Warning: Will eventually contain mature material. Language. Lemons. Some spicy limes. Maybe full-blown things. ~_^

A Salvation Called Love

-Chapter 5-

The weather this evening was beautiful. I was currently leaning against the hood of my car waiting for Miss Amatheon to arrive. I was in high spirits today, probably because I was letting lose my evil side for once. It had been a long time since I acted like my old self and it felt good. Leaning back and closing my eyes I rivaled in the feel of the cool wind. It wasn't much longer that I heard a vehicle slow down and the gravel on the side of the road crunch as it pulled to the side and parked. I checked my watch and grinned. I heard the vehicle door open and close and Miss Amatheon's steps draw closer. "Mr. Gold?"

"Well done, Dearie. You know how to be punctual." I slowly moved away from my car and turned to look at the young woman that was standing a few feet back from me. I was about to say something else when I stumbled on the gravel and blinked in surprise.

"Where's my father?"

I couldn't breathe. She was there, the one who haunted my heart and dreams. She was standing right there in front of me. Her face was exactly as I remembered it. Her bright blue eyes sparkling in evening light. I took a small step forward without thinking and held my hand out to her. "B… Belle... Belle, is that really you?"

The young woman just stared at me in confusion. "How do you know my name?"

It couldn't be her. She was dead. I quickly moved forward forgetting that this young woman was the daughter of the man who stole from me and tried to run. "What are you doing here, Belle? I thought… I thought you were…" My heart squeezed in pain as I stopped in front of her and stared down into her confused eyes.

"Uhmm…" She took a step back away from me. "I don't know who this Belle person is you're talking about but I'm not her. My name is Annabelle Amatheon and you kidnapped my father."

I frowned. She wasn't Belle? "Annabelle… Amatheon…"

She was really giving me a weirded out look now. "Mr. Gold. I don't know if you're doing drugs or something but can we get down to business? My father, you have him. Where is he? What do you want in order for you to release him?"

"Your father…" I shook my head and turned away for a few moments. Right now I could only hear the Queen's words echoing in my mind over and over again. After a while she threw herself off the tower. She died… died… died… died… died… I growled at myself and shook my head again. "That's right. You couldn't be her, could you?"

"Excuse me?"

I took a deep steady voice and ran my hand through my hair, resisting the urge to pull it and scream in rage. So this is what Regina wanted. She knew Bill Amatheon's daughter looked like my beloved Belle. I wouldn't fall to temptation. That evil, vile woman wouldn't win. I turned slowly and cracked a devious grin. "Annabelle Amatheon. What a… pleasure to meet you after experiencing the company of your father."

I gave a small, light chuckle when she narrowed her eyes at me. "What did you do to him?"

I shrugged. "Nothing much, Dearie. Just locked him up and roughed him up a little."

Her breath caught and I knew she was trying to hold back her anger. A feisty one this would be. "Why all of this over a little money being stolen? You're a man who is extremely rich, what's the harm in losing a little?"

I slowly walked forward until I could feel the warmth from her body. I ignored my jackhammering heart. "It's not that he stole from me, per se, but was hired by a woman who desires to run my company to the ground. Then he had the balls to try and run. You see, Dearie, I don't normally let people get away."

"They why not call the police? Or if it was so much of a hassle, just fire him!" She threw her hands up in the air and walked away from me. She walked off to the side of the ditch and stopped in front of a tall tree. Her fist flew out quicker than I could figure out what she was doing and she punched the trunk of the tree over and over until her knuckles were bleeding. "DAMN IT!"

I frowned and made my way over to her, holding out my free hand in the attempt to stop her. "Stop, Dearie. You'll end up breaking your hand."

The second my hand touched her shoulder she whirled around, her blue eyes flashing angrily and she shoved me back a little. I stumbled but kept upright. "Damn it! Don't touch me. And what do you care anyways?"

I cocked my head to the side and propped both my hands up on my cane as I stared at her, frowning. She was nothing like my timid Belle. She had never been this… fiery… never so tempered. "I might be a mean, ruthless bastard but that doesn't mean I want to see a young lady such as yourself break her hand."

She gave a very unladylike snort and brushed past me in order to walk to her Jeep. She threw open the passenger side door and dug around for a few moments before pulling back and closing it. She was holding a small handkerchief against her knuckles. The blood was already seeping through. "Can we go see my father now?"

I shrugged and reached up to the breast pocket of my suit and pulled out my own handkerchief. I walked forward and held it out to her. "As soon as you are calm we can."

She glared at me and yanked the silky square of fabric from my hand. She arched her brows. "Is this silk?" I nodded and watched as a gleeful smile spread across her lips. She quickly replaced the one she'd been holding against her knuckles with mine, tucking hers into her pocket. "I'll enjoy ruining it."

I figured she would say something like that so I only shrugged again. "I can always buy another one."

"I bet you could." She put a lot of hate into her words.

I was used to it. I'd been hated and loathed and detested the entire time since becoming the Dark One. "Shall we go then?" She nodded and trudged back to the driver's side, getting in and slamming the door closed.

I slowly walked over to my car and got in, buckling up and checking to make sure no traffic was coming. I pulled out and watched my rearview mirror to make sure the girl was following. I reached forward and turned on the radio, settling back against my seat as my favourite classical music station started playing. I was going to enjoy breaking Bill Amatheon's daughter.

[Annabelle – Mr. Gold's Mansion]

My right hand was hurting really bad as I followed behind Mr. Gold's Lincoln town car. I ignored the pain as much as I could and snickered at the idea that Mr. Gold enjoyed having everything he owned gold coloured. It was ridiculous. When we ended up driving through town without stopping I frowned and reached for my phone. It rang before I was able to dial Mr. Gold's number and surprise, surprise it was the man… or beast himself. I pushed the answer button and held the phone up to my ear. "I suppose you're wondering why we didn't stop in town?" His heavy accent sent shivers down my body again. Then it suddenly clicked, probably because I'd stood and talked to him face to face, but he was from Scotland.

The question slipped out of my mouth before I could stop myself. "Are you from Scotland?"

I held my breath as I heard him hum at me across the phone. "You're full of surprises today aren't you, Dearie? Yes… yes, I'm a lowlander. Why do you ask?"

I narrowed my eyes and imagined kicking him in the leg. "Just curious." His chuckle across the phone sent more shivers down my body. I gave a small cough and gripped the steering wheel tightly. "So why didn't we stop in town?"

He chuckled again and I had to slam on my breaks when he turned on his turn signal and turned left down a small, paved road that was only big enough for one vehicle to drive on. "Because I don't live directly in town. More like deep in the woods where people won't bother me."

He hung up on me and I slowly put my phone back into the cup holder. I paid attention to the land around me and the road ahead of me. It was really beautiful, if I had to say anything about it. There were a lot of trees and it was hilly. About three miles down the road I braked behind Mr. Gold as he stopped in front of a tall, black fence. I looked to both sides of it as it swung open for him after he reached out and punched in a code and I found that it stretched on and on until it disappeared into the trees. I continued to follow Mr. Gold as he drove around the circle court and parked in front of an impressively large mansion. It reminded me of the modern castles you could find out in the countryside in England. I didn't bother to lock my Jeep when I got out, the gates would keep any thieves away. Mr. Gold was standing at the bottom of the stairs that led up to the front door. "This is your house?"

A full, ear to ear grin split across his face as he gave a mocking bow. "Welcome to my humble home. Enter at your own risk."

I forgot myself for a second and found myself giving a loud laugh and rolling my eyes. I quickly clamped a hand over my mouth and shook my head. Damn it, I wasn't here to laugh. "Take me to my father."

He sighed. "Always in a rush to get down to business." He motioned for me to climb the stairs before him. "Ladies first, Dearie." I did as he requested and before I got to the top the door slowly opened. I stepped inside expecting to see someone holding the door but there wasn't anyone. I felt Mr. Gold step up behind me and I turned to stare at him. He just smiled. He pointed to a small hallway that lead back into the mansion. "That way." It felt weird having him follow me but I squared up and walked on, taking the directions he gave me until we stopped in front of a thick silver door.

I turned again and arched a brow at him. "What's this?"

He slowly touched my arm and pushed me to the side. He pulled out a set of keys and quickly flicked through them until he found the one he was looking for. He then unlocked the massive door and there was a hissing noise as it slid open on its own. He motioned inside. "Your father's downstairs."

Without waiting I shoved my way around him and quickly ran down the steps leading down into what I thought would be the basement. He called out to me to be careful but I ignored him. Stumbling off the stairs I was immediately blinded by the bright lights that flicked on when I reached the bottom. I blindly called out to my father as I waited for my eyes to adjust. "Papa? Papa, where are you?"

"Belle?"

I turned towards the raspy voice and found that my eyes had adjusted. To the left of me was a barred cell where my father was cuffed to the wall. I ran over and slid to my knees as I reached through the bars to him. "Papa, it's me. It's Belle."

"Would you like me to open the door for you, Dearie?"

The sound of Mr. Gold's footsteps and cane clicking across the floor made me turn to him and glare. I lowered my voice to a threatening tone. "I want you to let him go."

"I won't."

I slowly stood up and took a few steps toward Mr. Gold, my anger making my thoughts irrational. "You will. Stealing doesn't deserve this kind of punishment."

He arched a brow at me and I saw a challenging glint in his dark brown eyes. "And what are you going to do if I refuse? Make me?"

I nodded and clenched my fists. "Yes, if I have to."

"Hnnn." He gave a small chuckle and I watched as he beckoned me forward with one of his long fingers. "I want to see that spirit. I want to know how hard I have to work to break it."

"Belle…" I turned as my father called weakly out to me. "Don't. Just go. I'll be fine."

His attempt at a smile is what made my anger flare completely. I turned towards Mr. Gold and stalked forward. He just stood there grinning like it was Christmas. "I'm going to wipe that annoying smirk off your face."

I moved to punch Mr. Gold in the face but I was amazed when he just sidestepped me. I turned to attempt a roundhouse kick, in order to knock him out and grab the keys, but he just grabbed my ankle and jerked forwards. His grip and pull was stronger than I would have though. I could feel the deadly strength straining in his hold as I lost my balance and tumbled to the concrete floor. He took that moment to quickly straddle my waist and roughly press the length of his cane along my throat, choking off anything I was going to attempt to say. He leaned forward and whispered against my ear. His brogue was thicker and his breath was hot against my skin. "You'll have to move faster than that, Dearie. I'm not as crippled and old as I seem."

He slowly removed the pressure of his cane from my neck and I gave a few deep coughs when I was able to breathe again. His strength was what made me think twice about attempting to fight anymore. "Let me up."

He shook his head and I watched the light play in the silver that interlaced with the dark brown of his hair. "Let's make a deal, Dearie."

I bucked upwards against him, but his weight stopped me from moving too much. He skillfully pressed his knees in against my waist and secured his seat. "Why should I make a deal?" I tried again to remove him from me but he just leaned forward, dropping his cane to the side and grabbed my wrists. His palms were rough, something I didn't expect. He pressed my wrists securely against the concrete and stared at me from inches away. Up close his eyes were lighter than they really were. Almost a dark honey colour. I growled up at him and shoved against his hands. "Bastard."

He gave a tiny shrug and continued to stare at me. "There's an old saying that goes like this; when two people want something the other has, a deal can always be struck." His grin grew until I could see the glint of gold covering one of his teeth. "How about a deal then?"

"I thought you said that I didn't have anything to offer that would save my father?"

He arched a brow and sat back up, tucking his hair back behind his ear. "Did I? Seems like I was mistaken, Dearie. You do have something worth offering."

I frowned for a few seconds before his words sank in and I thought I got his meaning. A blush stole across my cheeks and I turned my face away, hiding my eyes. "I won't give you my body, you sick bastard."

He laughed outright this time and the deep sound of it echoed in the basement. "I don't want your body, Dearie. Is that all you think you can offer?"

I slowly turned my head to peer up at him, confused. "If you don't want… What do you mean then? I don't have money and by the looks of things you don't need anymore. I don't have anything."

He didn't say anything right away as he slowly stood up, picking up his cane and moving to stand a few feet away. His eyes were glittering with evil glee. "Currently I'm looking for a… caretaker for my rather large estate."

I sat up and narrowed my eyes. "Then why don't you hire a maid? I'm sure there is someone out there willing to suffer through your cruelness."

"That would involve me paying for those services. With you, you'd be working to pay off your father's debt to me. Does that sound fair?" He moved forward and offered me one of his hands.

I looked at it for a few seconds before slipping my hand into his. It shocked me again to feel the roughness of it. I was expecting it to be smooth since he seemed to enjoy pampering himself. When I was standing I quickly removed my hand from his and took a step away. I wiped my palm against my pant leg and frowned at him. "If I stay here and work for you, taking care of this huge place you'll let my father go?"

My father's words broke in between the conversation I was having with Mr. Gold. "Belle, you can't work for this man. I forbid it. I'll pay my own dept."

I moved to step closer to my father but Mr. Gold stepped in front of me, blocking my way. I growled but looked over my shoulder at my father. "Papa, you can't forbid me from doing anything. I'm a grown woman and I make my own choices." Without waiting for his replay I turned back to Mr. Gold. "Me for my father. That's the deal."

Mr. Gold gently clapped his hands together happily and nodded. "It's for a long time, Dearie. Are you alright with that? You won't be able to see your father or your friends. You won't be able to leave the mansion."

"Belle! Don't, please, I beg you. I can pay my own debt!"

I glared at my father over Mr. Gold's shoulder again and snapped at him. "Shut up. I'm making this decision, not you." I stepped forward and offered Mr. Gold my hand. "I'll agree to all of that if you promise to let my father go. I won't talk to him, my friends, or leave until his debt is paid. I'll stay here with you until it's complete."

Mr. Gold hesitated for a few seconds as he stared at me intently. When his hand reached forward and wrapped around my own, my future was sealed and he gave a sharp laugh. "Deal!" He quickly pulled me forward and grabbed both of my wrists in one of his while he dug out his keys. I was confused as he shoved me towards one of the cells and quickly unlocked it. He pushed me inside and slammed the door closed, locking it securely behind him.

I ran forward and grabbed the bars, calling out to him as he backed away. "What are you doing? I thought you were going to free my father if I worked for you?"

"Oh, I intend to keep my side of the deal. Have no worries."

"Then why did you lock me up in here?" I shook the door and glared at him. "Let me out!"

He grinned and moved over to my father's cell, unlocking it and stepping in. "Not just yet, Dearie. I have to go drop your father back at home. Until I decide otherwise, you're stuck in there."

I silently cursed and watched as he unlocked the cuffs holding my father up against the wall. I thought Mr. Gold would have a little trouble getting my father to his feet but despite my father's heavy build, Mr. Gold picked him up as if he weights nothing. I couldn't do anything but watch as Mr. Gold half dragged, half helped my father cross the room and start up the stops. Just before they disappeared I called out. "Mr. Gold!"

Mr. Gold turned and looked back at me with a questioning arch of his brow. "Yes, Dearie?"

"You better make sure my father doesn't die."

He just grinned and disappeared up the stairs. I heard the echo of the door closing and locking and then silence. I sighed and moved to the back of the cell where a small, metal framed bed was. I gently lay down and curled up in the corner, pressing back against the cool wall. It wasn't too long before the lights automatically turned off. I was left to ponder my thoughts in the dark… alone. It wasn't too long when the stress of the past couple of days wore on me and my mind shut off as sleep took over. Before I was completely asleep I whispered into the dark. "You're such a bastard, Mr. Gold."