A/N: This is very important to note. I am not going to be writing this as just a blatant attempt to write filthy sex scenes. That is not why I am writing this. I am writing this for plot, and as any good romance, there are some intimate scenes. But I will not be writing sadomasochism. This will be more of a drama/romance type. I'm taking some ideas from 50 Shades, mostly how damaged some of the characters are, and incorporating it into my story. And I promise, for all of my wonderful readers who do not care for smut, I will warn you, and then prompt you when you can read again safely. I am sorry for the short chapter, but I needed a good introduction, a good taste to get my readers hungry for more. And now, my dearies, I have written you a five page update all for you. I love you all. You are the greatest. Joanne.

"What was that ah- ah!" began Mr. Clark. "ACHOO! About?" My manager rummaged around in his pockets for his beloved handkerchief, and blew his nose into it loudly. "Damn dust mites…"

"Bless you," I responded, wondering if Clark was ever going to take an Allegra or even see an allergist. I swear, his allergies were getting worse day by day, and I wondered how he could live his life sneezing all the time. "It was just Mr. Gold."

"You be careful around him," sniffled Mr. Clark as he wiped his nose. "That man owns the town and everything and everyone in it."

"I'm aware," I said with a sigh. "He gave me that speech already."

"Please be more careful next time," sneezed Mr. Clark. "He's a dangerous man to mess around with."

Before I knew it, my shift had ended, and I had about three hours before I was due at Mr. Gold's house for dinner. As I walked down the street, my best friend Ruby spotted me, and ran over. "Belle! Oh my gosh! What's going on girlfriend?"

"Not much," I shrugged. "Got to get ready for my date…"

"DATE?!" shrieked Ruby. "Spill it!"

"It's nothing, really… It's just dinner."

"It's not just dinner!" cried Ruby. "You need to dress nice, put on makeup, style your hair, wear perfume- something seductive…"

"I'm not going to wear perfume!" I frowned. "It's just dinner at his house. And honestly, I think I did Mr. Gold a favor…"

"Wait, what?" asked Ruby, surprised. "Not Mr. Angry Pants? The town jerk? The guy we all pay rent money to?"

"That would be the one."

"You should call him up and cancel," said Ruby with a shudder. "Seriously, he freaks me out. He's mean, nasty, and he cares for no one but himself."

"I can't cancel on him," I sighed as I reached the front door of my house. "If I cancel on him, he will get me fired from my job. I can't lose my job, Ruby. If I do, I won't be able to support myself."

"Just be careful," said Ruby. Her eyes reflected her concern for me, and I nodded before walking in through the front door.

I threw myself down on the couch, and hit the play button on my answering machine. "This is Mr. Gold. I'm just making sure we are still on for tonight at seven o'clock. I'm making Italian, so bring your appetite, and wear something… nice… I will see you at seven, Miss Belle…"

I groaned and deleted the message. What a creeper! How the heck did he find out my home number? Oh yeah, he owns the town, so most likely he has a list of everyone in town's phone numbers.

I got up from the couch, and walked to the bathroom. I stripped my work clothes off, and stepped into the shower. I shampooed and conditioned my hair, and washed my body with some scented lime and coconut body wash.

I toweled off after I finished showering, and wrapped the towel around me protectively. I walked to my room, and searched for an outfit appropriate enough to wear for my date.

I groaned. Most of my clothes consisted of work clothes, and the only thing dressy enough for a date was the dress I had worn to my father's funeral. It was a solid black dress with a modestly cut neckline. I slid into it, and slipped on some black heels. I looked at myself in the mirror, and began to apply tan eye shadow with a hint of black liner to outline my blue eyes. I applied a light shade of pink lipstick, and decided to apply a little bit of mascara to my lashes. I glanced at the clock at my night table, and saw that it was six. I scrunched my hair, and then flipped on the TV in my bedroom before flouncing down on my bed.

"Vote for me, Regina Mills! As your current as well as prospective mayor, I will keep your taxes low, help out our schools, and fund for important things like our roads. A vote for me is a vote for the people of Storybrook. Everyone will win."

I rolled my eyes at Regina's political plug. I hated politics with a passion, and I had a good reason for it. It was politics that ultimately killed my father.

My father once was the governor of the great state of Maine. He used to travel with me a lot across the state when I was young, and I loved watching him speak at special events. After becoming governor, my father pressed to run for president of the United States. While on tour across the country, I was left at home to take care of myself.

One day, as I turned on the television, I watched in horror as a stranger opened fire at one of the rallies my father was speaking at, hitting him directly. Dad died instantly.

I never found out who killed my father. After seeing my father's murder over and over on the various news channels, and dreaming about his murder, I have never truly found solace. Losing a parent as young as thirteen years old is never easy, and it certainly never gets easier, even as an adult.

I wiped away a stray tear, and shook myself mentally. I shouldn't think about the past. I have to focus on getting past this stupid date.

I switched off the TV after finding nothing interesting, and decided that I would leave for Mr. Gold's house. I grabbed my purse, and made sure to grab some pepper spray in case of an emergency. I walked out of the front door, locking it behind me, and made my way to his house.

I was quite surprised to find that the intimidating, impatient customer from the Save Mart lived in a pink house. I chuckled to myself. "Yeah, you are such a badass with your pink little house," I snorted as I made my way up the front steps. I rang the doorbell, and looked around. The house looked dimly lit through the window, and soon I heard footsteps as the door opened.

"Ah, Miss Belle," said a slightly smirking Mr. Gold. "Here you are at last. And right on time too. I like a punctual woman."

I rolled my eyes as he put his hand on my back and guided me inside his home. "Eye rolling is not appreciated in my home, Miss French."

"How on earth do you know my last name? And how on earth did you get my phone number?" I asked curiously.

"I know a lot of things, Miss French," said Mr. Gold. "I'm the most powerful man in town. I can get information about anything I want at my beck and call."

"How… convenient," I said nervously as he pulled out my chair before I sat down at the dining room table. "Thank you."

"Quite welcome, dearie," said Mr. Gold. He handed me a cup of tea, and I noticed that there was a small crack in the lip. I shivered involuntarily. "What's the matter? You look a little pale, dearie."

"I just had a small feeling of déjà vu," I said as I put a shaky hand to my forehead.

"You will serve me my tea here," said a mysterious looking man with green gold skin. The man wore a black shirt underneath a black leather vest with a spiked collar and matching pants. "You will bring me my meals here, and you will skin the children for their pelts!"

I gasped, and dropped the cup that I was holding nervously. "Y-you're not serious are you?" I asked timidly.

"Just a quip, not serious," smiled the man as he sat in the great armchair at his extremely large dining table. He crossed his legs and looked at me curiously.

"Oh no," I murmured sadly.

"What's the matter?" asked the man as he craned his neck to look at me.

I sank down gracefully, my golden yellow gown billowing out around me and showing an ample amount of cleavage. "It's the cup… I-I've chipped it," I stammered as I picked up the cup and showed him the crack. "I'm really sorry. Really, I am!"

"It's just a cup," shrugged the strange, almost reptilian looking man. His eyes watched me, and his gaze made me even more nervous as I shakily put the chipped cup down on the table and poured the tea.

"Dearie, you really do not look well," said Mr. Gold as he put a hand on my forehead. I turned away from his touch and got up from my seat.

"I-I think I just need to use the bathroom," I said shakily.

"Second door down the hall on the right," said Mr. Gold gently.

I nodded, and headed to the bathroom, closing and locking the door behind me. I looked into the large oval bathroom mirror in front of me and saw that I was quite pale, and I felt clammy. I threw some cold water onto my face, and tried to calm myself down. "This is insane!" I whispered to myself. "How on earth am I seeing myself in some other life? It's absolutely crazy! And this-this man, Mr. Gold, he was this lizard-like mysterious man in this vision? God, I must be losing it…"

There was a knock on the bathroom door. "Belle, are you alright in there?"

"I'm fine," I answered back. "I'll be out in a minute."

"Okay," said Mr. Gold. "Supper is getting cold, dearie."

As soon as I heard his footsteps fade, I took a deep breath, and opened the bathroom door.