Thank God for iced tea made more of water than tea! The more she examined the dress the more she realized that his clumsy spill wasn't going to be a problem. She'd gotten the brownish stain out to the point that it wasn't visible unless she looked really closely at it and the blue sequins made it difficult to find even then. The fabric was sturdy, a run through the washing machine and it would come out completely without a problem. Thank God it hadn't gotten on the coat she'd taken though. She had no choice but to return it tomorrow morning, and bringing it back with a giant stain wouldn't have been ideal for no one ever knowing she'd taken it. She would have had to keep it, but Misty had seen her take it and while she thought she'd keep her visit to herself, if something went missing on her watch then she'd flip. The sheriff had caught her too many times to let her off this time if Misty reported her. That was a problem she didn't need. She'd merely trade one cage for another. Not that being stuck in Granny's with Mr. Gold was much different.

She sighed as she leaned against the wall of the quiet space. Today had been…disappointing. True she'd gotten her memories back, but that was about the only good thing that had happened so far. She'd started the day wanting to get away from Mr. Gold so...how exactly did she end up having dinner with him tonight? And why did he treat her so differently from anyone else? He wasn't interesting with her. He wasn't powerful or ruthless. He was just a man, an ordinary man…and she was bored.

But what could she do about it? She'd tried, repeatedly tried, to make him understand, to explain to him, that she wasn't Belle and she wasn't interested in him, but it didn't seem to work. It was a two-way problem. He wasn't really listening and she just wasn't being clear enough. To hell with guilt. What kind of an emotion was it really? What good was it? Every time she was around him she felt it and she didn't understand why, but she knew that it was keeping her from being as frank and blunt with him as she should have been. Oh sure, she could make plans to go out there and thank him for being kind but she knew in her heart of hearts that at the end of the day she wouldn't be able to, just like every other past attempt, she'd fail. She'd tolerate him for the evening, until the end, all the while feeling more and more guilty about leading him on and when they parted she'd simply hope that he wouldn't want another date and tell herself that she'd be more clear next time. It would be an endless never ending cycle.

He'd never make her happy. But she doubted anyone in this town ever would. Not even Keith could-

Keith!

She'd nearly forgotten. Oh, she wasn't stupid, she knew she wasn't going to find any kind of happily ever after with Keith either, but what he promised for the night was a hell of a lot more fun than what was going on here!

She opened the door and eyed the nearest clock. Would it be too early? Why bother wondering? If he wasn't around she'd just go back to the bar and find someone else-his loss. Gold's back was to her and there was a door down the hall. She could get out easily enough. She'd have to leave behind her coat...but she could always collect it from the lost and found tomorrow. And frankly she wasn't planning on being cold for very long…

And so she crept out the back, feeling suddenly like she was in High school again and she was sneaking out of her father's house. The guilty feeling grew as she watched him sitting there alone, but she turned her face away and hoped that maybe when he realized she'd left, again, he would finally get the idea and stop looking for her; put them both out of their misery. The back door opened to a questionable looking wooden porch with stairs. It wasn't the back door, merely the side door. And when she rounded the corner she smiled as luck appeared to be back on her side again. Keith stood there, his back to her, but she could smell the smoke coming from his breath.

"Did you save one for me?" she asked, making him turn quickly around. No, definitely a wannabe. He jumped not with surprise, but fear. Had he been worried that Gold had found him? It might not make sense to her but it might to the rest of the town.

He smiled and pulled a cardboard box of the sticks out of his pocket before pulling one out and wiggling it between his fingers in taunting temptation. "What happened to your date?" he asked as she took a couple of steps forward. She didn't answer. He didn't need to know, if she was here then he should already have figured out what was going on by now. She made a motion to pull the cigarette out of his hand and he jerked it away. "It'll cost you," he smiled menacingly. He was teasing her. But two could play at that game and lucky for her pool was only her second best talent.

"I seem to be low on cash at the moment," she replied, "spent it all on this dress."

His smile grew as he looked her up and down his eyes widening at the sight. At least someone had appreciated the work it took to look presentable. "It's nearly as beautiful as you are-that being the case I'm sure we could work something out."

"Really? And what might that be?"

Keith took a step closer and put his hand on her waist, "I'm sure I can think of something." She didn't have time to say anything, she barely had time to smile before she found his mouth pressed against her. She wouldn't have called it a spectacular, head over heels, girl meets boy and finds true love kiss…if it weren't for her parents she'd have said that love like that didn't really exist, but it was definitely something she could get lost in. Lacking as it was, it was something that would get her by for the night and let her put all her troubles and worries aside if only she surrendered.

The cigarettes were tossed aside, her arms automatically wound around him and she found them falling against the back wall…which hurt. The damn siding was too pointy to actually get comfortable, which he clearly wanted to do as she felt his hand groping along her thigh and back and his mouth worked at her neck. She pushed a little hoping he would stop and take them back to his place for comforts sake, but her stupid body was already responding to the motions she knew well and she wasn't managing the "stop" part well enough. The only thing she could really hear clearly was the sound of blood rushing through her ears as her heart pounded faster and faster and their breathing came out in short gasps and moans. Comfortable or not, she was ready to give in. It wasn't the best place she'd ever had sex in but it wasn't the worst-

But suddenly she felt cold air as Keith moved away from her. "What the hell do you think you're doing?!" yelled the angry voice of Mr. Gold. Her jaw dropped as she took in what had just happened. Keith hadn't moved, he'd been yanked away violently by Mr. Gold. And she could feel her temper begin to snap. Why was he here?! Why was he ruining this for her?! Could he really not take hint after hint after hint! What the hell was wrong with him that he thought he had the right to interrupt her?!

She looked at Keith, waiting for him to tell the man off and send him away so they could go back to his place. But his eyes only moved between her and Gold looking shaken and nervous. "Wait, you two are here together?"

"Yes!" Gold shouted with a crazed look in his eyes, "we are!"

She could have screamed. No! She'd walked out! They certainly were not together! Not anymore! Not here! Not at the hospital! Not now! Not ever! And what the hell was Keith talking about? He knew exactly why she was here! He knew she'd been meeting with Gold and frankly this was why he had been out here! What had he said? He could protect her? Yet there he stood cowering like a frightened kitten. Coward!

"I...I..." he stuttered for a moment, before backing away from the non-threatening man, who still, despite being clearly angry, couldn't seem to bring himself to do anything but raise his voice. Fine! Just...fine! Disappointment all around! "I didn't know!" Keith finally managed to choke out.

"Go!" Gold shouted at him. "Now!"

Keith turned and ran like he was being chased by a hungry lion instead of a very loud mouse, fabulous, there went her place to stay for the night! She felt her hands curl into fists and had the urge to hit something. Gold might well have been the worst thing to have happened to her since her mother died and she and her father moved to this Godforsaken shithole! Ever since he'd turned up in her life it was one thing after another! Hurt after hurt. Missed opportunity after missed opportunity! This was the most ridiculous thing she'd ever experienced!

"You, you alright?" Gold questioned turning back to her and placing a protective hand on her shoulder. No, she was not already...she was fuming! But physically...

"Yeah," she admitted as he gave her an intense look of worry "I-I-I'm-I'm fine," she pointed out, anger seething through her so badly she could barely find the words she needed to form a sentence. She had a memory she couldn't seem to locate somewhere of some friend telling her once what "fine" really meant in "girl-language". "Fine-Freaked out, insecure, neurotic, and emotional..." as much as she hated to admit it, that about summed it up right now just…well, just damn fine!

Gold placed the hand at her back and gave a gentle but still forceful push. It would have been welcomed, if she wasn't so furious at the moment! She didn't want him nearby and she didn't need him to protect her. If it wasn't for him the only protection she would have needed that night came in the form of a small wrapper she could get in the bathroom of the Rabbit Hole. So much for that idea. So much for celebrating being out of the hospital!

"Let's get you inside-"

Her anger broke and she pushed him away. "No, look I said 'I'm fine!' okay? I'm fine!" She tried to move around him, but he cut her off again.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," he was unbelievable! Was he really "whoaing" her? Like a horse? She was not a trained pet! She was not a girl who could be ordered for, or needed protecting, or wanted to be treated like a delicate flower! She was young, she wanted to have a good time, to have wild crazy sex whenever the hell she felt like it, drink until dawn, and make a name for herself in this world. He was looking for woman he could settle down with, have two point five children, a dog and cat, and still have dinner on the table every night at 8:00 precisely. That wasn't her. It might have been Belle, but no, definitely not her! And she was done with him!

She was just figuring out how to say all of this when she saw his face fall, matching her own realization as if he had read her mind. "You came out here because you wanted to be with him."

She knew he was smart, he'd simply guessed, but the realization made him look like he was completely broken and her gut gave an involuntary twist again. She didn't know she had it in her to feel this guilty over a face like that. But no! She wasn't going to baby him anymore! It wasn't helping him and it most certainly wasn't helping her. She was pissed, she couldn't help it, and she didn't care this time if she hurt his delicate feelings or felt guilty about it. She'd sacrificed too much for him tonight!

"Yeah," she admitted, trying to find her voice and ignore her conscious.

"But, I don't understand...our date, I thought it was going well!"

"No," she corrected, "no, it-it wasn't."

"What?" His forehead crinkled. He seemed on the brink of tears and she couldn't look at his eyes anymore, otherwise she risked loosing her nerve again. So she picked a spot on his forehead and stared at it, instead. Much safer. And less of a guilt trip.

"I mean it never was," she explained, "the only reason I agreed to go out with you was because I was trying to be nice, but that's not me that's you!" Well, she was being blunt at least. Maybe not a hundred percent truthful, she had been curious about him, but now that she saw he wasn't the kind of man she'd expected, there was no need to tell him that she might have been attracted to him if only he acted a certain way, or said certain words, or did certain things. It simply wouldn't be fair to him. And at least this way there would be no doubt that she'd given him a clear message.

"But that's what you liked about me," he said, desperately, "the nice part of me, the good part!" Now he was trying to tell her what he liked?! She felt her controlled rage suddenly snap back into place. This man couldn't be farther from what she was searching for if they were on opposite ends of the world. And to make it worse, she might not have been a genius but she was smart enough to know what was really happening, what tonight had really been for him.

"This is still about Belle, isn't it?" she accused. His face softened at the name once more. She'd gotten it right. It was the only explanation for why he kept coming back to her over and over again when she clearly had no interest. He hadn't been having dinner with her tonight, he'd been planning on dining with his beloved Belle. She didn't know what happened to her or their relationship, but she was tired of being confused for the woman, and the fact that he'd used her like this, as an imitation to scratch some itch he had, just made her feel cheap and she suddenly had an overwhelming urge to cry. It was insulting. And she didn't know how much more clear she could be with him!

"Look, Mr. Gold, I'm sorry, she may have loved you...but I am not her!" she stated clearly. She watched him for a moment as the words finally managed to sink in and she knew he was finally getting the message. But the look on his face was once more too much for her to take. So, without another word, having finally said what she should have all along, she walked off into the night.

This scene breaks my heart every single time! The look on his face is just so...so...gah! Take a knife to my heart and twist it, it would be less painful than watching him lose hope of ever getting his beloved Belle back. Am I right? Still, it had to be done. And while things look bad for our beloved Belle and Rumple right now things are about to get better for Lacey and Gold. All you Lacey fans, sit back relax, enjoy the show...Rumbellers, tuck in, we've got a ways to go!

Grace5231973, Emospritelet, Rumbellefan, and Deweymay thank you thank you thank your for your reviews and wonderful comments about the previous chapter! I'm glad it was spot on! Peace and Happy Reading!