Once Upon a Time

Rating: M

Chapter 13: Scheming and Dreaming.

(That Same Afternoon Elsewhere in Town)

(Regina's P.o.V)

"Who may I ask is calling?" I asked into the phone after I picked it up, it had been a rather uneventful day and I was just finishing up some paperwork. 'Hello Regina, it's Emma.' Came the reply from the other end of the line, Emma sounded angry at something, I couldn't figure out what though, her mother was fine, she would make a full recovery. "What can I help you with Sheriff Swan?" I didn't want to have to deal with her trivial problems unless they impacted Henry or I. 'I need your help with something, this whole situation with your sister.' Emma replied with a hint of darkness to her tone. 'So the sweet savior daughter wants to rid herself of a problem.' I thought as a smirk came to my face, turns out that the Savior wasn't so sweet. "She's under the protective custody of the strongest sorcerer to exist, what more could you want?" I had to hear her answer, this would be interesting. 'Can we talk at your office?' Emma asked as I pulled a file in front of me. "Of course Sheriff Swan." 'Great be there in fifteen.' The phone clicked off and I went back to my paperwork, the new file was about my sisters Apothecary shop, she was trying to open her own shop in town, in one of the abandoned stores. I didn't want her opening a shop in town, and I knew that she would just keep pestering about it unless I put the stop to it, I stamped it with a denied and I would drop it off in Gold's' mailbox on my way home.

"Afternoon Regina," Emma stated as she opened the door and walked into my office, a file in her hands which she slammed down onto my desk, it was the incident report from what happened with Snow White. "I don't think that she should be allowed to be free to go after three months." I raised an eyebrow; I would need a more convincing argument to even attempt to overturn the option of her house arrest.

"Sheriff Swan, what more could you want, she's already under the custody of Rumplestiltskin?" I asked she was already suffering being stuck in that house with him or alone, I wanted to know what else Emma wanted to torment her with. "I know Rumplestiltskin, he's making her life hell right now, what more could you possibly want done to the girl?" I looked at the Sheriff and saw that she looked ready to spit nails. I cleaned up my desk as I kept my eyes on her, looking for hints at what she really wanted.

"I want her in a cell, I want her locked up and unable to use magic," Emma replied coldly as she looked at the file that she placed on my desk. I examined the file, it was just the report about the accident, there was nothing special about it. "She hurt Mary Margaret and all she's getting is house arrest, in a rather nice house, and she isn't exactly being punished for what she did." I thought on it, if I knew Rumplestiltskin he would have her cleaning and cooking and all manner of other things horrible.

"Why don't you go speak with Mr. Gold about it? I assure you she is being held under house arrest with someone who can handle her," I stated as I looked the file over, the injuries sustained by Mary Margaret were minor, a few burns from the lightning and a few bruises from falling down but nothing long lasting and nothing particularly life threatening. I couldn't understand why Emma was so intent on Clara being locked up, and done so without magic. "I'm sure he'll tell you all about how he's dealing with her." Emma nodded before she gathered up her file and looking at me, a scowl on her face.

"I think I will," Emma muttered before she turned and left my office, the last thing before I heard the revving of an engine was the slam of the door.

(A Short While Later at Gold's Pawn Shop)

(General P.o.V)

"Hello Ms. Swan, what can I help you with?" Mr. Gold asked as the tinkling of his bell brought his attention to the doorway, the look she was giving made him raise an eyebrow. "You seem angry; perhaps you should speak with Mr. Hopper instead of darkening my doorway?" Emma walked up to the counter and placed her file on it. Mr. Gold looked at it and kept his eyebrow raised, what was he supposed to do with this file? "Ms. Swan is there a reason you've littered my counter with your file?"

"What is being done about Mary Margaret's attacker?" Emma demanded she didn't know what to call Clara; she was confused about the whole Clara/Rose thing. Mr. Gold gave a short chuckle and looked at Emma for a moment before picking up the file and handing it back to her. "I need to know to determine if I have to find some sort of magic damping cell." Mr. Gold could tell that Emma was on a vengeance tangent, wanted revenge on Clara for the accident concerning Snow White. She pulled out a paper that outlined Clara's house arrest and quickly read it over before sliding it to Gold. "I need to know that the terms are being held, she was never placed in a monitor so I can't track her. I need to be sure that she isn't out and hurting other people."

"Trust me when I say Ms. Swan, that she is in that house and she doesn't leave for any reason," Mr. Gold replied as he slid the paper back to her, he didn't need to see it to know what was expected, he was the one who had suggested her incarceration at his home, he knew what was going on. "She is working off her debt to society by doing chores around my home so that she doesn't have to be around people." Emma didn't look fully satisfied by that answer. "She's not being treated like a prisoner Emma, it was an accident Mary Margaret even said that herself, now could you please leave my shop, I'm getting ready to close up for lunch."

"Fine, but I will check up on her at points," Emma muttered as she picked up her papers and stormed out the door muttering about how nobody understood what to do with criminals in this town. As Emma was leaving Mary Margaret came in.

"Ms. Blanchard, how may I help you today, and could we make this quick, I have to close up for lunch," Mr. Gold stated, almost tiredly, dealing with Emma had left him slightly tired.

"Of course Mr. Gold, could you please tell Clara that I feel no ill will?" Mary Margaret asked with a smile on her face, she looked no worse for having been struck by a bolt of lightning, she looked perfectly fine. "Belle told me this morning that she was feeling a bit horrible for it." Mr. Gold nodded with a smirk, he would tell Clara indeed, but only after making things a little worse for her first. "Thank you Mr. Gold." She turned around and walked back out the door, she hadn't even fully come into the shop.

(A Few Days Later)

(General P.o.V Still)

"Good morning Mr. Gold," Clara stated as she flicked her wrist and coffee and tea appeared on the table. "What would you like for breakfast today? And is Belle coming over today?" She looked at Mr. Gold and saw a smile on his face, he rarely smiled unless Belle was around and it concerned her slightly.

"Just the regular dearie, some eggs, meats, potatoes, perhaps some muffins and bagels with the fixings," Gold replied casually as he sat down and fixed himself a cup of tea, Clara nodded and flicked her wrist again, and dishes of sausage, bacon, scrambled eggs, home fries, hash browns, blueberry muffins, and plain bagels appeared, followed by cream cheese and various bowls of berries and a small dish of butter. "Thank you dearie, I think Belle will be over for dinner, but before then no." He received another nod as they both sat down, she prepared herself a cup of coffee and a plate of food, looking at Gold she watched him fix his own plate. "Emma said a few days ago that she may be popping by to check in on you." This caused Clara's head to drop, she hated being dropped in on, it annoyed her greatly. Mr. Gold waved his hand and a glass of blood appeared in front of her.

"Thank you Mr. Gold," Clara stated quietly, her chipper mood practically killed in a single moment. She drank the glass empty in mere seconds and banished it to the counter. "Why would she need to check in on me, is my being sealed to the strongest sorcerer not enough for her?" He shook his head, as he took a bite out of a bagel and looked at her, she looked slightly frightened, nobody other than Belle had been to see her at the house since her incarceration, not even her friends Grace and Katerina. "What should I do if she pops by master?" She had felt the thrum of magic before she finished her statement so added it to avoid angering him.

"I'm going to activate your seal so that she knows about it," He replied as he watched her take a sip from her coffee, she wasn't happy about that. "So change out of that shirt at the very least so that the seal with be visible, and go about your day as usual, clean the house and make dinner, perhaps when I come home for lunch I'll deactivate the seal so that Belle won't find out about it." She nodded and changed out of her sleep clothes into a tank top that would show off her shoulder and a pair of loose fitting pants, her face a sullen pout as she picked at her food, clearly unhappy about the seal. "I don't like it; here this is better suited for your chores and my tastes." He snapped his fingers and her tank top and loose pants were replaced with a red corset and a pair of tight leather pants with a short apron over it, her sneakers turning into heeled boots.

"I knew you liked me in leather, I knew it," Clara stated with a smirk as she looked at the man across from her, unsure if she was going to have use of her magic, she wanted to make sure that he had no reason to take it from her if he didn't have to. The look on his face was a mix between a smirk and a look that Clara couldn't place. "Now what's my list of chores today? And will I be able to just snap my fingers and have them done?" He nodded and she smiled, he wasn't taking her magic away, that made her happy, now all she had to do was make it through the day with the seal activated, her every move known by him, he would be able to keep tabs on everything she did.

"Basic cleaning, perhaps some sorting of my potions, maybe a few more sordid things I can think up on my way to work and call to have you do," He replied with a smirk, his fingers tapping out a beat that she started to tap out with her foot. "Perhaps work on something that would be helpful to the people here as a whole, they often get colds in the coming months and they often go see the doctor for it." Clara nodded with a small smile; she could easily do that, hoping that Emma wouldn't interrupt her as she worked. They continued to eat and tap out that beat from before. "Now dearie, your outfit isn't quite finished yet." With another snap of his fingers her choker, with the added golden chain, and red gem, appeared in his hand and he stood up before walking to her and fastening it around her neck. "There we go, now start cleaning up." Clara nodded as she stood up and cleared the table with a snap of her fingers, all the leftovers being put into containers in the fridge. The thrum of magic leaving him as he changed from the Dark One back to Mr. Gold, town pawnbroker who owned half the town.

"What would you like for lunch Mr. Gold?" Clara asked as she looked at Mr. Gold, liking the look that he was giving her, a look of caring and want, small though it may be, to help her, instead of a desire for her to do things for him. "I can make whatever you like." He nodded and smile at her, a gentle smile that led her to believe he was happy, she liked when he was happy.

"Just sandwiches again, maybe a soup as well?" He replied calmly as he looked at her, slightly confused as he looked at her outfit. "And do you always relax around the house in leather pants?" She nodded and looked at the ground, it wasn't true but apparently Gold had no idea what the Dark One did, he had no idea about the mark or that he himself put her in those clothes. "Turn around my pet, time to activate the seal, then I must be off." Clara nodded with a bit of a frown as she turned around and waited, he put his hand on her shoulder and pushed magic into it again, causing Clara to let out a hiss. She snapped her fingers and her favorite ring appeared in her hand, she put it on her ring finger and waited for him to remove his hand from her shoulder, he didn't.

"I thought you had to go to the shop?" Clara asked as she turned her head to look at him, his gaze centered on her shoulder blade. She felt him tracing the mark and shivered, the sensation odd and different to her. "Might want to get going so that Emma doesn't try to come here and enact some kind of revenge on me and you for helping me." He nodded after he removed his hand from her shoulder, she turned around and looked at him, biting her lip as she did. He smirked as he grabbed his cane and raised the handle before tapping her on the nose.

"Right you are dearie," Mr. Gold replied, the thrum gone as quick as it came, and he walked to the door before walking out and locking it. Walking to his car, he got in and drove to his shop, a nagging feeling in the back of his head, someone else's thoughts in the back of his mind. Clara busied herself with cleaning the house up, hoping that Emma wouldn't stop by, she didn't want to deal with that.

(Clara's P.o.V)

"Stupid seal, itches like something awful," I muttered to myself as I put the finishing touches on the cleaning of the living room. I walked around making sure that the room was clean, I moved the pillows on the couch to Mr. Gold's chair and waved my hand over the couch, changing it into a more fitting for his other personality, the one I preferred. Next thing to tackle was his chair, I wanted to do something special for him, he may make me upset most days but he was still kind to me. I moved the pillows back to the couch and waved my hand over his chair, turning it into a more throne like chair, more suited to his other personality, dark reds and golds, rich fabrics and very plush. "I hope he likes this new chair and couch, if not I can always change it back." I moved onto the office and magically cleaned all the papers by putting them into various folders, moving on from there I alphabetized his books by subject and then I put all the folders in a pile on his desk. There was a knock at the door, I walked to it and opened it. "Hello Sheriff how may I help you today?"

"Just checking up on you Clara," Emma replied harshly as she looked at me, her eyes angry and hard, I couldn't quite place why she was so angry. "I need to make sure that you're serving your time. It doesn't seem like you are at any rate." I raised an eyebrow and crossed my arms, I hadn't left the house in some time, I couldn't stand being cooped up in one place for too long, and to top it off I had a new addition on my body because of all this.

"What on earth do you mean? I haven't left this house since my caging!" I replied coldly as I looked at her, never taking my eyes off her so that I could react if needed. I uncrossed my arms and made to close the door. "Unless you need anything else Sheriff, I have cleaning to get back to." I was getting upset and I had been having such a good day aside from not being able to keep my thoughts just to myself. She slammed her hand against the still open door and muscled her way past me into the house. "I think you should leave Sheriff."

"No you're under house arrest, I'm perfectly welcome to check in on you and make sure that you're continuing your sentence," Emma stated coldly as she looked at me, her face turning stony as she looked around the house. I pointed to the door and it opened again, she wasn't going to leave without force, but I didn't want to deal with it right now. "Now, you just need to talk with me for a few minutes, I'll get out of your hair after you explain exactly how this is a punishment for your crime."

"Let's count the ways this is a punishment shall we Sheriff," I growled as I glared at her, she was quickly becoming an annoyance in my life that I didn't want. I had a feeling that this would turn into a shouting match, and growing up in the family I did, I could shout with the best of them, I also had magic, Emma didn't. "I'm a prisoner in my own home… I'm bound to the Dark One and little more than his play toy because of it… He can take my magic when he desires… And last but not least, he controls my blood drinking." I had started screaming at her, she was looking at me like I was crazy.

"There's no proof of that," Emma muttered angrily as she looked at me, taking glaring glances at my outfit. "And you're dressed less for cleaning and more for other activities that are less than great for house arrest." I rolled my eyes, and glared at her, she had no idea what she was talking about and assumptions were the fastest way to upset me.

"What I dress in to do things is my business Ms. Swan," I muttered as I tapped my foot on the floor, "plus I didn't pick them Sheriff." It was her turn to raise her eyebrow, she apparently didn't remember Rumplestiltskin had magic. She glared at me before muttering under her breath about an ill-fitting apron and how I wasn't actually on punishment. "He made me wear this in case you came by, I was to show you my seal, it's on my back." I turned around and showed her my shoulder she let out a gasp and put her hand on the mark, it was my turn to gasp, and hiss in pain. "No touching… my master is the only one who can touch it, ah… take your hand away." She still hadn't moved her hand and I was in pain from it, she probably wouldn't let up anytime soon. I felt her trace the outline, fingers moving on their own accord as she examined the mark, I let out another hiss, my shoulder burning as she traced it.

"Your master eh?" Emma muttered, her voice betraying her disdain and her surprise at my possible phrasing of things. "Well that changes things about how your sentence is going. I will be checking up on you at random times, must make sure that you're still here and still serving your time." She still hadn't removed her fingers from my mark, it was still painful and I was hissing, she chuckled as she traced the last few lines. "Stop the hissing, it's unbecoming of a young lady."

"Yes my master," I growled as I pulled away from her to make her let go of my back, I turned around and looked at her, a glare on my face as I did so. "I highly doubt that you would understand the specifics of how things work for people like me, please leave I have things to do and I need to do them before too much longer." I turned and looked at the clock and saw that it was about half an hour until Mr. Gold would be home, and I hadn't even started cooking it or thinking about what to make him. "I have about half an hour to make New England clam chowder, whatever that is, as well as chicken salad sandwiches… please leave Sheriff." She smirked and walked to the door.

"I'll stop by again Ms. Mills count on that," She muttered before she walked away, leaving me to close the door and make lunch. I conjured a cookbook from his kitchen and saw that the chowder would take longer than I had time for so I snapped my fingers and a pot of what looked like the picture in the book appeared on the stove, I snapped my fingers again and cooked shredded chicken appeared on the table along with the things I would need to make chicken salad.

(At Lunch about half an hour later)

"Good afternoon Mr. Gold," I stated as I opened the door for him, I had just finished the sandwiches minutes before and was waiting for him to get home. "How has the shop been so far?" He hung his jacket on the coat rack and walked toward the kitchen, he sat down at the table in a more lounging position, a thrum about him unlike when he walked in. I conjured bowls and plates before serving up the chowder and sandwiches, I placed his in front of him and sat down with my own.

"The shop has been good dearie," He replied happily as he looked at the food before eating it, a smirk on his face the entire time as he did so. "Now I know that Ms. Swan came over and you told her what you had to tell her, very good my pet." With a snap of his fingers I was next to him in my chair, I let out a laugh and continued to eat my own meal. "I'll deactivate the seal if you please me while I'm here." I felt a blush rise to my cheeks after he finished his statement.

(With Emma at Granny's)

(General P.o.V)

"Hey Ruby, I'll take a coffee and a burger with fries, cooked mid-well please," Emma asked as she sat in a booth, she was hoping to maybe catch a few minutes of sleep after eating lunch. Ruby nodded with a smile before she walked away and put the order in with Granny. She came back with the ordered coffee and gave a bright smile and mumbled that the food would be ready in a few moments. "Thanks Ruby." She sipped her coffee and waited for her food, it came a few moments later with Ruby giving another smile, the bell above the door chimed and in walked Mr. Gold, except he was dressed differently, he wasn't wearing his normal three piece suit, it was wearing what looked like dragon hide clothing with red fabric accents. 'What in the world is going on?' She asked herself as she watched him, in his hand he had a strip of leather in it, he pulled the leather and it pulled on a golden chain which pulled a person into the diner, that person was Clara, she was wearing a tight fitting leather dress that laced up the front and came to her mid-thigh. The dress left little to the imagination on top because of its close fit and upon closer looking Emma noted that Clara was wearing heeled boots that made her a few inches taller.

"Come along pet," Gold muttered as he pulled her along, he sat in a booth with Clara standing behind him where he sat, Ruby walked up to the table and listed their specials. "I'll take a bowl of New England clam chowder with some crackers if you please along with an iced tea." Ruby nodded with a slightly less bring smile as she wrote it down and walked toward the window. Granny had muttered something about clothes and a 'stupid Dark One' before working on the order. Emma looked on with some sort of weird fascination as Clara knelt down next to Gold, while trying to stay out of the way.

"Here we go Rumplestiltskin," Ruby stated as she set the bowl of soup and the few packets of oyster crackers. He nodded with a smirk on his face, the leather strip still in his hand, he pulled the strip and Clara stood up as Ruby walked away.

"You know what to do pet," Gold whispered just loud enough for Emma to hear him from her seat in the booth in front of him. Clara nodded and took the bowl and plate it rested on before sitting on the table so that her legs were over the edge toward the center of the diner, she placed the plate on her lap and spooned out some of it before holding it to him, he took the offered food and ate it. "Keep it up pet and perhaps I'll reward you later." Clara nodded again with a soft smile as she continued feeding him, being careful the entire time as she did so, she placed the spoon back in the bowl and grabbed a packet of crackers, opening them she handed him a few. 'Where's that strong girl that I met when she first came here?' Emma asked herself as she watched the scene in front of her and ate her own meal.

"May I try some master?" She asked quietly as she picked the plate back up and continued to spoon feed him, he seemed to be in heaven as she did so, Emma watched on with rapt attention as Gold shook his head, the bell above the door chimed again and in walked the mayor, who had a sort of self-satisfied smirk once she saw Clara. She walked past Gold's booth, intentionally bumping into Clara's legs causing her to spill not only the spoonful of chowder but also part of the bowl onto Mr. Gold as well. Clara reached for a napkin but Gold grabbed her hand and stopped her.

"Ah ah ah pet, use your tongue," Gold replied with a wicked grin on his face, the soup had spilled onto the skin of his exposed chest, up to his neck and a little bit of it even landed on his shirt. She gave a pleading look that was met with a smirk. "Use your tongue pet, I thought you wanted a taste." Clara hung her head but put the rest of his food aside none the less, she slid off the table as gracefully as she could without flashing the entire diner, she bent down a little before dropping to her knees next to the booth, Gold turned a little bit in the booth so that she wouldn't have as difficult a time reaching all the soup. "Hurry up pet." Clara leaned up and began her task of licking away the mess she had made. She placed her hands on his thighs and licked away at the mess she made starting at the bottom of his exposed skin, he let out a low groan and Emma was almost unable to look away. Making her way up Clara was making Gold let out sounds that would make most people blush, she was looking up at him once she finished his chest and saw a little bit of soup still on his neck, she licked it off before sucking on the skin she had just cleaned.

"Gold what the hell are you thinking?" Emma demanded once she broke out of her stupor, she was glaring at Gold and the still kneeling Clara, a hateful glare that made the hair on the back of Clara's neck prickle. "Why in the world would you parade your little trophy around for all to see dressed like that?" Clara bit the tip of her tongue to keep from saying anything, she had to let Gold handle it. "Or was this your idea, have your master parade you around and humiliate himself because you're clumsy?" Her shoulder began shaking from her seat on the table, and she batted away at imaginary hands before she blinked a few times and looked at the table in front of her, it had no food on it at all, none of the tables did, there was nobody else in the diner either. She was shaken again, her eyes flying open.

"Hey Emma your food's here," Ruby stated with a cheery smile, Emma looked around and saw that her, Leroy and David were the only people in the diner aside from Granny and Ruby. "You feeling okay? You were muttering something about parades and pets. Did you and Mary Margaret get a dog or something?"

"Hey can I get that to go? I need to go home and get some sleep apparently, and maybe talk to Gold," Emma asked as she looked at Ruby, the red wearing girl nodded with a smile before walking off to grab a takeout container and put Emma's meal in it.