A/N: And here is One-Shot number two! I hope you all continue to enjoy these!
Disclaimer: If Once Upon a Time were mine, Graham wouldn't have died in Episode 8. #'Nuffsaid
Lacey lazily flipped the cool, crisp pages of the aged book, taking in the words like a desert-wanderer does water. Despite her constantly roaming the aisles of the public library, she had yet to read this tale, this story of a lost child, of ill-gotten magic, and of blooming romance. She was captivated by this version of a tale everyone knew. It was far different than the movie she watched growing up, or even the fairytale she had only read once or twice. It was far different, yet she was sure it was the closest this story had come to being realistic.
She glanced up from the enrapturing volume to gaze at the large grandfather clock resting against the far wall, its hands ticking languidly. She readjusted the book in her lap before returning to the fantastical land. Just ten more minutes, she assured herself, flipping the page once more.
The ten minutes passed, and afterward, another twenty. The beauty had just been told that True Love's Kiss could save her beast from his wretched magic, when a throat being cleared brought Lacey out of her magical world. She looked up with a start to see her boss standing before her, his arms crossed and his cane resting against his knee. His eyes held something between amusement and annoyance, and she was desperately hoping it was more of the former.
"Mister Gold! I—uh—how long have you been standing there?" she meekly asked, shutting the book with a guilty frown on her face.
His hand reached down for his golden-tipped cane as he rounded the counter and headed toward the back room. "Long enough, dear. So tell me: what fantastical world did you engulf yourself in today?"
Lacey hopped out of her chair behind the counter and followed him in, the book nestled safely against her chest. "More Than Magic," Lacey began, "It combines Rumpelstiltskin with Beauty and the Beast."
The shopkeeper lifted his eyebrow in skepticism before turning back to face his desk. "That sounds like quite the collaboration," he distractedly commented, rummaging through various papers.
Lacey let out a small giggle before setting the book down on a nearby stand. "What are you looking for? I might be able to help."
Mister Gold didn't even look up from the desk before answering, his hands continuing to sift through the documents. "Mayor Mills asked me for a rather… particular treasure, and I know I have the papers around here somewhere. I just can't seem to—"
He paused when Lacey put her hand up, motioning for him to stop. He watched as she determinedly strode across the back-office, opened up a random dresser drawer nestled against the wall, and pulled out the manila folder he had been searching for in his home-office for the past forty-five minutes. "You mean this folder?" she asked, a small smirk playing upon her lips.
Mister Gold slowly took the folder from her hands, a mixture of relief of finding it, anger of her moving it, and gratefulness that she kept his life in some manner of order flooding through him. His employee always managed to inadvertently complicate his life, and for some reason, he never seemed to mind.
"Thank you, dear. Next time, please tell me when you sort my papers around, though. Will you?"
Lacey nodded obediently, her smirk never faltering. "Right. Sorry about that. So what're these papers for, anyway?" She hopped up and sat on his desk, dangling her legs carelessly. Her eyes caught glanced of a small pen on his desk, and she picked it up, fingering it absentmindedly.
Mister Gold paused a moment, taking in the sight of his employee. She flipped her head, making her chestnut locks settle in their natural point. A small sliver of light fell through a crack in the window, setting her hair alight. The halo effect made all thoughts in his mind vanish, being consumed by his Lacey. She was truly a beauty, one he knew he could never have, yet one he was too stubborn to let go.
"Mister Gold… are you there?" she asked, bending her head low so she could peer straight into his eyes. A playful giggle escaped her grasp as she saw him fumble for words. Her boss was quite the strange man, yet she always found it engaging. The way he would stare at her always brought warmth to her cheeks. The way he would talk to her for hours about everything and yet nothing always brought a smile to her face. The way he would go above and beyond just to make her life easier always made her heart swell. He was a lonely man trying to fill his heart, and she was anything but unwilling to give him a chance.
"I—I believe it's time for your break, isn't it?" he asked, rolling up his suit-coat sleeve to peer at his golden watch. "Two-thirty on the dot, dear. Why don't you go fetch us something to drink from the diner, and I'll bring you up to date. Sound fair?"
Lacey nodded once, sliding off the table and straightening out her blouse. "I'm on it, boss," she added teasingly, giving him a bright smile. With that, she took off for the diner, leaving Mister Gold alone in the back room.
When he heard the light bells chime with the closing of the front door, he let loose a breath he hadn't realized he had been holding. Opening the manila folder in his hand, he lifted up a paper to view the one under it: 'Boston Child Services Entry 28379: Emma Swan. Age: 18. Gender of Child: Male.'
He looked over at the curtain still swaying from her exit. "Ten more years, Belle. Just ten more years."
A big thanks to myself for looking this one over for me (my betas temporarily abandoned me on this one :P)!