Chapter 11

She thought it very possible that this was the least productive day Rumpelstiltskin had ever had in his shop. Not only was he hours late opening due to the morning they'd had she was apparently a horrible distraction. She had tried to help the first hour, seeing all the dust on things after she got there from her apartment after changing into fresh clothes, but he had quashed her good intentions. He had plucked the black and white feather duster out of her hands and told her firmly she was not a maid. That had her rolling her eyes at him and throwing back that the place was a disgrace of un-cleanliness and filth. He had eyed her and promptly tried to dust her, which had her laughing in delight as the feathers brushed her skin and running into the back to try to hide behind the curtain he used as a doorway between the main shop and his office. He had chuckled at that and told her there was a bookshelf hidden inside a closet that would occupy her far better than worrying about the state of his wares.

Intrigued, she had spotted the door and shoved a few boxes and a small chandelier out of the way to get to it. When she managed to pry the door open, and she thought it must have been closed for a very long time with the way it stuck, she let out a sound of happiness. The walls of the large walk in were packed full of books from floor to ceiling. Eyeing the large cupboard she glanced toward the curtain, spotting him walk by as he did something, and felt safe enough to step inside it. These books, unlike the ones at the library, were clearly expensive. They were nearly all bound in leather and were very well taken care of, looking all but untouched. She didn't recognize any of them from the castle and called a question out to him. "Where did you get all these?"

"Online." He called back.

That had her poking her head out of the closet. "You can get books from the computer?"

"Yes, dearie." He answered from the other room.

"How?" She asked. "Does it have to do with the net? I don't understand how it catches things."

There was a brief pause before he snorted out an utterly amused laugh. "What?"

"Ruby said it brings you things. It's really very impressive, but I've never seen the net. Is it like electricity? It's there but you can't see it?"

The curtain came open so he could see her. "Oh love, no." She sent him a baffled look. "It's not an actual net."

"It isn't?" She asked, baffled. "Then how does it get things?"

He tried to make it simple; she saw it in his facial expression. "Think of it like a very large text book. If you look up a word in the back it tells you the definition and gives you an example. In this case when you look something up it brings up every example of it that exists in the Internet."

She took that in. "So… it's a giant encyclopedia?"

"In a manner of speaking." He agreed, still smiling at her misunderstanding. "But I wouldn't trust everything you find on there."

"And you can buy things on it?" This was truly fascinating.

"You can." He agreed. "The curse may keep us here, but it doesn't keep other people out. We still get deliveries from the outside world when we order them, although the people that deliver the items appear to forget they were ever here when they leave. That's why the market is still stocked and the few clothing stores we have contain new wares, but no one new ever moves in or visits." He shrugged. "I ordered most of your clothes from Boston or New York. They have much higher standards than this place."

"How do you put the money in the computer?"

"You use the number on your credit card."

"A what?"

He stepped into the office and pulled his wallet out of his back pocket. As he opened it she walked over to him and he pulled out a thin square of blue plastic. "This."

She took the odd cold card when he handed it to her and she inspected it. She didn't see how this was comparable to real gold, or even the green paper used here. "I don't understand. How is this money? Almost everything here is made of this material. It can't be worth that much."

"The bank keeps track of how much money you have and allows you to give the card to shopkeepers. They run it through a machine that automatically moves the money from your bank account to the account of the person you're paying. The card is used just like money. It's a record of how much you have and you can decide if you want to use it."

"How do you know they aren't taking more than you want to give them?" She asked, seeing how that could go very wrong.

"You have to sign your name on a receipt before the transaction. The paper has the amount you agree to pay. If they take more than that you contact the bank or the police and the merchant will get charged with a crime and your money returned."

"How do you sign your name on a computer?" She asked.

He shook his head. "You ask better questions than most people that have been using credit cards all their lives." He took the card from her and flipped it over. Pointing to a set of small numbers in the center he continued. "On the internet these three numbers are your signature. They're unique to every card."

"Oh." She said with interest. "And what happens if someone steals it from you? Do you loose all your money?"

He hummed in approval of that question. "No, you call your bank and they turn the card off so it can't be used."

"That seems a very impressive invention." She told him, now engrossed with this whole idea.

"As long as you don't overcharge it." He agreed. "Which is a problem many seem to have."

"They spend more than they have?"

"In this world that's really a necessity for most people." He shrugged. "I'll explain that later. We really should get you a credit card, Belle."

"I don't need one."

"You need a proper credit rating if you're set on staying in this world." At her look of confusion he shook his head again as he tucked the card away and put his wallet back in his pocket. He moved to his desk and pulled a drawer open. Pulling out an odd flat silver box he set in on the top of the desk after brushing some oddities to the side to make room for it. Reaching to the center of it he lifted the lid and her eyes went wide in recognition.

"It's a computer?"

"Yes, a laptop." She got closer so she could see as he turned it on. "It works just the same as the one you have in the library except you can carry it around." Interested she sat on the top of the desk as he sat on the chair. She was forcefully reminded of his table back at the castle and liked this. That had always seemed to be the place they were most comfortable with one another, the place they had silently agreed was where they could share, where they had started forming a friendship. He began to type on it quickly, with a speed she envied, and a few moments later was on a bookstore website. He turned the computer so she could see and she cocked her head to the side in interest. "What sort of book would you like?"

She smiled in delight. He was going to show her how this worked and get her a gift at the same time. "Beauty and the Beast, please." She said at once.

He blinked at that, no doubt recognizing the title. "Beauty and the Beast?"

"It's missing from the library and I can't find that B level storage area even though I searched everywhere and got blueprints for the building. I don't think it exists and is some sort of trick of the magic. I want to read my fairytale. Did you know I had one?"

"Yes." He said slowly. "How did you?"

"Henry told me." She said. "I want to read it." He nodded and typed the name into the search bar at the top. A moment later four different books with that title appeared for them to see. "Are they all different?" She asked as she looked at the images.

"Only the covers. People like options." He looked them over and decided on one that had a very nice cover and a picture on it that looked eerily like her. Beside her was a large, well, beast. She frowned at the sight of it. The creature was very large, covered in thick brown fur, and had horns. It was an odd cross between a wolf, a bear, and a bull. She had never seen anything like it before and was reminded of Grace asking her if Rumple was really covered in fur. She supposed if this was what all the artwork looked like for her story it was a valid enough question.

As the screen changed to one that started asking for payment she couldn't help herself. "Why is the beast hairy? You weren't hairy, only sort of shimmery."

"Shimmery?" He asked dryly.

"Like a dragon's scales." She agreed, having seen one of the great creatures when she was very small. A passing knight had killed one and brought the body back as proof. She had been distraught by the whole thing having never liked killing. The creature had been so lovely as well and it had upset her beyond reason seeing the large gaping hole in it's chest. Her father had been disgusted when he saw the size of it. He had sent the man away with the horse-sized corpse, telling him no real knight killed a nestling with pride. The man, who had been looking for a place to find his footing, had not been pleased with the dismissal from her father's small court, which was neither wealthy nor influential. Clearly, he had thought it an easy place to start making a name for himself and was irked to find otherwise.

Rumpelstiltskin glanced up at her from the computer and sent her the oddest look at her comment. She smiled at him at the expression on his face and continued. "I always thought you looked like a dragon with the way your skin was. And then you hoarded all that treasure around you. I rather thought you must be a real dragon for a few months and could hide it with a spell. I kept waiting for you to change into a full one and burn the place down when you went into a temper."

He chuffed at that and motioned for her to get closer so she could see what he was going to do. "Dragon indeed. Those things are all size and no brains. Come here, I'll show you how to do this."

Instead of stepping next to him she slid onto his lap, which surprised him, but was rapidly becoming her favorite place to sit. "I thought you were a handsome dragon." She continued, as if he hadn't interrupted her. "Your skin would change color in the firelight the way a blackbirds feathers do in the sunlight." He simply watched her at that and she kept on. "And your hair was curly."

"It was." He agreed.

"I liked it." She informed him before pecking him on the lips.

One of his arms slipped around her waist. "Is that so?"

She hummed in agreement and he shook his head a little as he used his other hand to order the book. He explained as he went and she watched him as she settled one of her arms around his shoulder to keep her balance. When he was done he set his other arm around her. "That should be here in a few days."

"Thank you, Rumple." She said cheerfully.

"No matter." He told her. "We do need to go to the bank and get an account set up for you. Pick an evening and we'll go over and take care of it."

"You don't have to come."

"I would prefer to." He told her. "It's a ridiculously complex matter. I want to be sure you get the options that will be best for you, not the bank. I also want to be sure all the questions you have are answered and don't trust the teller to do that."

"You say that like they're evil."

"Not evil, sneaky. Banking is a business and they will try to pick your pocket in every way they can."

"Then why do people use them?"

"Expediency and security." He told her. "The benefits do outweigh the costs most of the time."

"I'll take your word for it." She agreed as she looked over the small computer. "It all seems rather inconvenient to me."

"You'll need to get used to it." He told her. "If you plan on staying here."

"Then I suppose I will." She said easily. "I think I need to learn to use a computer better too. They seem to use them all over and all the schools I looked up recommended that I know how to type." He said nothing to that, although nodded slightly in agreement. Feeling better than she had in weeks, which was no doubt a combination of getting a solid block of sleep and her confessions, she flopped back against him like a cuddly kitten. He grunted a little at the impact, because she certainly wasn't graceful or gentle about it since it wasn't in her nature to be that way, and proceeded to play with the small purple square of silk in his jacket pocket.

"Must you constantly tousle me?" He asked with a false sigh of annoyance.

"Yes." She replied with a small smile. "It drives you mad." He rolled his eyes and she giggled a little. "Besides, I like you tousled."

Batting her hand away he readjusted the handkerchief, tucking it neatly back in his breast pocket. As he did that she flipped his collar up and he huffed at her, knowing she was being intentionally bothersome. "Stop that." She smiled wider and kissed his cheek as she snuck her hand up and ruffled his hair. "Belle!"

She giggled at his gripping and carefully smoothed his hair back down, although she ignored his popped collar. "Rumpelstiltskin?"

"Yes, dearie?" He asked distractedly as he went to work fixing the collar himself with only one hand.

"Is this what you looked like before you had magic?"

He was quiet for a few seconds. "More or less."

"What does that mean?"

"I was thinner." He told her. "My hands were calloused from hard labor." He shrugged a little. "I carried myself differently."

She found she was unable to hold her curiosity any longer. "And your leg? It wasn't like that when I lived with you."

"I was injured a long time ago, when I was a young man. The dark curse healed it. With my magic gone the wound returned."

"Was it an accident?" She asked. "How did you get hurt?"

"War." He said in a clipped tone.

She knew that was the end of the information for now, although with the way he answered it might be the end of it forever. She didn't push him about it knowing that many men that went to war preferred not to speak about what happened. There were some things one learned as a knight's daughter that other ladies simply didn't. Not all men found pride in killing, no matter what the cause. "I imagined you would look different if your curse broke."

He gave her a self-deprecating smile. "Did you think I would turn into a handsome prince?"

She sent him a confused look. "I thought you would still have curly hair." She told him honestly. "I always thought you were handsome."

He snorted. "No need to flatter me." He told her.

"I'm not." She replied. "Well, handsome isn't the right word I suppose." He shook his head. "Attractive." She nodded at that, thinking it was more accurate. "In a horribly dangerous way at first. I also recall thinking you were rather mad for a few weeks while you got used to me being there with you." He shook his head. "But I did quite like the way you looked. Not that I don't now."

"You are a strange creature, dearie." He told her on a sigh.

"You don't think you're handsome." She accused.

"I know I'm not." He said calmly. "It wasn't my looks that drew you to me."

"No, it was your mind that caught my attention." She agreed. "Don't pretend you didn't like me for the same reason." Leaning in she let her lips brush over his as she spoke. "That doesn't mean I don't think you're handsome."

He pressed his lips against hers and she returned the kiss eagerly. Using his good leg he shoved the chair away from the desk and the back of it bumped into the shelf he had stacked with items against the wall behind them, but it gave him enough room to move his arms without slamming his elbows into anything as she twisted her torso enough to face him. His hands began to roam over her body in a nonsensical sweeping pattern and she began to touch him as shyly as she had when they were on the couch, although they were a bit more limited as far as movement went in the cramped corner of his office.

Rumpelstiltskin didn't seem the least bit bothered by that and she wondered if he felt more comfortable here, in his space, because he was certainly touching her more possessively than he had any other time before. Pulling her legs up so they were resting over the arm of the chair she tried to make it easier for him to continue stroking her. The moment her legs were in range he ran one of his hands over them as he slipped his other arm around her to hold her in place. She began to shiver a little as his thumb ran up under the hem of her skirt, her mind returning to what he had made her feel two days before. Just the thought of that had her flushing all over with heat. Wanting to feel that again she kissed him deeply and he returned it, although his hand ran over her skirt instead of under it, creeping up over her hip and back.

Finding the top of her dress he grabbed her zipper and pulled it down slowly. The sound of the metal parting filled the small room and she pressed closer to him as her back was exposed bit by bit to the cool air of the shop. When it reached the end, stopping at the base of her back, his hand slid under the pale violet silk of her parted dress. His warm hand chased the chill away from her skin in its wake and still she shivered. Breaking away from him her breathing came out haltingly and he watched her as he caressed her bare back as she kept her chest pressed against him to keep the dress up as it was clinging precariously to her shoulders.

Rubbing his hand up to her neck he traced two of his fingers lightly down the length of her spine. She sucked in a soft breath as small, warm shocks radiated out through her body from where the tips of his fingers brushed her skin. Arching her back into his touch had him catching her lips again. Sighing into his mouth she reached down and fumbled with the buttons on his jacket, wanting to touch him too. No doubt pleased with her intentions his hand flowed back up toward her shoulder and began to brush the fabric off her.

Making no protest she pressed her lips more urgently against his and let her hands wander up to his shoulders under his jacket. Tearing his mouth from hers he lowered his head a little awkwardly due to the way they were curled up with one another in the old wooden chair and kissed at the skin he had just exposed. She let out a small sigh at the feeling and arched her neck as she shifted in his lap. Kissing her shoulder she felt his lips part, his breath flowing over her skin as he said her name and she began to tug at his tie.

"Gold?" James barked from the front of the shop as the bell over the front door rang loudly.

The call had her jerking her head up she turned toward the sound, beyond startled, and Rumpelstiltskin actually let out a low growl of annoyance. She heard footsteps rapidly approaching and nearly fell off him as she clutched at the front of the dress in order to keep it on. The only thing that saved her from hitting the ground, and possibly her head against the side of the desk, was Rumple's swift reaction. His hands latched around her, hauling her up and steadying her as he snapped at the door. "I'm closed!"

"This is important!" The man snapped. "Henry is hurt! That necklace you gave him isn't working! His arm is burned!"

Reaching behind her she tugged at her zipper as Gold stood up hurriedly. She wondered what the man was talking about as Rumple answered and found that all her lust had vanished in the face of being startled. "Just a moment." He said, although the venom in his voice was gone. He got up, straightening his jacket quickly as she struggled with her own garment. She was too flustered to manage, and why she had thought they would have privacy in his open shop was beyond her. Although she supposed she had thought very little beyond the feelings they managed to bring out in one another. Seeing her struggling, and no doubt blushing like crazy, he stepped in front of her and took over as his hands circled behind her and caught the zipper, bumping her fumbling fingers away.

As he was closing the piece of clothing fully James jerked the curtain aside without Rumpelstiltskin's invitation and caught them in what could only be construed as a compromising position. She blushed harder as Rumple's hands fell away from her and she moved back from him as she pulled her hair hurriedly out from under her collar. The prince froze, took in the scene, and quickly withdrew back into the main shop. "Sorry." She heard as the man cleared his throat in embarrassment.

Rumpelstiltskin looked fit to spit fire at the invasion of what he rightly considered private space and she was mortified. Unable to even look him in the eye she darted a look at the curtain, seeing the other man's shadow as he waited in impatient anxiety, and spoke softly. "I should go."

It only annoyed him more that James had sent her into a full retreat. "There's no need for you to leave."

"I really should." She replied. "I can hardly help anyone the way you can, and if Henry is hurt Regina will be there." It wasn't a secret that the queen's one love in life was the boy. The whole town knew, even she knew and her understanding of the connections people had here was limited at best. She also knew very well she should stay as far away from the other woman as possible. She didn't think she had the self-control necessary to keep herself from attacking her again right now. "I'll only be in the way."

"Dearie-" He started, but she interrupted him with a swift kiss to the cheek.

"You go and help." She finally looked him in the face. "It's good you're helping. Henry's a nice boy." He sighed, but she could tell it was one of agreement. "I'll see you later."

He nodded and she slipped to the back door, weaving between things and sending him a smile over her shoulder. His posture relaxed a little at that and she was about to leave when he called to her. "Wait." She paused with her hand on the doorknob. Moving to the left he picked her jacket off the coat stand where it was hanging next to his and came to her. He held it open for her and she slid her arms in the blue wool. As it settled over her he kissed her behind her ear and she shivered. "You keep forgetting this." He whispered.

"Thank you." She said, a small hitch in her voice.

He kissed her again, one of his hands sliding over her hip, and she only managed to drag herself away from him when James cleared his throat loudly to get their attention. Blushing again she pushed the back door open and left quickly. Rumpelstiltskin caught the door and pulled it closed, his eyes resting on her briefly before turning away toward the prince. She heard him speaking as the door slid shut. "If he's hurt it's nothing to do with the necklace-"

Hoping he would tell her what was going on when she found him later she walked down the three steps between the door and the alley. Dodging around the dumpster she turned around the corner of it sharply, when she crashed into someone.

"I'm sorry." She said at once, and when she looked up was shocked to see someone else she had been working up the nerve to go see. Jefferson was holding onto her arms to steady her, and seemed as shocked to see her in this alley as she was to see him. "Jefferson?"

He let her go at once, as if she had stung him like an angry wasp. "My apologies. You aren't hurt are you?"

She wasn't sure where this attitude was coming from. He seemed… afraid of her. It was nothing at all like the way he had been when he broke her out of the asylum. He had been nothing but calm and focused then. The man in front of her looked a nervous wreck and she wondered briefly if this might be Jefferson's twin she was speaking to. "No."

"Excellent." He said, edging around her carefully. "You have a nice day."

He took off and she changed direction, following him deeper into the alley instead of out to the street and then the library, which had been her original destination. "Wait!" He flinched and kept going, his pace increasing, and she hurried to catch up, her confusion over this odd encounter momentarily overshadowing her good sense to simply go home and not bother strange men in allies. "Please stop!" She cried, catching hold of the back of his jacket. "Please!"

He stopped, mostly because she was getting loud. He looked around like a startled deer expecting a wolf to leap out of the shadows. "Yes?" he asked, a nervous whine in his voice.

She watched him oddly. "Are you all right?"

"Fine, fine." He assured her, his eyes flying about as he tried to brush her hand away from him.

That was rather hard to believe with him acting so strangely. She was rather starting to think he might be the one that needed help at the moment. "I'm sorry, I don't mean to keep you, but I've been wanting to thank you."

"Thank me?" He asked. "Thank me for what?"

She shook her head a little. "For helping me escape the asylum."

All at once he grabbed her, shoving her against the side of the mechanic shop they were next to roughly. His hand went over her mouth and she was just about to scream or kick him when he let out a low shushing noise, shaking his head frantically, clearly far more afraid than she was. "No, no, no." She let out a muffled demand that he interpreted correctly and he cooed oddly, nearly psychotically. "So sorry, my pet, so sorry. Have you told him I was the one to let you out?"

Reaching up she jerked his hand down. "Him who?" She asked. "You mean Rumpelsti-"

He pressed his hand back over her mouth at once. "Don't say it!" He hissed. "He hears his name! He always hears it! You must know that!"

Annoyed, she dragged his hand down again. "If you do that again I will bite you." She told him, sensing no real threat from him despite being pinned against the wall in a questionably traveled alley. At any rate she thought if she screamed loudly enough Rumpelstiltskin would hear her from inside the store. It was after all, only five feet away. And then of course she always had the bracelet. "And no. Why?"

"Don't!"

She was confused. "Why not? You saved my life and I still haven't had a chance to thank you for it."

"You want to thank me? Then don't ever tell him it was me."

She frowned. "Why not?"

He laughed hysterically. "Because I don't need him coming after me the way he came after dear Regina. He set a wraith after her! A bloody wraith!"

"You aren't making any sense." She told him.

"Think, you clever fool!" He hissed, leaning so close she could smell his aftershave. "How do you think he'll react when he finds out I knew you were there all this time and didn't tell him? You think I'll make it long when I kept that from him?"

She processed that quickly. "How long did you know the queen had me?"

He looked cagey then. "I have a daughter to protect. Getting caught in between those two? That's a death sentence."

"You just left me there?" She asked, her stomach rolling sickly.

"Yes, how dare I pick a stranger over my only child. I'm a cruel man." He said angrily, his mood shifting as swiftly as the winds. All at once he was the man that had freed her again. "I'll take your thanks in the form of silence if you'll be so good."

"How do you know him?" She demanded, realizing she had once again been mixed up in some sort of convoluted plot.

"The same way everyone does." He said, his voice lowering as he pressed closer to her. "Now-"

Ten feet away the side door on the auto shop opened and a plain looking man in his thirties with an oil stained blue suit stepped out with a bag of trash in his hand. It was the very same man she had seen with James in the inn yesterday. He saw them at once and barked at the man. "Hey, what do you think you're doing?" Jefferson let her go at once, backing away quickly. The other man hurried forward. "I'm calling the sheriff!" He snapped. "You've no business cornering women in allies!" Jefferson took off and the man hurried to her. "Are you all right, Miss?"

"Yes." She said, looking after the odd man. "Yes, I'm fine. Thank you."

He nodded, watching her with worry as he looked toward where Jefferson had run off too. "Come inside while I call the sheriff."

"There's no need, but thank you. He wasn't going to hurt me."

"That's not what it looked like." The man said.

"I know." She tried to smile at him, but was too distracted to manage. "Thank you, really, but I'm fine."

He didn't seem convinced, but didn't try to stop her as she turned and went the same direction that Jefferson had. The man hadn't answered her question, or any of the questions she had yet to ask him. The library was already closed for the day and Rumpelstiltskin was busy doing something good for once. There was no one to wonder where she was going, and no one to follow her either. If Jefferson wanted to remain her anonymous benefactor he should have thought more carefully when he got her free. He had given her his name when he did it, which seemed foolish if he were this afraid of Rumple.

Turning around the side of the building she caught sight of his dark jacket as he hurried toward a road leading out of the center of town surrounded by the forest. Recalling that Grace had said they lived on Forest Drive kicked her memory awake and she saw the address she had put on the girl's library card in her minds eye. Waiting a few moments to be sure he wouldn't see her following him she headed after him, intent on getting the answers she wanted.

Moving quietly she lingered far enough back that he wouldn't see her, but close enough that she could spot the back of him as she darted from one patch of cover to another. She wanted to be sure he was really going where she thought he was. Sure enough, ten minutes later she was peering around a wrought iron gate at a house even bigger and grander than Rumpelstiltskin's. Finding that odd for a few reasons she frowned and crept forward, looking around with real interest. For all the enormity of the mansion it was rather derelict. The whole place had a beaten down look about it and she wondered why when the rest of Storybrooke was nearly pristine and well kept.

Moving forward she looked up at the house as she avoided the clinging, grasping branches of the overgrown bushes that were growing all over the place, noting it had three floors and guessed it had at least a dozen rooms on each floor. Taking it all in, including one window that was boarded up from the inside and still had shards of glass hanging off it she stepped around the corner toward the front with her eyes directed upwards. No sooner had she taken a step around the large building than she heard a long-suffering sigh right behind her. The hair on the back of her neck stood up as Jefferson's body heat slammed into her back and his large hand settled heavily on her shoulder, squeezing it with enough pressure to almost hurt. "I really wish you hadn't followed me."

Author's Note: Happy New Year everyone! Let's celebrate by reviewing! Yes, that was a totally blatant bit for comments. I'm cool that way.