"Where are you headed?" Ian asked, slightly out of breath. He'd jogged to Gold and did a slight hop to keep up with the limping man's impressive pace, raising his umbrella over the pair of them. Gold looked halfway soaked, yet unbothered by the cold.

Gold shot a look at the umbrella, then at Ian, "I was heading home."

It almost sounded like a question.

Ian smirked, "Then please allow me to accompany you. You'll get drenched."

"More than I am presently?" Gold asked with one raised brow.

"I just thought I'd be nice," Ian said defensively. They walked in silence for several steps and the tension was rising. Gold however seemed to have infinite amounts of patience, barely glancing at Ian. Ian didn't have the same self-control, "May I ask why you're walking home in the rain?"

"Well, I didn't decide it should rain, did I?" Gold shot back.

"You could have waited it out," Ian suggested and if on cue, it started to hail.

"You were saying?" Gold's tone was caustic and raised to be heard over the noise.

"That was ridiculous. Like, what the hell?" Ian peeked out from the edge of the umbrella and was pelted with hail the size of quarters. It was impressive in itself that umbrella hadn't broken. The sky had darkened and a rumbling sounded in the distance. Gold huffed and pulled him back under the umbrella by the collar of his jacket. Ian was surprised and shot Gold a dazed look.

Gold blinked, before coughing, "No use in both of us getting sick."

"I suppose," Ian agreed quietly.

"You are new in town, yes?" Gold asked.

"Yeah, I mean I was camping in the woods and then I saw the town. Decided I might stay for a few days, maybe a week," Ian informed, happy that conversation was finally happening. And Gold's accent was really too sexy for words. He felt his face heat up as soon as he'd thought the thought and he prayed that Gold wasn't some psychic in disguise.

Cough if you just heard that.

Gold coughed and Ian nearly had a fit. Instead he let out a squeak of embarrassment and Gold jumped at the shrill sound. Ian slapped a hand over his mouth to try and keep anything else in.

"What?" Gold snapped.

"You coughed," Ian croaked.

"I'm slowly getting sick," Gold said slowly, as if speaking to a small toddler and Ian slowly began feeling like one. Gold being psychic was ridiculous. "Am I no longer allowed to cough?" Gold asked coldly.

"Of course, I was just… surprised," Ian offered lamely and Gold rolled his eyes. His lovely brown eyes. Christ, Ian was in love.

"Doesn't take much to surprise you, does it?" Gold asked.

Ian shrugged, "Not anymore."

Gold hummed before stopping on the pavement. Ian nearly tripped over his feet as he came to a halt. Gold was looking at him expectantly and Ian came to realize they were standing in front of Gold's house.

"It's pink," he blurted.

Gold nodded, "Yes, it is."

Ian swallowed. Now was his chance. Say something, you idiot!

"Good day, Mr.?" Gold too half a step back but paused to hear Ian's name.

"Uh, Ian Rawlings."

"Mr. Rawlings. And thank you for the umbrella," Gold nodded his head and headed for the door. Ian was pressing his lips together convulsively to try and make something intelligent and/or witty pass them. But it didn't happen and he was left standing like a nearly drowned puppy on the sidewalk while Gold disappeared inside the house.

Ian huffed to himself. Gold could have at least invited him in to dry off. He waved it off and began the suddenly long trek back to Widow Lucas' B&B. The need for hot chocolate was rising. He left and didn't look back to see Gold standing in the window watching him.

The umbrella from all those years ago still stood in the hallway, waiting for the next big storm. And it didn't seem like there was one underway with the way Nat was acting. But Ian didn't pay much attention to it. Kathryn had been found alive. Mary Margaret was free to go. The question was; why the hell did the DNA from the heart say that Kathryn was dead. The poor woman herself was currently hospitalized, sleeping the worst of the trauma off.

Nat had begun initiating touch more often now. But it was still limited to holding hands and leaning on one another when they sat in the couch. It seemed that the crisis Ian had anticipated might just disappear on its own.

-x-x-x-

He was screwed.

He was falling for Ian, and falling fast. Every time Ian held his hand or touched his face he didn't want it to end. He wanted to stay in this reality, where love was real and love was something he had in his life. But every time they let go of one another, he'd become overwhelmed with guilt. He was using Ian for his own cravings. It wasn't fair.

Ian was the first person since Belle to show him love.

The thought of Belle send a harsh streak of shivers down his spine.

"You okay?" Ian asked, his body vibrating against his side. Gold had leaned just enough to be comfortable and Ian was more than happy to oblige.

"Fine," Gold's smiles were tight and controlled. Ian's weren't. Ian's were wide and uninhibited, carefree and starry eyed. Like life couldn't possibly get any better than right now.

"Always treasure the small things right in front of you. When you look back at your life after a few years you may realize that they were the big things all along."

Ian was in many ways like Belle. For instance, both couldn't see the monster he really was. Both of them were impossibly positive. Ian was not naïve as Belle may have been. Ian was older and had experienced life. He was a veteran of the Korean War. She had been a well-read princess.

Wait, Ian was a war veteran?

"Ian?"

"Yeah?"

Gold blinked a few times to try and word his question properly. The pause didn't seem to unnerve Ian. "Very off topic, but please indulge me; what rank were you in the army?" he tried to sound as if he'd simply forgotten, for he was sure they'd had this conversation before.

"Captain, why?" Ian asked.

"Just thought about it," Gold replied nonchalantly.

"You're not going to start calling me Captain are you?" Ian asked, sounding half amused half horrified.

Gold scoffed, "No, of course not."

"Did you know Marco once called me loverboy by accident a few years ago?" Ian giggled.

"He did?"

"Yeah, I think he forgot for a moment that I'm 53 years old," Ian continued into a laugh and Gold smiled.

"Must have been terribly embarrassed?"

"He begged me not to tell."

"And now you have, naughty," Gold said and realized too late what he'd let slip out. And now that stupidly wonderful glee twinkled in Ian's bright blue eyes and Gold swallowed. He put a hand up but before he could protest Ian had pounced. And being ticklish was no advantage in this game. Gold laughed until he cried and Ian relented when they rolled off the couch to the floor with a bang.

"You okay?" Ian asked, breathless and a wide grin on his face.

"Fine," Gold smiled and he could honestly not believe how bloody childish Ian was sometimes. But he didn't hate it. So he leaned up and kissed him. Ian was a little surprised, but pleasantly so. Being with Ian wasn't so bad after all.