A/N: Let me know if you guys like the direction that the story is taking - I've got a few more plot ideas coming up so the happy ending isn't coming for a little while yet! Let me know if it's getting a little tired and just want me to wrap it up or whatever.
Although, they will finally see each other very soon!

Also, I'm sorry about the characterisation of Regina in this character, it doesn't really ring true, but I wasn't sure how to write her.
So she's just... really angry that day or something.

Thanks everyone who has been reading and special thanks to those of you who have been reviewing.

Chapter 10: Loopholes

Mulan

After Emma had told me about the possibility of leaving town, the idea grew in my mind like a weed.
I was not usually one to daydream, but I found myself consumed with the idea of finding a home.
Sometimes, I imagined leaving for a week, sometimes months, and sometimes I found somewhere so beautiful and comfortable that I grow roots and grow old there.
Eventually, I became so consumed by the idea that I couldn't put it off any longer; I had to visit The Dark One.

The bell to his shop gave a gentle ring as I pushed the door open.

"Hello?" I called, "Gold?"

"He's not here," Regina announced over a small, dusty book, "I've been waiting for hours - he left the door unlocked."

I was unsure about how truthful that last statement had been, and suspected that Regina had magically let herself in, but I kept my thoughts to myself.

"Do you know when he will be back?"

Regina ignored me, turning back to her book.

"I suppose you heard that he found a way to cross the red line?" Regina asked, not looking up.

"How did you know?"

"I figured you'd want to put a bit of distance between yourself and the girl who stopped loving you after she got her memories back," Regina sneered.

It seemed that she was feeling especially unkind that day.

"If you created this town, why wouldn't you create a way out when things got bad?"

"What?" Regina barked.

"That's why you're here, too, aren't you?" I asked, "You need a way out."

"Well... I didn't foresee things getting bad," she explained.

"Someone found a loophole."

"The loophole was written in," she said, annoyed, dropping the small book down on the counter, "Anyway, I did write in a way out, it would just be quite unpleasant to see it through."

A sudden thought occurred to me.

"Why did you pair us together?"

"What?" Regina seemed to somehow hiss the 't' noise.

"After the curse hit - why did we end up together?"

"You and Aurora?"

I nodded.

"As if I had time to plan every sad story in this godforsaken town," Regina snapped, "I had no hand in creating your alternate life - these unhappy endings were just assigned at random."

"Then why was I so happy?"

"I don't know," Regina scowled, "Call it a loophole."

"So you had nothing to do with us ending up together in Storybrooke?"

"I could try to care less about your relationship, but I don't think I could manage it," Regina sneered.

"What about Gold? Do you think he wrote in our relationship?"

"I really don't think he'd care," she said in a tone that clearly wanted this conversation to be over.

"But if he did care, could he force us to be in love?"

Regina's laugh was just short of a cackle.

"It's clear that you know nothing about magic, Mulan; no one can force magic."

"Not even me."

Neither I, nor Regina, had heard The Dark One enter.

"I'm so glad you two let yourselves in," he said sarcastically.

Regina caught his eye and made a motion toward his office. Mr Gold ignored her, turning instead to me.

"Come with me, dearie," he said, walking toward the back of the shop, where his office was.

I shot Regina a voiceless apology as Gold ignored her angry outpour.

I followed Gold into his office and took a seat, waiting until he sat, too, before I spoke.

"Why did you pair us together?"

This was suddenly more important than even leaving.

"Ah, well you see, it was meant to be a loveless marriage," Gold said, with an odd and unnecessary flourish of his hands at the word 'loveless', "You and Aurora were meant to feel the bond of friendship and loyalty that I knew you had for each other, and that was meant to give you both a sense of debt; a sense of obligation," another flourish, "but you were ultimately meant to be unhappy. I had no idea at the time about your... true feelings, although they became apparent the first time I saw you together in Storybrooke."

I was suddenly self-conscious of my hands. What were they meant to do? I folded them uselessly in my lap.

"Why didn't you try to break us up once you saw that I was really in love?" I asked.

"I didn't really care," he said, the 'r's in his sentence rolling musically, "Regina was the one who wanted everyone to be unhappy."

"Well, I'm unhappy now," I said. My hands dropped to my side and I looked Mr Gold squarely in the eye, "I heard you were leaving town."

Leaving was the most important thing again.
Gold sighed, his eyes rolling back.

"I thought that Emma could be trusted to keep a secret."

"She told only me," I said.

"That's one person too many."

"I want to come with you," I said.

"I'm sure you do."

"Gold," I used his name like a plea.

He sighed and shrugged.

"I don't even know if the spell will work."

"Let me try," I said desperately, "I'll go through first."

"I don't think I have enough to get two people through."

"You don't think?" I asked, "So you don't know?"

He sighed again, but seemed to be thinking it over.

"You're not worth the risk," he said finally.

"I saved Belle's life, once," I said, ashamed that I was using my friendship with Belle as a playing card in this instance, but I had no choice, "in a way, you are in my debt."

"How?" he asked slowly.

"She was tracking a Yaoguai," I said, it had been a while since I'd thought of it, "it attacked her. Later, I found her again, being approached by a team of men. I fought them off."

Gold paced the room slowly, eventually turning to me and giving a lazy shrug.

"I owe you nothing," he said, "We never made any arrangements."

"She would be dead if it weren't for me," I growled, my eyes narrowing, "you owe me everything."

Gold seemed to hold steady to his apathy, shaking his head with a light laugh on his lips.
Then he turned to me.

"I'm not promising anything," he said slowly, "But you may want to pack a bag."