Writer's note: Thank you to everyone who is following this fic or reviewing! I appreciate all of you :)
Isabel traipsed into the diner, a mix of giddiness and nerves churning in her stomach. She'd given herself to him completely. It wasn't planned, especially now that she was leaving his home to find her own, but her resolve was down - his warmth inviting and kisses tempting.
"Ruby, do you have a spare room I can rent?" Isabel finally asked after agonizing hours awaiting her time to clock out, the question distracting her to the point of getting several orders wrong.
Ruby gasped lowly, eyes wide in concern. "Did you and Mr. Gold break up? No wonder you've been so out of it this morning!"
"Oh, no, everything is fine," Isabel said quickly, pulling her friend into a quiet corner of the diner's kitchen. "I feel I should get my feet on the ground. This past week has been a whirlwind of confusion. I can't live with Anthony forever, at least not until we're married and it's too early to know if that will even happen."
"Understandable." With a hug and a promise to have a room ready by the end of the day, Ruby went back to the cash register.
Isabel moseyed outside to the front courtyard. Gold would be expecting her soon for their late lunch. She enjoyed the quiet little meals they shared every day in the office of the pawnshop. It was where they started to get to know each other, where they felt most comfortable around each other the first couple months of the relationship.
He greeted her with a small smile, and they ate in mostly companionable silence. Isabel waited until after their food was gone and everything thrown away before mentioning her news. She fidgeted with her pinky nail, nearly turning it raw from rubbing. She wasn't sure why this was so hard to talk about. Gold wouldn't be angry with her just because she wanted to live independent for the first time in her life. Right?
"I asked Ruby today about a room at the bed and breakfast." Isabel paused; suddenly fascinated by the contents in the glass case she stood in front of.
"Why do you need to ask about a room?" Gold replied carefully. Isabel glanced up at him to see his stature rigid.
She shrugged, feeling childish for being so nervous. "I can't stay with you forever."
She couldn't tell if it was her imagination or if Gold visibly flinched. "You need a home, Isabel." The emotion in his voice brought her nearly crashing down. "My home is your home."
She grasped his hand lying flat and pale on the glass counter, whether to reassure herself or him – she didn't know. "Thank you, Anthony, for offering your home, but I can't stay. At least not like this, not because of needing to find a place to live because of a horrible fight between me and my father."
Gold stared down at her hand upon his, not saying a word for a long beat. Isabel began to worry, but then- "If that's what you need to do, dearie" he said, not taking his gaze from their overlapping hands.
She smiled comfortingly, combing fingers through his hair, encouraging him to meet her eyes. "At least it'll be better than before this whole thing with my father. I'll still be coming here in the afternoons to help out, and I'll come over for supper every night if you want me to."
He nodded, offering her a tight-lipped smile. "If you need anything-"
"I know where to find you." Isabel leaned forward, pressing a soft kiss to his lips. She could tell the news was affecting him, could see the sadness in his eyes. But she couldn't live with him, not without a full commitment. She wouldn't push the issue. Maybe one day they'd be able to talk of marriage, when a little time has passed and the conflict with her father over.
The rest of the day went as usual. They didn't talk about the subject anymore after Isabel said she'd pack up her clothes and necessities after supper. Most of her possessions were still at the floral shop, and she'd have to go retrieve them soon. Ruby had already offered to go with her, which relieved her greatly. If Gold went, there'd be unwanted conflict and she feared someone would get hurt.
Around 4 o'clock Gold left to take care of some business. Isabel liked being left alone in the shop. Even though Gold wasn't against her curiosity (he seemed to enjoy her inquisitiveness about the items in his shop and home), she felt more comfortable if she could explore freely without a pair of eyes watching her.
There was one particular curio cabinet in his office that Isabel had meant to dust out for a while now. It was stuffed with breakables, mostly dishes, all cluttered together or stacked atop one another. It took some time carefully removing the shelves one by one, wiping the surface and the dishes clean then replacing them.
When she got to the bottom shelf, there was a peculiar display. It was not cluttered like the other two shelves on top, but arranged neatly and sparsely. A silver teapot with matching cups and tray sat to the left, while a decorative wooden tray sat with a lone ceramic teapot on top of it. In the middle of the shelf, sitting on a small, white silk pillow was a teacup. The most peculiar thing about it though was the chip on the rim.
Isabel pursed her lips at the odd display, questions arising as to why a single little teacup with a chipped rim would have such a place of honor seated by itself on a pillow. She reached a hand to grab it, but hesitated wondering if she should touch it. What if it was something incredibly valuable or a treasured possession of Gold's?
Curiosity got the best of her, and with great care, grabbed the handle of the teacup with fingertips. She brought it close to her face, holding it delicately with both hands. A flash of an image in her mind's eyes startled her. Isabel sucked in a sharp breath, head suddenly throbbing. She clutched the teacup between both hands, trying not to drop it.
An image of straw being turned into gold thread flashed in her mind, the back of a man wearing leather and wild hair turned towards her. A strange fleece blanket on pedestal. A long, shining table with only one chair. A roaring fireplace. A strange, high-pitched laugh echoed in her ear as if it came from right beside her.
Isabel squatted down, leaning heavily against the curio cabinet holding the teacup to her chest. As fast as the images came to her they disappeared, leaving her with a dull headache. She sat there for a good ten minutes collecting her thoughts. What just happened? Who was the man making gold thread? She stood, using the cabinet to support her, and replaced the teacup to its place of honor. It had triggered the images. Isabel wasn't sure if she wanted to know why.
Shaken, she chalked it up as just a spooky coincidence, her wild imagination getting the best of her, and left the cabinet alone.