Mr. Gold placed the lanolin soaked cloth in the satchel and handed it to the rather tall man that he kept under his employ, "Don't let anyone see you set this up, I can't have this coming back to me."
"Yes sir."
His employee would blend in. He kept busy with the construction work at town hall when Gold wasn't paying him to be his bodyguard and as long as Mr. Gold kept his paycheck coming then eh wouldn't ask questions about what Mr. Gold was planning.
His employee turned and walked out the door, passing Dawn as she came into the shop, "What's Mr. White doing here?"
"Oh, nothing that concerns you dear."
"Does it have to do with that thing you were telling me about in the cabin about getting Ms. Swan her place as sheriff?"
He nodded and gave her a quick kiss, "You smell good."
"I just got off work," she smiled, "Didn't see any harm in popping by to see you."
"I figured as much when you were already gone this morning," he muttered wryly, "I can't say that I especially like this new arrangement but I suppose it's better than you working at the newspaper all night."
"It certainly gives us more quality time together," she smiled and kissed him again.
He raised his eyebrow, "Are you planning something for tonight, my dear."
"Always up for anything," she whispered, "Question is…are you?"
"I'll be late coming home but I should be home in time for whatever you have planned."
"Okay," she smiled, "I'll see you at home."
Once Upon A Time
Dagian hugged her enlarged womb and stared at the dark ceiling of her small house.
It was going to be a rough harvest. The women had done their best to plant and tend the fields but it was hard when men were more used to doing that part of the work than they were.
It was going to be a long winter.
The baby kicked her and she winced. Just another month and a half at least and she would have a son or a daughter.
What if it died?
The thought had occurred to her several times as she lay alone at night and it never failed to send an icy pang of fear down her back. She had no one. Her family was dead; she'd seen them slaughtered. Rumpelstiltskin was most likely dead; she'd heard whispers that they'd sent in several units three weeks ago and it'd ended in slaughter.
No one would answer on whether or not the units were from their parts of the front lands. Even the recruiter that had taken a shine to her for some reason refused to give her any information.
The refusal to give an answer was their answer and in those three weeks from the time she sat in the field till now the remainder of the village had sunk into a crushing depression.
She was alone and it was going to be a rough winter; what was she going to do in the likely event that her child didn't survive?
For another night, she fell into a fitful sleep. She didn't know how long she dozed but the next thing she remembered was being shaken awake by one of the women in the village.
"Dagian, you're husband's back."
Present Day
Dawn opened the cabinet doors and placed the two candlesticks inside.
She fully doubted that she'd be able to spend a romantic evening with her husband after she just got the call about what she suspected he was responsible for.
She'd quit the newspaper weeks ago but she still got texts. Sidney had yet to take her off their little list and so she'd heard about everything from the horse's mouth.
The front door opened as she closed the cabinet doors.
"Hello my dear," he greeted, "You look lovely tonight."
She looked down at the black dress, "It's the same dress I always wear when we do this."
"You still look lovely," he came towards her and kissed her cheek.
She pulled away slightly and glared at him.
He pushed some of her hair back from her face, "What's wrong?"
"I suppose that 'hey honey, I'm going to start a fire in town hall where people go' would've sounded insane when we were talking about it."
His face dropped from the smile that he was sporting, "Because when we were at the cabin, I hadn't thought about what I wanted to do yet."
She rolled her eyes, "You know I try to be honest with you. I just wish sometimes you'd be completely honest with me."
He sighed, "Dawn."
"Someone could've gotten hurt."
He shrugged, "They didn't."
"Why didn't you tell me? I mean seriously, is it a trust thing because who on Earth would I go blabbing it to?"
"Because I have to wonder if you'd stand beside me."
"If it means that Sidney Glass isn't going to be sheriff then I'll definitely stand beside you no matter what you'd do," she muttered, "And I think that I'd stand beside you for more than what you seem to give me credit for. But I would really like to know what's going on so I CAN support you. I have your back for far more than what you think I do."
"No you don't," he whispered, "No one ever does."
"Well that's unfortunate that you believe that," Dawn told him, "I don't…I don't know what's fully happened in your life to make you like the way you are. But some days you trust me to talk to me openly…like that day in the cabin and then other days you close yourself in and refuse to let me know what's going on in that little head of yours. I just wish you'd make up your mind darling. This little yo-yo temperament that you have gets old."
She hopped off the table, "Dinner's on the stove."
Once Upon A Time
Ever since Dagian was a child she had vivid dreams and nightmares that sometimes had her questioning what was real and what was not.
Ever since her husband was ripped away from her, she'd had multiple dreams that he came home. And then she'd wake up in her cold empty bed and find it was just that. A dream.
But this one…it felt different. She could feel the grass and rocks under her feet as she walked as fast as she could toward the entrance of the village.
Tears fell down her face before she even reached the square. He was home. He was alive. This wasn't a dream…it couldn't be…she couldn't live with it anymore if it was just another dream.
She knew it wasn't a dream as soon as she turned the corner of one of the houses and her husband stood.
In her dreams he was always the same. He always looked the same as the day he was dragged away but here he was different.
He was bloody and malnourished and filthy, but she didn't notice any of that because she had been surrounded by that all her life.
His eyes….they were so different. Haunted, exhausted, sad, desperate…
She wasn't aware that anyone was standing in the square with him when she started off towards him.
He was home, he was home, he was home...
He launched towards her and she faltered a little when he wrapped his arms around her as tightly as he possibly could. She struggled to keep her balance and wrapped her arms around his neck.
"I love you," he pulled back and kissed her several times. She was so shocked at his sudden return that she could barely return the gesture. , "Dagian, I love you."
She stood stunned for a few seconds.
It was real. It wasn't a dream. He was hope.
She tightened her embrace, buried her face in his shoulder and cried.
Present Day
Mr. Gold spent many years hating his wife for the things that she'd done against him when they were in the fairy tale realm. He'd spent long hours planning just how he was going to get his revenge on her especially for her sins.
But the years passed and his thirst for revenge started to become quenched when they both settled into their…odd little codependent relationship.
Despite everything she'd done to him, he still trusted her. There was an understanding and respect between the two that neither one could fully comprehend. It was just there.
But despite the trust that he did allow himself to have with her, there were still restrictions he had with how much he divulged to her and how much she knew and that was about to be challenged.
When he came into the bedroom she was exiting the bathroom wearing sweats and a tank top.
"Alright dear," he placed his cane in front of him and leaned on it, "You want me to trust you more? You got your wish. Please don't make me regret it."
Dawn smiled, wrapped her arms around her neck and kissed him, "I think that's one of the most romantic things I've ever heard you say."
