Once Upon A Time

Dagian felt her husband's hand immediately tighten on hers in a crushing grip that nearly left her crying out in pain.

He looked at her in a panic, "They're stil coming here?"

"They always come here," Dagian replied angrily, "They took everyone who could fight a long time ago and they still come to eat our food and sleep in our houses and pick clean anything we have.

"They're going to send me back," he whispered and looked lat her like he was on the verge of breaking down entirely.

"Why would they do that?" she asked, "You're wounded, you can't f-"

The curtain was pulled back at the recruiter that she hoped also counted as her friend stepped through. His eyes fell on her first and he visibly brightened but then he saw Rumpelstiltskin and his face darkneed, "What is this?"

"He was wounded," Dagian said, "He was sent home."

The recruiter looked at both of them, "How were you wounded?"

"I was wounded in battle, I can barely walk."

"They wouldn't have sent you home for that," he said with his dark eyes accusing him, "They would've found another use for you."

Dagian pulled out of her husband's grip and stood, "Get out."

"If they find out he's here do you know what they're going to do?" he asked.

"I said get out."

"If they don't kill him then they're going to send him back."

Dagian stormed over to him and pushed at him, "Leave."

The recruiter grabbed her sleeve and pulled her towards him so he could whisper in her ear, "Give me one good reason why I shouldn't take him back."

"Because he wasn't even supposed to be there."

"My orders are to bring every male and female able to fight to the battlefields. Do you realize what'll happen to me if I don't? It'll be treason if I let him stay here."

"Then don't tell anyone," she whispered, "Please. He can barely walk…I just got him talking again. What he saw out there was traumatizing. He's not a warrior. He's much better off here, where he can work."

"Other men aren't getting that opportunity."

"You haven't been pursuing toher men's wives either," she snapped, "Perhaps that's why you're really angry."

"Don't be absurd," he whispered.

"Leave him here," she whispered, "You keep claiming you don't want to follow your yown orders then don't. Let him stay. Please. You've already taken so much from our village. We'll be lucky to survive the winter. Please just do this for me."

He looked behind her where Rumpelstiltskin sat with his eyes downcast and then looked back at her, "When other recruiters come then I suggest you find a way to hide him. And don't think that when this war is over or everyone else has served their time that it'll be easier. If he ran then that's something that'll follow both of you for the rest of your lives."

"Then we deal with it," she said, "I owe you a lot for what you've done, but I think it'll be best if you leave now. The other soldiers will start to get suspicious."

"And if I were you, I'd start asking the questions that others will start asking as soon as they start coming home. I doubt you'll want to be caught off guard."

She glared at him, turned on her heel and walked over to her husband, "Are you alright."

"I can't go back there."

"We're going to make sure that doesn't happen."

"But the others-"

"Rumpelstiltksin your leg is still healing. They already took that from you, I don't want you the next thing they take to be your life."

"Everyone else is paying that price."

She bit her lip, "Did you run?"

He averted his gaze, "Who was the man that came in here?"

"You're avoiding my question."

"Is he someone I have to worry about?" Rumpelstiltskin demanded.

She gave him a hurt loo,k "Of course not. Rumpelstiltskin believe me, I've always been loyal to you."

He looked embarrassed that she'd even asked, "Forgive me."

"Now please answer me Rumpelstiltskin because I have to know…did you run?"

He put his head in his hands and the silence stretched for such a long time.

Finally he took his hands away from his face and looked like he was on the verge of tears, "Yes."


Present Day

Dawn sat on Archie's couch, she couldn't hide the smile on her face, "Things are…I don't know things are just better now."

Archie watched her ,"What changed?"

"A lot of things…that job is working out better than the newspaper is…and my husband and I…ever since he told me he would start trusting me more…I guess I could say that he's a bit more talkative…well at least for him. He still doesn't talk about his past…or how he became how he is but I think..I don't know…it's just different. If I didn't know any better I'd think he smiled a bit more."

"Are you happy?"

"As long as I'm safe then I'm happy."

"And how is this different from when you first got married?"


15 Years Ago (Or so she believes)

Dawn pulled the dishes out of the dishwashers and started putting them in their designated places around the small cramped kitchen of the apartment that they shared.

It was seven. It was payday and her father wasn't home yet.

Her hands started shaking so badly that she nearly dropped the plate she was holding.

She still had so much that she had to get done; there was no way that she could get it all accomplished in time to get to bed in an attempt to avoid him.

She placed the dishes up as fast as she possibly could and walked to the living room. Maybe if she went faster than she could slip into bed. Her father never bothered her when he thought she was asleep.

Someone knocked on the door and she jumped. Did her father forget his keys again?

It was still early; he must've been pounding them back.

She swallowed heavily and opened the door. Half of her household duties weren't done yet. She had a feeling that she could expect a more cuts and bruises to match the healing one on her forehead that her father had given her a few days ago.

Instead of her father, she found Mr. Gold at her apartment doorstep.

"Ms. Danvers," he smiled and leaned forward on his cane to look into her apartment , "Pardon the intrusion."

"I thought rent wasn't due till next week Mr. Gold," she looked behind him to see his bodyguard that he brought along when he was collecting rent.

"Yes it is dear."

"Then why are you here? " She closed her eyes, as if she was dreading the answer "Did my father take out another loan? If he did, I-"

"No, this doesn't have anything to do with your father, Ms. Danvers. Actually I'm here to see you."

She felt a pang of ice down her back at the way he smiled at her but she opened the door further to allow him in. If her father came back and he saw that the most powerful man in town was there then he wouldn't be…like he was.

She walked into the room and pulled one of the chairs out for him and sat in the opposite chair, "What do you need from me, Mr. Gold?"

"I have a little…business arrangement that I would like to discuss with you."

"What business could you possibly have with me?" she asked but she almost dreaded his answer. She was assistant manager at a gas station, unless he was looking for a sweet discount then he had only one other reason why he was here.

"Oh my," instead of sitting down he crossed over to her side of the table and he pulled her hair back and examined the gash next to her temple, "That's an unfortunate injury, however did you manage to do that?"

She pulled away and let her hair fall back into place, "If you have to ask that…"

"Actually your father's treatment of you is why I'm here. I think I might have a way for you to leave this life, my dear." He sat down in the chair that she pulled out for him

"With all due respect Mr. Gold I have tried to leave and yet somehow I keep on landing back home."

"Yes well, my solution is a bit more permanent then the offers you receive," he gave that mysterious little smile that she hated, "I'll be frank my dear, I am in need of a wife."

"Well that marriage proposal certainly outdoes all the ones I see in the movies," she muttered and took a sip of her water, "Tell me Mr. Gold, why would I trade one prison sentence for another?"

"Because you were made for something better than the life you're living now." He told her, "You are far too pretty to serve as your father's punching bag."

"And so I'd marry the most feared and hated man in town so that I can be his whore with a wedding ring and somehow that's a better life?"

"I'm afraid that you're not quite understanding, Ms. Danvers," he said while keeping calm, not giving any emotion away, "I'll remove you from this life and I give you my word that I won't lay a hand on you. Well, unless you want it of course."

"Because a person's word is good," she muttered angrily.

He leaned forward, his face suddenly more serious. He looked as if he'd been offended, "Mine is."

She opened her mouth to say something but then closed it. He was right; she didn't think she'd ever seen him break his word. He always followed his commitments. Mostly because the commitments served him but that was apparently beside the point.

"Marry me and you won't want for anything ever again. You'll be secure and safe and you can finally look down on all the people that shut you out or refused to help you. Now don't tell me there's a small part of you that doesn't want that."

She knew that Mr. Gold had probably slipped off the edge of sanity a long time ago but this was a new low for him

"My father is a monster Mr. Gold, don't get me wrong," she gave him a wry smile, "But I have to agree with him when he says that when something is too good to be true then it probably is. What are you getting out of all of this?"

"A companion, my dear. It's quite lonely when you're in my position. I'm a very difficult man to love. All I'm asking in return is for your loyalty."

"And of all the women that you could come to then why did you come to me?"

"Because I know what it's like to live the lowest of the low. We're both broken, Ms. Danvers. I think just from that and your rather cynical nature about everyone around you that we'll get along just fine."

"And so you want to be my knight in shining armor?" she raised her eyebrow, "Not exactly the role I think you'd take up."

"I trust you'll want to sleep on it."

"Yes," she said in relief.

"Too bad," he folded his hands on the table, "You're getting one opportunity to turn your life around."

"One?"

"Giving you time to think about it might allow you to talk yourself out of it."

She smiled wryly, "You drive a hard bargain Mr. Gold."

"Given my business I regret to tell you that I have to drive a hard bargain Ms. Danvers," he checked his pocket watch, "Do we have a deal?"

She raised an eyebrow, "There's not much in this town that a trophy wife can do to entertain herself. Can I still work?"

"I'd rather you didn't work in a place where you could get shot but if it'll entertain you then yes I don't mind you working."

"And what about kids?" she blushed, "If we…should it ever come to that…"

His smile widened, "I would like nothing more than to have a family…should it ever come to that."

She felt the heat go down her neck. He was older, probably more experienced by far, and he was looking at her questions with amusement.

She considered her choices. He seemed genuine in his want to get her out of this life but she also suspected he was a good actor. Everyone always seemed to underestimate him so he was doing something right.

Dawn knew that she was jumping out of the frying pan into the fire with his proposal. But whatever he was offering had to be better than this.

"And you won't touch me?"

"Not until you ask for it, dear."

Heat flooded her face again and she averted her gaze, "How soon can we leave?"

"Pack what your mementos and things you'll want to take with you. You won't need many clothes; I can provide that for you. But you might want to hurry darling because I don't think you'll want to have to explain to your father just yet where you're going."


Half an hour later she was walking down the staircase of the apartment building with her…fiancé? Husband to be? What exactly were they?

She was insane, she was stupid, and she was going to regret this but there was a part of her that didn't care. She needed to get out of this dead end life that she was facing. If she didn't leave now then she feared that she'd loser her only opportunity and her father could end up killing her.

He opened the passenger door, "Don't expect me to carry you over the threshold darling."

"That's okay," she said in a bit of a stunned whisper at what she was actually doing, "I think those are only reserved for real marriages."

Mr. Gold didn't say anything at her comment.

His bodyguard approached them and Mr. Gold turned to him, "Stay here and make sure he knows he can't touch his daughter again."

She could hear the threat in his words and a chill swept over her when she realized what they were possibly going to do to her father.

Then the feeling….went away. She was going to be safe now and she just…didn't care about what they were going to do to her father because nothing could ever compare to what he'd spent years doing to her.

She swallowed when he closed her door and opened the driver's, "Well my dear, are you ready?"

Dawn managed a slight nod and drew in a breath when he started the car and pulled out onto the street.


Present Day