SOOOOO sorry for the delay in this chapter! Hope you like it! Feedback is welcome!

I do not own 'Once Upon a Time'.

Chapter 10

Gold entered his house very early that morning; it was barely dawn. He had spent the day before in bed nursing his injured ankle. He also spent the day with Lacey, who, much to his surprise, though not really because she was Belle after all, was extremely sweet and nurturing to him the entire day. They spent much of the day talking, and cuddling, and watching old movies on television. It was clear that Lacey would have preferred the ridiculous and plot-free action films of the current modern era, but Gold was drawn to the cinema of the past, and convinced her to give the genre a chance.

He ambled into the house and was surprised to see the light on in the kitchen, so he headed that way. He was greeted by her just as he reached the dining room. "Where the hell were you? I woke up and you were gone, do you know how worried I was? How did you even get down the stairs without help?" Lacey asked, an angry tone in her voice.

"I had some business to take care of." Gold said. Lacey looked down at his leg – he was wearing the boot that she had gotten from Tom Clark. And it, as well as his other shoe, was covered in mud.

"Did that business include a romp through the woods? Your shoes are covered in mud." Lacey said.

"I had some - property issues to take care of." Gold said.

"At seven in the morning?" Lacey asked.

"I thought you weren't a morning person, I didn't even expect you to be awake this early." Gold said.

"I awoke when I rolled over, reached for you, and you weren't there. You weren't anywhere." Lacey said. Gold closed his eyes for a moment and sighed. This was just one of many problematic issues that he was facing in his new relationship with Lacey – they were sharing a bed. He knew deep down that Belle would never consent to such a thing, not without the commitment of marriage. In his previous life, before the dark curse took him, he would have felt the same. He was quite certain that Belle was a maiden, and any memories that Lacey had to the contrary were most certainly false. And yet here she was, staying in his bed with him. At the moment all they were doing was sleeping, and he could easily skirt the issue of moving their relationship toward anything else due to the pain in his leg, but that certainly couldn't go on forever. And while Belle would most certainly object to any sort of physical relationship at this juncture, Lacey would not only like it – she would probably expect it. Soon.

"Sorry." Gold said, unable to come up with any other answer to her complaint.

"Sorry? That's the best you have, really? You could have, at the very least, left me a note so that I wouldn't worry." Lacey commented.

"You were worried? About what, that someone spirited off with me? Who on earth would do that? And better yet – why? Last I checked, you're the only person in this town that wants to willingly be anywhere near me." Gold said. Lacey turned and stomped into the kitchen. Gold followed.

"Take off your shoes, you're tracking mud everywhere." Lacey said angrily.

"It's my house. If I want to track mud all over it, I will." Gold stated, then he realized that, while his tendencies leant toward the side of hoarding – he was, in fact, a neat and orderly hoarder, at least in his home. He sighed angrily and took off his mud-covered footwear, then proceeded into the kitchen. Lacey was standing in front of the toaster, and it was obvious that she was fighting back tears. The toast was burnt and smoking slightly. Gold walked up behind her. "Hey – it's just toast, love. I have plenty more bread."

"It's not the toast. Although this is your fault too – it wouldn't have burned if I didn't have to come out to the dining area to yell at you." Lacey said.

"Well, you didn't have to do that, either." Gold said. Lacey picked up the burned piece of bread and flung it into the trash can. She then turned around and faced him.

"You don't get it, do you? Is it so bloody hard for you to accept that I actually give a damn about you?" Lacey asked angrily. "What the hell were you doing out there, tramping about in the mud at the crack of dawn anyway?"

What was he doing? He was burying his dagger in the woods, that's what he was doing. Now that he knew that Regina knew that he and Lacey were – acquainted – he needed to hide it for safe keeping, and he had to do it at the least conspicuous hour he could think of. Granted, it was powerless at the moment, but – once the curse was broken, it would likely regain its former power. And he didn't need Regina, of all people, getting ahold of it. Unfortunately for him, he ran into the good Sheriff Graham on his little quest. The sheriff seemed a bit rattled, however, and possibly a bit drunk or hung over, so Gold hoped that he wouldn't think much of their little encounter, if anything at all.

"Lacey, I'm sorry. And you're right – I should have been more considerate. I won't make the same mistake again, I promise." Gold said, hoping that his apology would stop her from questioning his whereabouts. He planted a soft kiss on her lips for good measure. "How about we try again with that toast? I'll help."

"Okay." Lacey said, sniffling back her tears. Gold breathed a sigh of relief. Managing the female sex was never his forte, but he realized that if he was going to keep Lacey around and safe AND keep her in the dark in regard to his own little machinations – he'd best figure out how to make it so, and quickly.

"I still don't think you should be back to work." Lacey said as she finished labeling a box for storage in the shop.

"I am fine. And I have business matters to attend to. The rent isn't going to collect itself." Gold said.

"Why can't you just – mail out billing statements?" Lacey asked.

"Because I find the in-person touch far more effective." Gold replied. "Lacey, I'm fine – it's just a mild sprain and it's much better now. I've dealt with far worse when the injury initially happened."

"How did you do it, anyway? Hurt your leg?" Lacey asked. Gold sighed.

"It was a – a long time ago. Stupid accident that was all my fault. I really don't like talking about it – it's bad enough I'm reminded of it every day." Gold told her. "You just – tend to the inventory and I'll be back as soon as I can."

"I have to work tonight, you know." Lacey reminded him. Gold sighed and turned away from her. "That's not a problem for you, is it?"

"Well, it doesn't really matter if it is, because apparently I don't have a say in how you choose to earn your money." Gold said.

"I told you, it won't be for much longer." Lacey said. "Do you want me to come over afterward?"

"I'll probably be asleep." Gold said.

"That's okay – I'll probably be tired, too. I like sleeping with you." Lacey told him. "I feel – safe with you. I mean, not that I can't take care of myself, just that – well, it's nice having someone."

"Tell you what." Gold said. "How about you – come and live with me?" Lacey's eyes widened.

"You want me to move in with you? Rum, that's a big step, I mean we haven't even -"

"I will have a key made for you and I'll hire a mover to gather up your things whenever you're ready." Gold said.

"I – I have a lease on my apartment." Lacey said.

"I think the landlord will understand." Gold said. Lacey looked up at him in shock.

"You own the place? What about the building manager?" Lacey asked.

"The manager is exactly that, a manager. I must admit – I don't exactly make personal visits to all of my tenants, especially in that part of town." Gold said.

"Well, you're a terrible landlord, my shower has been leaking for as long as I can remember and I keep asking for it to get fixed and it never happens." Lacey said.

"The shower at my place works just fine." Gold said. Lacey thought about it for a moment.

"Okay." Lacey said.

"Really?" Gold said, surprised.

"There's a condition though." Lacey said, and Gold smirked a bit. If she only know how much alike they really were. "You do some repairs to that building, it's in terrible shape, and you don't raise the rents of anyone living there when doing so, they're my friends."

"Done." Gold said. "I'll call the building manager tomorrow and have him get right on that."

"And – one more thing." Lacey said, and she faced him and put his arms around his waist. "When that ankle heals up – you show me just how well that shower of yours works. So – do we have a deal?" Gold hesitated for a moment as he looked her up and down. She was as beautiful as she was the day he first saw her in her father's castle. Even in all of Lacey's make-up and revealing style of dress – he could still see Belle. Belle would want none of this. She was a maiden, an innocent girl. She knew nothing of intimacy with a man. He would be a monster to even entertain the idea.

"That – sounds like a very fair deal." Gold said, and he moved in to kiss her.

"Well, I think that's everything." Lacey said as she watched the movers that Gold hired leave the house. "It's very sweet of you to give me my own room, but – I don't think I'll be using it much. I mean – I assumed that you wouldn't want me to." Gold had purchased an expensive bedroom set for Lacey, and gave her the largest room upstairs next to his to do with as she pleased.

"Well, you'll at least need your own closet space, right? And um – you're not obligated to share my bed, Lacey. That's your choice." Gold said.

"I know." Lacey said. "And I choose to be with you. So – what did you want to do tonight? Now that I – officially live here."

"You don't want to unpack?" Gold asked.

"I can do that later, and as you saw, I really don't have that much. Do you know what I would like?" Lacey asked, and she put her arms around Gold's neck. "I want to see that shower. Your ankle is much better now, right?"

"It's still a little sore." Gold said.

"Well, I think I can manage to – help you remain in an upright position. At least in the shower, that is." Lacey said, and she kissed him. "Might even give you a little private dance, would you like that?" Lacey slid her hand downward toward his crotch. "I think you would like that, quite a bit."

Gold took a deep breath. He had no idea what to do. And Lacey – Lacey knew exactly what to do. He hadn't been with a woman in years – not since Cora, and that was a nightmare he'd prefer to forget. In all honesty, he had only been with two women – Cora and Milah. He never considered himself much of a lover when he was with Milah, and as time wore on she made it very clear to him that this was, in fact, the case. With Cora, it was – carnal, and passionate and absolutely, one hundred percent wrong in every way except skill. Being the Dark One did have its perks.

He often fantasized about what it would be like with Belle when she was with him in the Dark Castle. He pushed those thoughts aside as he did so, for he couldn't even fathom Belle wanting to be with a beast like him. And yet here she was – she was coming to him willingly, and with want.

He didn't have the magical skills of the Dark One in this land, but he had moved past the shy, insecure spinner that he had been all those centuries ago. He was confident that, in this current form, he would be capable of being an adequate and considerate lover, just as she deserved.

He thought about the repercussions of what it would mean to be with Belle in her cursed state. He would be violating her; he would be going against Belle's true will and when she awoke from the curse she would most certainly hate him, and be disgusted with him, and want nothing more to do with him.

Perhaps that was for the best. It was what he deserved, after all.

"I'd like it very much." Gold said. "After you, my dear."

Lacey playfully ran up the stairs, and Gold hesitated for a moment. He wanted things to be so different – but he understood that embracing the monster that he was cursed to be was the only way to keep Belle safe in the long run. As much as it would hurt him to have her only to lose her again – it was for the best. Gold turned off all of the lights downstairs and slowly made his way upstairs and into his bedroom. When he entered, Lacey was sitting on the bed, her phone in hand and a look of shock on her face.

"Lacey, what's wrong?" Gold asked, and he sat down next to her.

"Sheriff Graham is dead." Lacey said. "Ruby just called to tell me. He was one of the only people in this town besides you that was nice to me. He was nice to everyone. I just saw him this morning at Granny's. And now he's dead. Why?" Lacey hugged him tightly and began to cry.

Why? Gold knew exactly why. And he also knew that, given Regina's nature and her desire to keep the curse intact – Belle would be her next target.