A/N Sorry about the lack of updates, my beta has a slave driver for a boss and it took him 2 weeks to fix a fifteen page long chapter. Yes, it's the longest chapter yet! The next one will be half as long, and the one after that will be huge (though you will likely have to be patient if you want immaculate updates). ;P We are slowly getting to the end of this story, only three chapters left! I sincerely hope you'll enjoy this chapter, as well the rest to come.
And last, but not least, I love each and every one of you who take the time to read this, and special hugs and kisses for the amazing folks who share their thoughts with me over reviews and pm's. Thank you for your support, you make me happy and keep me going! :D
Ruby took a lengthy shower that morning, the usually pleasurable exercise stretching out for what seemed like forever as she used a loofa to scrub her skin thoroughly, ignoring the irritated red marks left after her over-zealous ministrations. She made a mess of herself and knew that something had to be done to get it out of her system before going to work, or she would be a disaster waiting to happen. What finally stopped her from performing the abrasive motion was the hoarse voice of her grandma reaching her ears through the bathroom door:
"You'll be late for work, hurry up! Time is money!"
"Yes, Granny!" She yelled, her clear voice ricocheting off the tiles on the walls, carrying quite nicely.
"And easy on the water, we barely had enough to pay the bills last month!"
"Okay!" Ruby yelled a bit too forcefully, suddenly angry at her only remaining family member for denying her a stupid shower when she needed it the most. She asked Granny for nothing, and ten minutes longer in the shower was hardly splurging, she huffed mutinously.
"Well, getting into Mr. Gold's pants would get rid of our financial troubles, that's for sure…"
Without as much as a blink, she slapped herself across the face, her sopping wet palm making considerably more noise upon contact than she thought possible, hoping that her grandmother's hearing wasn't good enough to pick that up and start wondering what she was really up to in the shower for so long.
She had work to do, and standing around soaking wet wasn't going to make her problems go away. Her waitressing helped pay for their loan and bills. She had no choice (well, unless she could finally develop an affinity for living in a cardboard box, which was highly doubtful – cardboard was terrible at keeping stuff dry) so she stepped out onto the soft towel lying on the floor and used a fresh one to dry herself in a customary prelude to the start of her usual workday.
Once she was ready, her make-up done considerably simpler today for the sheer lack of time, she hoped that nobody would notice she looked different than usual. She wondered if Gold might tell her she looks better like this, recalling the look of satisfaction and approval she found on his features last night. Then she laughed at the idea. Pinning a delirious sentence from a dream to the opinion of the actual person was ridiculous.
Brushing her dark brown tresses, she tied her hair into a loose ponytail on the left. She had no time to do anything elaborate with her hair this morning, but the asymmetry could potentially draw the attention away from that.
"Girl, nobody gives a damn how your hair looks when your legs are in sight. Don't be stupid."
Feeling assured once more, she moved her head left and right in front of the mirror, giving herself one last appraising look to make sure the dark circles under her eyes were covered with a thick enough layer of concealer, and that the eyeliner was applied evenly to both of her eyes. Once she was satisfied that her sleepless night shouldn't be visible to anyone, she stepped out of the bathroom, hastily throwing some clothes on.
She got to the diner five minutes after it was supposed to be open, but to her relief, there were no desperate (or raging) customers waiting at the door. She unlocked and ran in, went straight through the restroom door and fumbled to get into her suddenly annoyingly tight uniform. The other waitresses wore their uniforms properly, without tying them to reveal their bare midriff, but none of them could boast a belly as flat as hers (or the bounty of tips she received).
Tossing her clothes over her arm, she went for the door, suddenly aware that she really needed to start working. People would be clamoring for their coffee soon, and they tended to get very grumpy when they were denied their morning fix. She could hear the clink of the bell, knowing it was probably just the cook; he usually came shortly after her and she fully expected the stocky man to appear in front of her and greet her as usual (even though the guy wasn't very talkative; she couldn't remember ever having a conversation with him unless it was to hand him an order, and even then he'd usually just nod or grumble in response) but when the door swung open, she found herself looking straight at Mr. Gold.
Her eyes went wide in surprise for a moment as she tried to appear normal.
Of course it wasn't the cook; he actually had a spare key and usually came from the back entrance (the same one they used for deliveries and the like), the guy never came in through the front door. She instantly felt stupid and cursed the smart dresser standing before her for looking all suave and vaguely intrigued. He truly had a gift for showing up when people least expected him to (like credit card bills when you were already in the red, or a nasty rash you'd get from the nicest looking guy).
"Ok, Mr. Murphy, stop fucking with me!"
Ruby groaned internally, cursing her mind for careening towards the worst kinds of scenarios, the proverbial cliffs popping up left and right like mushrooms after the rain. She blinked a few times and shook her head almost imperceptibly, smashing a mental restart button with an urgency only warranted for by an impending nuclear meltdown.
"Oh, I'm sorry; I'll take your order in a sec, ok?" She tried to gesture with her left hand, only then noticing that she couldn't really move it as her pants and sweater flailed around. Ruby immediately swished the clothing behind her back, almost like they were somehow really inappropriate to be seen by a customer.
He seemed slightly amused but he offered nothing save a little nod of acknowledgment as he went to sit at his table.
His frickin' dream table. Actually, it was her dream… table.
Snapping out of her thoughts with a shudder, she rushed to stash her clothes away in the tiny office they used as a storeroom and went to accommodate the first customer of the day. As she moved from behind the counter, she noticed that he wasn't looking at her, and appeared extremely focused on the nails of his right hand.
"Ignoring me so soon, are you?" She snickered, her thoughts drifting back to the beginning of the dream she had last night. The start was eerily similar; making her wonder what other creepy details would be repeated during his stay here.
"What can I do you for today, Mr. Gold?"
He looked up sharply, his deep brown eyes narrowing in what she assumed was disbelief or suspicion, looking like he wasn't sure if he heard it right.
Ruby blushed furiously, her cheeks flushing to the point where she could almost feel steam coming out of her pores. Of all the stupid stuff she could think of, what came out of her mouth just had to sound like sexual innuendo! It was all that stupid dream's fault! Not only did it make her frustrated to the point of rubbing her skin raw (literally) but on top of being late for work, her usually impenetrable layer of make-up was now too thin to conceal the rising heat radiating off of her in unpleasant waves. She shut her eyes firmly in a desperately pathetic attempt at self-defense. And immediately regretted it.
"You're not a frickin' ostrich, Rubes! So act accordingly!" Taking a deep breath to compose herself, she opened her eyes only to be greeted by a nano-smile of infinite amusement flickering on his face. He seemed perfectly content to just sit there and consume her with that infuriating little snicker, his mischievous eyes threatening to put her under a spell.
"Your voodoo gaze won't work on me, you creep!" She growled on the inside, her back straightening with a subtle crackle as she stood tall in front of the pawn broker. Hey, some sort of dominance had to be established here! Even if all it included was regaining control over her embarrassing physical reactions.
Gold slowly retreated to lean on the back of his seat, whether because he was intimidated by the fierce glare she stabbed him with, or because he wanted her to drop her guard once again; she didn't know. When he seemed comfortable enough, his eyes suddenly focused on an undetermined point in space before him as he said in an even tone:
"I'll just have a cup of coffee, thank you."
Ok, that was weird. Ruby thought she knew him fairly well by now, and had fully expected him to tease her for blushing like a twelve year old girl, but he just sat there and unfolded the newspapers (that he had obviously brought on his own) in front of him, the paper crinkling softly as his fingers spread the pages open. She blinked a couple of times, her mouth slightly agape, eyebrows arched. Mouthing the word "Ohhkaaay…" without actually producing the sound, she spun on her heel and hurried away to brew a fresh pot.
While she was absorbed in her task, a clattering sound echoed in the kitchen. They were no longer all alone in the diner. She didn't quite know how to feel about that. This meant that there would be no molesting on Mr. Gold's part – lest he get a frying pan straight to his head, flung with deadly-accuracy - quite possibly with the burning remains of whatever was cooking in it at the time. The image of the usually ever serious antiques dealer with an egg sunny side up sliding off his hair and splashing against his overly expensive suit made her giggle.
Ah, this was much better.
She picked up a mug and filled it with black, steaming coffee. A short, gingerly stroll later, Ruby stopped next to him and placed the cup gently on the table (a spill would likely have hurt a lot!).
"You sure you don't want a slice of pie with that? Cherry perhaps?" She asked teasingly, suddenly acutely aware that her mouth ran ahead of her brain yet again. To her surprise, her voice didn't quiver, even though she did something completely uncalled for. But there's no way he knew what that was about, so she was probably safe. He looked at her mildly puzzled, but then replied dismissively: "No thank you, dearie. Not today."
She sighed (in relief actually), looking somewhat pouty, and shrugged.
"Suit yourself…"
"That was close!" She thought with no small measure of relief as his eyes returned to the crisp copy of the Daily Mirror. The little bell clinked once more and she turned around to see the handsome Sheriff entering the diner. He usually took his coffee in here, unless he was terribly busy, which was rare; nothing EVER happened in Storybrooke; she suspected the only thing keeping them from earning the title of the town with the lowest crime rate in the history of the United States was Leroy's occasional disturbing of the public peace and her recent scuffle with Dr. Wail.
"Morning, Ruby!" He said in high spirits.
"Morning, handsome!" She smiled, her left hand perched on her hip perkily as she flashed him one of her famous sparkly grins.
Graham smiled at this, and Ruby knew that he must be feeling slightly uncomfortable (he averted his gaze and stuck his hands into the pockets of his trousers) but he seemed aware that she was teasing him. Probably.
"So, what'll it be?" She asked, finally remembering that she had a job to do.
"A coffee to go, I'm rather busy today." Graham seemed apologetic for some reason, like she had caught him doing something embarrassing. She had to admit, he was pretty cute when he looked flustered.
"Latte, as usual? With two sugars?"
"Yes, please." He smiled appreciatively.
As she bounced around preparing his order, she almost managed to forget about Mr. Gold. But he just had to flip a page of his newspaper, and her gaze flew to him immediately, a very unpleasant realization crashing on her – she just flirted with Graham in front of him.
Ok, strictly speaking, it wasn't really flirting. She just said the truth to the hunky sheriff, but still… She couldn't help but be aware of her body language; it kind of betrayed her there. She wondered if Gold noticed it, and in case he did, he was making a commendable effort at keeping his face impossible to read. She smirked when an idea struck: what if the pawn broker was jealous? The thought made her feel positively giddy inside, so much that she actually forgot that she wasn't supposed to care about what he thought in the slightest.
Closing the lid on Graham's latte, she hooked her fingers under the top (paper was a sucky insulator when burning liquids were involved) and ferried it to the Sheriff with a huge grin plastered on her face.
He took the cup, holding it in the same way, and left her a crumpled bill on the counter, nodding in thanks.
He motioned to leave, but then stopped as he remembered he had something to say.
"Oh, before I forget, Whale said he would be coming to apologize. I thought I'd give you a heads up."
"Now he remembers?" Ruby snorted. "Thanks for letting me know."
"No problem. Have a nice day, Ruby."
"You too!" She waved after him as the doors of the diner shut after him.
Ruby sighed and went back behind the counter, feeling fairly indifferent towards this new piece of information. The lecherous doctor hadn't set foot into the diner ever since that night and Ruby was pretty sure that he was avoiding her, because she couldn't see him anywhere.
And not seeing someone in Storybrooke was nearly impossible to accomplish, since everyone seemed to know everybody else, also… there weren't many places to hide. But she cared little about the guy; he would probably come all snivelly and beg for forgiveness. He certainly seemed like the type, and she couldn't help but imagine him as something slimy, scurrying about from hole to hole.
Her gaze wondered to the ever mysterious Mr. Gold. He still seemed blissfully unaware of his surroundings, and she eyed him carefully each time he'd raise the mug to his lips, taking the tiniest of sips.
"Drinking like that will take forever…" She mused, snickering slightly at the thought of the snide loan shark staying here until the end of her shift. How would he explain that?
She continued to watch him in silence, her eyes glazing over after a while, thoughts swimming around her head like a school of fish. The more she looked at Gold, the more she could see – the way his eyes skimmed across the pages, the slowly graying hair falling around his face, framing it in an appealing way. He seemed deep in thought, and also aloof at the same time, like reading this was somehow really dull and definitely not worth his time or attention, yet he skipped nothing.
He was thorough.
Ruby blanched at that thought and hoped he wouldn't choose this moment to look up and see her rattled. Luckily for her, the tiny bell let out a warning signal that there were customers to be served.
Except the person that came in was no customer.
Her face immediately went rigid, her usual dazzling smile nowhere to be seen, lips forming a thin line – an obvious sign of distaste and apprehension.
The man looked at her sheepishly, his gaze faltering, a queasy smile flickering on the corners of his mouth. Ruby immediately crossed her arms over her chest, waiting all tight-lipped for the man to make a move. His uneasy smile disappeared at once, but he made a hesitant step forward, never breaking eye contact even though it was painfully obvious that he would like nothing better.
"Like a startled rabbit." Ruby sniggered inwardly.
"Uhm…" Whale began shakily: "Ruby, I…"
"It should be Miss Lucas at the very least… Doctor."
Ruby's head snapped in the direction of the deceptively soothing voice, knowing at once that it belonged to none other than Mr. Gold. She didn't know how, but he was already up on his feet, leaning on his cane, glaring daggers at Whale who only then seemed to notice that he wasn't alone with Ruby. The nervous doctor swallowed, shrinking visibly in front of her eyes – it seemed like that little cane thrashing instilled a healthy dose of fear into him, for which she was instantly glad, nearly gleefully so. The more witless he appeared, the better she would feel about this. Now, when she knew that Gold had her back, she could focus on the groveling slip of a man in front of her.
"What do you want? I haven't got all day." Ruby stated, clearly bored and dismissive. It was, quite literally, a verbal kick in the ass. And out the door.
"I, uh… I wanted to apologize for my rude –"
"Appalling." Gold interjected frostily, his face a mask of calculated indifference, but his voice carried a threatening note, and there was no way Whale could have missed it.
Whale flinched, but managed to continue: "Yes, I meant to apologize for my… appalling behavior that night… I'm really sorry, Ru - , I mean, Miss Lucas." He finished apologetically, his forehead glistening with sweat. It was a testament to the amount of pressure he was under, but Ruby found it hard to be sympathetic, even when he tried to hand her a bouquet of daisies.
She looked at it for a long moment, her eyebrows arched. His hand was still outstretched (even though it was trembling quite visibly) but she made no effort to acknowledge the peace offering.
"Daisies? Really?"
Whale looked uncomfortable and startled, his little eyes twitching nervously as he willed his hand to stay outstretched. Ruby thought he looked like he was about to faint. Or piss his pants.
No matter how amusing that would be, she didn't want to clean up the mess either of those two options would make, and finally made a move (though very grudgingly).
"Leave them on the counter."
He seemed conflicted and relieved at the same time as he let the simple bouquet fall on the gleaming countertop. His brow knit in confusion as he proceeded to wipe his palms on the dark fabric of his trousers.
"This doesn't mean I forgive you, though." She added, quite unwilling to give him any hopes, no matter how charming or disarmingly lost he was trying to appear.
"Then –"He began, only to be cut off by her rising tone:
"What it does mean, is that you can show your face around here again, without worrying about me poisoning your coffee."
He tried to show a weak smile, looking like he was hoping that had been nothing but a joke, but her cross face didn't inspire optimism.
"So…" The aspiring womanizer was trying really hard to define what this situation meant, but it seemed like all of his courage fled, leaving him to be devoured alive by the furious man-eater standing behind the counter.
"So, nothing. I can't ban you from the diner, it's bad for business."
"I was just thinking if you could, maybe…"
"What?" Ruby asked, impatience sharp in her voice.
The uncomfortable moment was interrupted when Mr. Gold laughed quietly and Ruby turned just in time to see a slight toothy grin spreading on his face. Oh, that was derision, that's what it was – a jagged, pointy smile meant to shrink the opponent into nothingness (not that there was much left of Whale for that).
"So that is what you've wanted all along." He smiled knowingly, piercing the doctor with a laser glare.
"No, I –"Whale fumbled, and Ruby frowned, not quite getting what Gold seemed so happy about all of a sudden. And yet, it seemed like the two men understood each other perfectly – no need for words; body language alone was enough and it spoke volumes. Whale looked as uncomfortable and embarrassed as it was humanly possible, all trembling and shoulders hunched, shrinking in front of a superior opponent, while Gold stood upright, staring the omega down with his unwavering gaze of dominance, putting him in his proper place.
Oh, if it came to that, Mr. Gold was definitely at the very top of the food chain and, right now, it appeared as if Whale wasn't even in it, because the pawn broker was barely acknowledging his existence (the way a lion might acknowledge a larva).
Not knowing was frustrating, so Ruby let out an irritated complaint: "Would someone mind filling me in?" Her voice brimmed with impatience as exasperation kicked in – being the only one left out of the loop wasn't exactly a satisfying feeling.
Whale gaped like a yawning baboon, his face red with anger or despair born of frustration perhaps, looking like some vital secret was about to be blown for the whole world to see – something thoroughly undignified at that, and she got her answer soon enough. Gold sneered at the bumbling doctor, baring his teeth in a menacing gesture that still managed to convey condescension which was obviously simmering on the inside of that snazzy suit of armor of his.
"You see, my dear, our good doctor came here in the hopes of being forgiven; thus getting you to drop the charges."
That was over a bit too quickly for Ruby's taste (she was really looking forward to the nearly inquisitorial torture session she assumed Gold had in store for the man), but there was satisfaction to be drawn from this as well, seeing how Whale's face turned green in less than a second. Mr. Gold's bluntness was lethal, probably as much as his teasing, or whatever else he used on his victims to make them crumble from within (and she couldn't deny how effective his methods were).
Whale had, for all intents and purposes, just turned into stone – his whole body suddenly rigid and face sickly gray.
Ruby laughed in Whale's face. "If that's what you came here for, I'm afraid you'll have to leave without it."
The doctor seemed like he was about to be sick, a wild flicker of desperation flashing in his watery eyes.
"Please, Ruby! If… if I'm convicted, I might lose my medical license! Regina would make sure I lost my job, and… I'm sorry; I will pay anything you ask, just drop the charges… I'm begging you!"
His hands drawn together, in a manner of a supplicant kneeling at an altar, laying his soul bare before his deity, made Ruby feel like it was genuine. The man was usually false, his words sugar-coated in the gooey sweetness of flattery, but there was none of it present at the moment, just a man stripped of all pretense, honest and on the verge of breaking down.
As much as she disliked Whale, she didn't want to get him fired; she knew how scary losing one's livelihood could be, and she felt her heart softening considerably as she imagined him slumming on a park bench (Gold would be more than happy to evict him as soon as he failed to pay rent). She felt her arms fall by her sides as she sighed slightly.
Ruby looked straight at Whale, keeping her voice strict but slightly lenient: "I am not about to forget what you've done, and I still want to smack you across the face with my tray, but I suppose getting you fired would be a bit too much…"
The rigid lines on his face loosened considerably as he managed a weak, hopeful smile.
"I will see Graham after my shift, is that ok?"
Whale beamed at her, looking like a little child on Christmas morning.
"Thank you! Thank you so much!" He moved forward, like he was about to throw his arms around her, but stopped when he realized the counter was still between them.
"One last thing." Ruby began.
"Y-yes?" he muttered nervously, worry evident on his face.
"You don't have to pay us anything. Just make sure that whenever you eat out, you come here and leave big, fat tips for me, or any other unfortunate girls serving you. You got that?"
Whale blinked once in confusion and then, as this new info set in, nodded vigorously.
"Of course! I'll make sure to do that!" He smiled awkwardly, gave her a miniature bow and promptly excused himself (something about his shift at the hospital).
Ruby watched his hasty retreat and let out a long puff as the doors clamped shut behind him.
"That was very generous of you." Gold commented.
Ruby snapped out of her thoughts (she actually managed to forget all about him, no matter how unlikely it seemed a few minutes ago), and gave the poised antiques dealer a slightly startled look.
"Yeah, well… What can I say, I'm a saint." She shrugged, a feeble attempt at a smile bearing no fruit.
"I can make sure he never bothers you again, if that worries you." He offered.
Ruby stared into his eyes for a long moment, the strict, serious mask drawn over his face making it impossible to discern exactly what he was feeling as he made that offer. Was he worried about her? Or just vindictive?
Vindictive about what? It's not like Whale attacked him or stole something of his.
Then an uncomfortable thought struck. Did Gold actually regard her as something of his?
Ok, that was ridiculous. There was nothing between them that would justify that.
"At least not yet…" Ruby reminded herself and bit her lower lip, her face betraying the anguish that welled up on the inside.
"No, no need for that… I think he's already scarred for life."
Gold smiled at that and Ruby felt relieved all of a sudden.
"As you wish, my dear." He acquiesced and went back to his seat, returning to his (no doubt already cold) coffee.
At that moment, Leroy stepped in, grumbling as he hit his toe on the doorstep, limping for a step or two until he got to the nearest table, dropping into his chair unceremoniously, cursing the existence of protruding elements of all kinds until Ruby sailed into view, ready to take her grumpiest customer's order.
"Give me a cheese omelet."
"Rough night?" Ruby inquired, cocking her left eyebrow, flashing the bearded man her sparkly, toothy grin.
"You have no idea, sister." He grumbled dispassionately, the corners of his mouth pointing downwards. "Regina has no appreciation for my gardening skills."
Ruby had a hard time suppressing a loud chuckle, managing at the last moment to stifle it with the back of her left hand. One more detail and she would add prophetic dreams to the list of her abilities.
She was pleased when Leroy finally had his breakfast before him, the omelet served with two extra strips of delicious crispy bacon (just the way he liked it) and the genuine smile of satisfaction that lit his face was more than worth the effort. He didn't bother thanking her, but the way he dug into his meal with zeal was thanks enough. Life was comprised of small pleasures, and if she could make a customer happy with something so small, it was no trouble at all. To be fair, a happy customer was likely to tip more – she might be a saint, but she was no altruist.
As customers started filing in, she busied herself with orders, having little time to dwell on this morning's events.
Once everyone was served, she allowed herself a moment to rest, wiping the countertop just to appear busy (one of the things Granny insisted on – idle hands were bad for business, therefore, an employee always had to do something). Seconds trickled by in slow motion, her gaze fixed on Mr. Gold; the man as immersed in his papers as before.
Immediately swarming to the dream she had last night, her thoughts latched themselves on the parts she would rather forget, for they were disturbing and extremely evocative. Was she really this desperate, craving a guy twice her age? Actually, nobody really knew his age; he could be anywhere from forty to God-knows-how-old, but Ruby would probably bet on fifty-ish if she was forced to.
Now when she thought about it, age mattered little. Of course, there were certain limits which shouldn't be crossed (because they careened towards mental instability) but he wasn't past either of those lines – he was neither under fifteen (Pedobear age) or over sixty/seventy (gerontophilia, was it?), so she was safe from that side. Rationally, she wasn't in the creepy zone either. Ruby was no longer jail-bait, just… bait. And it was closer and closer within the realm of possibility - the idea of attempting something, just to see if he was interested. But then again… It was Mr. Gold we were talking about here, he wasn't just anyone – the man was vicious, devious and filthy rich. And she actually found that she hated none of those things about him.
But what was it that attracted her this much? That wet dream was a first; none of the men she had ever dated managed to stir her subconscious enough to produce such… stimulating fantasies. She had to go back to peruse her list of preferences.
Looks came to mind first. Ok, if he was likely to fail any category, it was definitely this one. The whole graying hair issue aside (it worked for him, strangely enough), the limp should be off-putting, but it wasn't, not really. He could have gotten that injury in a war, and women found war heroes really sexy – sustained injury stood for bravery and strength of character, both of which were highly desirable traits. Though, to be fair, there was something off with that assessment – Gold looked nothing like a decorated war veteran. Those usually tended to display their medals, flaunting them in the faces of all those who hadn't dared fight (and ridiculously enough, those who were so young they weren't even born at the time). And Gold never did anything of the sort, never bragged about anything to anyone, though he'd likely get shot for rubbing it in, people didn't need reminding they were inferior to him in every way imaginable. Also, no ex-soldier could boast a business empire (bordering on mafia cartel if running methods were taken into consideration) as expansive as Gold's.
Unless you counted Forrest Gump, that is. But that was beside the point.
Ok, so… Even though he wasn't young, he looked good enough for her not to be repulsed by him, quite the opposite – just looking at him now (post-dream) made her lady parts uncomfortably warm, rousing in her a need to see him in less than his suit, the golden armband ensemble coming to mind, making the sudden onslaught of desire nigh impossible to bear.
"Ok, Rubes… Enough of that, moving on…"
What else was there that she liked in men?
Oh, of course – the sense of humor. That one was essential. And to her dismay, he had more of it than was good for her mental health. Gold seemed to share a quirky, darker sort of humor that she enjoyed immensely, and exchanging witty retorts with him was always a thing to look forward to.
He was actually fairly easy to talk to, once you knew how to deal with his sharp wit, and he was able to hold a decent conversation with her. Yeah, guys didn't usually think that one was important. Well, it was. And he excelled at it.
She was completely absorbed in her little analysis, so much that she managed to miss Leroy leaving (as well as a few other people) and finally realized that the pawn broker was looking straight at her, a small smile of amusement flickering on the edges of his lips.
"Oops. Busted." Was all she thought as he approached the counter (probably to pay for his coffee).
"You've been staring, dearie." He failed to suppress a grin. Not only did he notice, he liked it.
"Nuh-uh." Ruby shook her head in hazy denial, her eyes still slightly unfocused and her lips pursed in a pout, almost. "I wasn't staring."
"I believe that looking at somebody for more than five minutes straight without blinking constitutes as staring."
Ruby wanted to be embarrassed enough to escape, but her shyness reserves seemed depleted, leaving her no choice but to delve into supplies of other emotions. Defiance was a good start.
"I wasn't staring at you." She stated firmly, her eyes finally meeting his without a trace of hesitation in them. She was so adamant about it, that he would have no choice but to believe her, no matter how preposterous her claim was.
"Then what, pray tell, were you doing?" Gold asked, looking entertained in advance.
"Thinking about you." She answered cheekily.
Now that was an answer he definitely wasn't expecting! It was obvious from the way his eyebrows arched, a tiny cough masked by a sharp exhale revealing how unprepared he was for that particular statement. He seemed momentarily taken aback, but it didn't last long, he was quick on his feet, she'd give him that, recovering from shock instantaneously.
"What about me?" He inquired, mischief positively dripping from his voice.
He was amused. And interested, oh, so very interested.
She allowed her gaze to drift into space, her eyes glossy as she spoke distantly, as if trying to remember exactly what it was that she was so busy thinking about.
"I was just wondering if you slept on a mattress stuffed with hundred-dollar bills, like a nest or something… Hey, a bachelor's pad? It qualifies as a lair, I'm sure."
All the noise he made laughing at that sentence was made solely through his nose, and was definitely not strong enough to be called a snort.
"What else was there?" He asked, showing off one of his canines.
"What makes you think there's more?" She challenged petulantly.
"That was quite a long stare, my dear."
"Fine." She grumbled, looking really annoyed at the prospect of having to explain, but accepting her fate nonetheless.
"Hmmm… I was also wondering how many bodies you have buried in the woods over the years…"
She grinned victoriously as he laughed for a moment, acknowledging her wit.
"Ah, but there's a flaw in your reasoning, dearie; do you remember anyone ever going missing in this town?"
He looked way too sure about this and it only made her want to prove him wrong even more.
"No…" She admitted slowly, pondering why that could be.
"There goes that little theory of yours." He smirked smugly.
"Ok, fine… Maybe not people from Storybrooke, but from somewhere else? Maybe that's why we never have any visitors around here."
Gold cast her an incredulous look: "Do you really think I have nothing better to do with my time than to stay by the road leading into our peaceful little town and pick off unsuspecting tourists?"
"I wouldn't be surprised." She smirked at him, all sassy and daring.
"And what motive would I possibly have to do a thing like that?"
That was a fair question. She ignored his amused, expectant look and thought for a moment.
"Well… To preserve the balance of power in Storybrooke."
"Or to make sure the inn stays empty, so we can never get out of that loan."
His eyebrows arched again and she knew she needed to elaborate further.
"Everybody and their grandma knows that you are in a state of cold war with Regina. Fresh money and people pouring in would disturb the balance, and I doubt you'd like that. Besides, I doubt anyone coming here would side with you; no offense, but Regina could seduce pretty much anyone into doing what she wants."
"Fair enough." Gold admitted almost grudgingly, even though that smirk never left his face.
"Anything else?" He asked, looking almost hopeful for more entertainment.
"Uhmm…" She tried to appear deep in thought. "I was also wondering when you would be buying me dinner."
"Holy shit! Where did THAT come from?" Ruby's insides were exploding like a volcano, but all of the lava and the billowing black smoke and clouds of ash weren't visible on the outside, because, by some miracle of fate, her face remained perfectly impassive, her full red lips still pursed slightly.
"Are you implying what I think you are?" Gold looked slightly mystified, but fully aware of the meaning her words conveyed.
Last night's dream floated in front of her eyes once more, and there it was, a chance to turn the tables so deliciously, part of her deeply pleased by the fact that he would never know.
"Depends on what you think it is I'm implying."
Gold looked mildly shocked by this (the good kind of shock – amused disbelief), his mouth agape slightly, eyes narrowed at her, head tilted slightly to the right. There was an intriguing twinkle in his eyes and she realized that he was actually laughing on the inside. The determination that flashed subtly across his features told her that this was definitely the "oh-so-you-want-to-play-that-game" look, and that he was more than willing to oblige.
"Oh… I don't know… One could say that you are soliciting the town's ogre for your own inscrutable purposes."
Ruby giggled, perching her left hand on her hip, her wolfish grin permanently fixed on her face.
"Wouldn't you like that?" She teased, knowing full well that she had the upper hand here.
But Gold wasn't outmaneuvered yet.
"I'm not sure if even selling your soul to the devil would be price enough to obtain that information." The sly merchant grinned at her, his golden tooth glinting in the daylight pouring in from the outside.
She let out a chuckle, her face showing a perfect "oh-please" expression as she rolled her eyes and then leaned closer to him, looking at him deviously.
"Please, like my soul is the best I can offer."
He knew what she meant; she could see it in his eyes. The way he licked his lips almost imperceptibly (well, not imperceptibly enough!) and his eyes straying downwards was all the proof she needed.
"A deal could always be struck…" He nodded in approval, and Ruby felt like she had just been slapped across the face. Did the greasy bastard just insinuate…
Would he really be willing to pay for her?
The thought was endlessly creepy and disgusting.
The image of his hands undressing and caressing her, throwing and then pinning her against the wall, taking her forcefully only to throw a wad of money her way after it was done was…
Ok, the first part was wholly appealing, but the last was just… wrong. She wasn't a whore, no matter how many broken-hearted idiots claimed otherwise.
Her deep frown probably alerted him to the fact that something was off, and he took a step back.
Ruby snapped out of her thoughts, the lower part of her body still ablaze despite how angry she was with him, but seeing him retreat was definitely not a part of her plan. She needed to salvage the situation, and fast.
"I was just doing you a favor, you know."
For the first time ever, Gold actually seemed at a loss for words. Using this momentary lapse in brain function on his part, she continued to explain.
"I never got the chance to properly thank you for saving me. Any other guy would already have cashed in on that, and dinner is usually the way to go."
"You expected me to… cash in?" He seemed torn between a look of disbelief and curiosity.
"Not really… But I suppose it's a nice tradition, so why break it?"
Gold chuckled quietly, and said as he shook his head: "Because you are so fond of keeping those."
Ruby's eyes went wide as some small measure of shyness managed to materialize in the bottom of her heart; his observation was spot on. As embarrassing as overlooking that had been, she had already gone too far and might as well stick with it.
"Do you want to take me out or not?" She asked bluntly. This was as honest as she could get (aside from grabbing a club and smacking him across the head with it), and the ball was in his court.
He appeared taken by surprise for a second, but then looked straight into her eyes and snickered.
"Pick the time and place."
Oh, so he could be forward as well… good, she had more than enough of beating around the bush.
"Next Saturday. And take me anywhere but here."
He laughed then, looking as genuine as it was possible for him, likely amused by the fact that she didn't want to have a date with him right under Granny's nose.
"It's a deal." He said.
She was starting to see a pattern there. "It's actually a date, but whatever floats your boat, Mr. Fancy-pants."
"Pick me up at eight. And don't drive to the inn, wait by the forest road, I'll come out."
He smiled knowingly and looked at her conspiratorially.
"Until then, my dear…" He bowed his head minutely and left the diner.
Suddenly aware of what she had just signed up for, she glanced around the diner terrified, wondering how many customers had just witnessed their little exchange and then sighed in relief as she noticed the diner was empty (save for the cook, of course). But that guy wouldn't tell a soul.
If not Ruby, then Gold would make quite sure of that.
The last thing she needed was a furious Granny threatening to disinherit her.