I know this is short, but the interactions coming up in the next chapter *should* make it fairly long if I don't decide to split it into two, so I wanted to give you all this so you don't think that I've abandoned you! I still have soo many plans for this fic. In this particular chapter, I focused on Rumplestiltskin and his point of view...I didn't want to dive too deep into his thoughts because even I'm not sure how to cover all of the different things he's thinking, so I made it brief but hopefully enough for you all to get a glimpse into his mind. As always, I look forward to your reviews!
The next morning, Mr. Gold dozed at a table at the back of his shop. Sleep had eluded him throughout the night, as his thoughts were full of Rapunzel, the daughter he had raised and lost just as he had his son. He had to face the fact that the blame rested with him once more. He had stolen the girl out of anger, knowing that one day Milah would come back for her, just as he was certain she had planned on returning for Bae. She didn't deserve to be a mother, but did he deserve to be a father?
And then there was the matter of Hook. What kind of father would he be to her? Pirates swore loyalty to no one. Obviously Milah had fit in quite well with such a group. She even lied to him, her precious captain, keeping their daughter a secret…so that she could continue to live the kind of rootless existence she so desired, no doubt.
He ran his fingers through his hair, slamming his fist down on the table and savoring the sudden throbbing pulse of pain through his hand that distracted him from the myriad of emotions he couldn't seem to sort through.
Suddenly, the bell on the door rang. Sighing deeply and smoothing out his suit, he stood from the chair and made his way slowly to the front, the hope that he might get to throw a little magic around to a disgruntled townsperson growing by the second. To his great surprise, it was the last person…or rather, the second to last person behind her father…he'd ever expected to walk through his door again.
"Thank you," she said softly, her eyes dark but her tone genuine. "For giving me my father and for saving the love of my life. You've done a lot of evil in your lifetime, but I see that you're really trying to make up for it. And I hope that you can."
He didn't answer her. What could he say? He couldn't tell her that he loved her regardless of her…unfortunate…parentage. He couldn't ask her to forgive him for keeping her from her father, for killing her mother, for locking her away in a tower…first, to keep anyone from recognizing her and returning her to where Milah could find her again…and later, in fear that he would lose the only person he'd loved besides Belle since he'd let his son fall through that portal. And he certainly couldn't tell her that Hook being her father didn't change the fact that killing him was still a very real possibility.
So he said nothing. He merely nodded, his eyes meeting hers as he attempted to communicate everything he couldn't say in one look. She returned his nod, her head tipping ever so slightly to indicate that in one way or another, she seemed to understand. And then, she was gone, as quickly as she had come, and with a sigh, he returned to the back of the shop.