Weeks had passed but the office meetings between Elias and Belle had grown to become a regular occurrence. Both knew it wasn't wise, he was her employer after all but neither could resist their want, their lust. It was like something magical acting on the two of them, a spell which made it impossible for one to resist the other; not that either had tried very hard. Gold, despite his house being filled with beautiful women and two men he deemed friends, had always felt alone. After his wife left him for that puffed up Irishman who thought himself a pirate. He'd been lonely, however, when little Bae – his perfect son, the one pure thing in Elias' life - had died Gold stopped being lonely and became alone. Deathly alone. Then Belle had come along like a miracle and made him think that he could end his solitude, even if it was only for a little while.
Despite Gold's beginnings of happiness Zelena wasn't going to let Belle keep her Elias from her. In fact the only reason Belle hadn't had something terrible befall her was because Zelena hadn't yet sobered up. The heroine numbed the pain, took it away for a time. Her older sister Cora had always hated her, thought she wasn't good enough for anything. Then one day Cora had just left her never to be seen again. Regina, her younger sister, had always been the favorite though, always gotten whatever she'd wanted; Cora had only ever cared about Regina. Still, Regina had abandoned her not long after Cora had, gone to find her happy ending. Why did everyone get what they wanted but her? It wasn't fair. The only thing that helped any more was the drugs, they were good to her. The only thing that wouldn't leave her. The only thing that cared about her.
~X~
The hour had grown very late when Ashley sat bolt upright in bed, a thin layer of cold sweat coated her porcelain skin. The night was cool but not cold and thick black clouds hung in the sky where they blocked out the diamond like stars. Ashley's heart – or Baby's since she was on camera – thumped in her chest, it had been a long time since she'd had one of those nightmares; the ones seemingly delighted in popping up at random intervals to horrify her.
Though it was dark and everyone was in bed the blonde knew she had to do the one thing that calmed her, soothed her, when those nightmare memories hit her.
With a sigh Ashley threw off her covers and padded out of her room quietly, the hardwood floor was cool under her feet as she made her way down to the end of the hall careful not to wake anyone; Tink had always been a light sleeper. She turned right and made her way past the back staircase into the 'boy's wing', then all the way around to Gold's bedroom. Once outside she lingered a moment at the closed door. She was too old for this right? Yet the blonde knew if she didn't she'd not sleep again that night. Decision made, Ashley pushed Gold's bedroom door open and poked her head inside.
Elias' bed faced the door so she instantly saw him and knew he'd actually decided to sleep for once. Suddenly she felt bad for disturbing him.
"Elias?" She asked quietly into the dark room, after a moment he grunted, a noise the blonde took to mean yes Ashley, what is it? "Can I stay with you tonight?"
Silence was her only response for a moment and she wondered if she'd been right, that she really was too old to go crawling into bed with him after a nightmare.
"Yeah." He rasped sleepily then and the nineteen year old felt a wave of happiness wash over her.
He calmly pulled back the covers as he rolled onto his back and Ashley quickly slipped into the large bed where she cuddled up to a half asleep Mister Gold. There was silence for a time and then Baby found herself breaking it without really meaning to.
"You know," she began in a hushed tone, hardly a whisper, "you smell like Belle. You need to be more careful."
Mister Gold's eyes flew open and his head snapped down so he could lock his chocolate orbs with Ashley's baby blues.
"How long have you known?" He asked quickly; suddenly awake.
"I only guessed but now you've confirmed it. You really should be more careful though, if Zelena drug face finds out she'll go mental." Ashley snuggled closer into his warm and comforting chest.
Gold sighed as held Ashley a little tighter. In a way he'd taken to Ashley almost like an adopted daughter, yeah a father who lets her work for his porn site. Fantastic parenting there, Elias. There were clearly mixed feelings there about that. She'd not trusted him at first, not that he blamed her, but Ashley had soon grown attached to him like he was some sort of stand in fairy godmother.
"Don't worry, Ashley," he started quietly, accent thick due to his sleepy mood. "I can handle Zelena. And I never meant to get involved with Belle, she … she's just so perfect."
She gave a little half shrug. "The heart wants what the heart wants. There's nothing wrong with it."
Ashley had always been a romantic at heart, it was one of the many qualities Gold loved about her. She was so innocent in many ways and devilish in others, a perfect balance. He had no doubt she'd bash him over the head with something should he push her too far though.
"I hope you're right." Mister Gold shut his eyes again and started to settle back into sleep until he remembered why Ashley had crept into his room in the first place; the eyes didn't open again though. "Was it a nightmare like the others?"
"Yes." She breathed, her face half buried in Elias' chest. "It hasn't happened for a while." He felt her smile against his black silk clad chest. "Do you know what I think about when I'm afraid?" Elias shook his head no, he was too tired to speak now, could feel slumber claiming him again. "I think of the night you found me."
~THREE YEARS EARLIER~
Night had fallen hours earlier and the word cold didn't even begin to cover it. Icy surged through Ashley Boyd's thin coat and practically thread bare sweater as snow started to fall around her. Her ears were so frozen that it caused her head pain, like someone had hit her with an axe. Soft, baby blonde hair blew around her face, the only layer of protection her red cheeks had against the blizzard she suspected was coming; okay maybe blizzard was an over-reaction but a blizzard is what it would feel like to her. Snow tumbled forcefully from the sky like a feather made of lead and coated the ground a pure white, if she'd been warm and indoors Ashley would have thought it beautiful, postcard worthy even. The blonde's whole body shook as she walked, her arms wrapped around her slender frame as a last attempt to return some heat to her body. Ashley had no real destination yet she still walked, had to do something. She could see her breath fog before her face and her stomach rumbled with hunger just as it had all day. The sidewalk was icy and she slipped every now and again, her thin brown boots lacking any grip what so ever.
After what seemed like forever of walking aimlessly Ashley came to a dead stop, her eyes fell to a small section of space outside what she quickly learnt was an antiques store. It was covered over with a roof and looked more like a porch than anything else. It wouldn't be warm however, it was out of the direct snow. Her lips had started to turn blue and she knew she'd not find a better option, especially now the sun had gone down.
The young girl of sixteen settled down and pulled her knees to her chest in such a way that left her able to tuck her fingers into the crevice made by her bent knees , she couldn't even describe the level of cold she felt any more. Didn't matter that she couldn't describe it, only others who'd been thrown out of their homes to the mercy of the streets could understand this kind of cold. Even those who'd climbed snowy mountains or travelled through the far reaches of Russia couldn't understand because only another homeless person could fully grasp how sorrow and fear chilled the bones more than the powdery white that slowly built up around her.
Ashley knew she wouldn't, couldn't, survive the winter for much longer; a fact she reluctantly accepted. Her step-mother wouldn't let her back in the house, it was her house now after all, Ashley was just something her father had left behind that couldn't be sold or given to goodwill , nothing more than a half-dead cat in her step-mother's eyes . The blonde watched as people passed by, uncaring that a young teen sat alone in the winter night, they passed her like they were all off to accomplish something. To day is as good a day as any she guessed. Ashley didn't ask them for help or money , knew they didn't care about her, if she lived or died, if they did care she'd not have had to ask them. Her step-mother had seen to it that Ashley was nothing more than a homeless statistic that only a rich bastard with a hard-on would see. Her father had been the only person to ever care about her … and he was gone forever.
The sixteen year old was lost in her cold thoughts, eyes glazed over, when from nowhere a man kicked her from behind and fell. He landed hard on the ground, softened only by the fresh layer of snow. She'd had no idea the store was still open until this man had tripped over her. She watched in pain as the man slowly pulled himself up onto his shaky knees and turned to face her with a biting glare.
"What the hell?! Are you trying to kill people?"
"I'm sorry, I didn't know that place was still open." She said quickly. "And you know you could have killed me to. I have a bloody footprint on my face."
Much to her surprise the two burst out laughing. It was the first time she'd laughed since her father had died and she'd missed it. She'd honestly got no idea why it had been funny, not since she was still frozen to the bone and now her head and shoulder hurt but still they laughed. The man's face crinkled around his rich brown eyes, they looked almost like burnt honey and there was something else in there that just warmed Ashley's chilly heart.
" I'm sorry." He said when the laughing died down; a comment which surprised her. "Are you alright? Your lips are blue." The stranger pulled himself to his feet and looked down at Ashley as he straightened his perfectly tailored suit. She didn't find pity in his expression instead she found something closer to concern. "I was going to get something to eat before I head home, would you like to join me?"
Ashley paused for a second. Join him? What does that mean?
"No." She answered a little more forcefully than intended.
"Are you sure?" Why did this guy give a damn about her?
"Why are you being so nice to me?" She questioned suspiciously. "I'm not your kid."
There was a bitter tone that lingered in her voice and Ashley didn't know quite where it had come from, this guy was just trying to be nice to her. Right?
"Contrary to what is popularly believed about me, I could never just let a child sit out in the harshness of winter and starve to death."
As if to betray her Ashley's stomach growled louder than it had all day. The guy before her was not much taller than she herself was and wore a pristine navy suit. He wasn't poor, wasn't hungry like she was, he was one of the well to do people … yet he didn't seem stuck up like most of them. He waited patiently as she decided and rubbed absent-mindedly at his leg; clearly he'd hurt himself when he f allen.
"There are fries in the offering." He smiled. Damn it, he's got me.
He was inviting her to a public place, nothing too bad could happen in a diner could it? And she was so very hungry.
"Alright. I like the sound of that." It was true.
The Scottish stranger helped Ashley to her feet and held out his arm so she could loop hers with his , the thick black wool coat he wore over his navy suit looked inviting and warm but she wasn't quite ready to let him touch her. Instead, the two walked side by side down the slowly emptying street until they came to a large diner lit up in pink and blue neon lights, he held the door open for her and Ashley felt a rush of toasty air hit her in the face. Heaven.
It didn't take long for him to order them each a burger and fries, nor for her fingers to start to thaw out. She sipped the hot tea he got her and reviled in the heat it gave her body. She'd started to feel like a person again rather than an ice sculpture. When the food arrived she ate quickly, couldn't remember the last time she'd had a decent meal, probably the day before she was kicked to the curb.
"Slow down." He told her sternly yet in a calming tone. "You don't want to make yourself sick."
"I'm making up for lost time." She smiled, genuinely happy for once.
They ate in silence after that, it felt amazing to Ashley to have her stomach so full. Food was something she would never take for granted ever again. The stranger looked out of place in the crappy diner but no one seemed to notice him, maybe a rich, old er, guy with a teenage girl who clearly wasn't his daughter was 'normal'. He waited until she'd finished every last one of her fries before speaking, almost as if he'd not wanted to shatter her happiness.
"What's your name?" His tone was genuine.
"Ashley. My name is Ashley." She drank the last of her tea. "What's yours?"
"Elias Gold. But most people just call me bastard."
Ashley snorted and her now warm face curled upwards in a true smile.
"I think I prefer Mister Gold."
"As do I, Ashley. Now, why were you sat outside Mister Henderson's store?"
There it was, the 'why aren't you at home? You should be with your family' speech. Well, her so called family didn't want her and there was nothing she could do about that.
"Why were you in an antiques store so late?" She shot back in a growl.
"How about a deal? Hmm? You tell me your story and I'll tell you mine?"
He wasn't giving her the speech, wasn't assuming he knew the whole story just because she was a teen and he was a … well, some rich guy who looked rather sexy in a suit. He wasn't like anyone she'd ever met before, he actually wanted to know, actually seemed to give a damn; why? However, through her thoughts Ashley nodded in agreement to the deal.
"Alright, if you really want to know." She sighed. "My Dad died a month ago and my step-mother kicked me out. I have nowhere to go and no other family. I'm not one of her precious daughters and so I don't belong." There was something in his eyes that seemed to understand her pain. "Anyway, we made a deal. What's your story?"
"You probably won't like what I tell you, Ashley." He sighed and leaned in. "I run a certain type of site aimed at men called The House Of Scarlet. Although as for why I was in the store, antiques are a hobby of mine. Especially clocks."
Gold had expected her to get up an leave the second he told her but the young girl seemed not to care. That was a first.
"Sounds boring. Sex for money." Her tone was very flippant.
"That's not quite what it is, I don't sell women for the evening."
Elias Gold pulled out his wallet and set a few bills down on the – frankly alarming – pink table and then stood, reached into his wallet again and pulled out some larger bills and held them out to her. When Ashley didn't immediately take the money from his slightly tanned hand he smirked and spoke again.
"I'm going to give you the option, Ashley, because I don't want you to think I'm trying to take advantage of you. I'll give you some money, enough to get yourself a room somewhere for a while, no questions asked. Or … you can stay with me at The House Of Scarlet for a few days. Don't worry there are other girls there. I'm giving you the option because I don't want you thinking I'm some sick pervert getting you to work for me or that this is a strange kidnapping attempt. I just want to know you're safe."
" Why do you care?" Her voice barely reached a whisper.
"I might have nice clothes and expensive tastes in clocks but I didn't always. Your father died, I wished mine did. And my mother? Well, she didn't stick around long enough to name me. "
Ashley knew the money would run out, but she would be warm for a while, days. Yet, if she went with him who knew. The blonde felt something close to an akin. If this had been a movie people probably would have been screaming at her to just take them money and run but Ashley didn't. If she accepted she'd be in a new place and maybe he'd even help her look for a job. There was something in his eyes, something good behind that powerful mask he wore, it made her trust his words.
"Alright, I'll go with you."
It was either the best or the worth decision of her life.