dismissed her with a wave of his left hand. He watched as she left the den, heading for the kitchen. He had only seen her a handful of times since he had hired her since he tried to leave the house before any of the help arrived.
In Alston's case, he would come in the afternoons to fix dinner. He rarely came in the mornings, Mr. Gold usually getting breakfast at Granny's so he could talk to Ruby in the open without looking suspicious. The last time he had Alston come in early was to fix the breakfast he took to Mary-Margret and Emma at the jail. The ladies had both enjoyed it and it had the desired effect of getting him back in Emma's good graces.
It would take more than food to get back on her good side now. She seemed to think she knew something and he was fairly certain he could say nothing to change her mind. He would just have to let her investigate the so-called facts until she realized she was wrong. Either that or he could get August to convince her that he had nothing to do with Kathryn's disappearance.
He turned and headed up the stairs...
