Once Upon a Time: Deal With The Devil, Part Eight

By Rebekkalee Mouri-Hibiki

Mr. Gold walked into Regina's office just as she was straightening everything on her desk. It was starting to get dark outside and it looked like she was getting ready to leave. She glanced up and didn't look thrilled to see him, " What are you doing here? "

" I needed to remind you of something you seem to have forgotten, " Mr. Gold walked towards her desk. He stopped when he reached it, leaning on his cane just slightly.

" And what did I forget? " Regina arched an eyebrow.

" We made a deal during the robbery investigation, " Mr. Gold said. " I'm sure you recall what that was. "

" So much has happened since, " Regina tried to look clueless. " Could you please remind me of what that deal was? "

" Sidney is supposed to stay away from Miss Swan and I when we are together, " Mr. Gold frowned. " Or I will show her those pictures you gave me. "

" He was told not to follow you and take any more photos, " Regina said. " You said nothing about him accepting invitations from Miss Swan. "

Mr. Gold furrowed his brow, " So that's why he came around? "

" Indeed, " Regina smirked. " She still thinks he's on her side. She has him investigating me to see if I had anything to do with this whole mess. "

" And I am certain you've done everything in your power to cover your tracks? " Mr. Gold arched an eyebrow.

Regina smiled, " I have. Even if I hadn't, Sidney wouldn't tell Miss Swan. He's on my side after all. "

Mr. Gold quirked his mouth, " You need to tell him to watch himself though. If he gets too comfortable, he will start making mistakes... like you did when you came around to show me those photos. "

" Sidney won't make any mistakes, " Regina said. " Not if he follows directions. "

Mr. Gold smirked, " No one is flawless. "

" We'll see about that, " Regina said coolly. She looked at her watch, " Now, if you don't mind, I need to get home to Henry. "

" Oh I don't mind at all, " Mr. Gold said. " I need to get back to the police station. "

" You've been spending a lot of time with Miss Swan lately, " Regina arched an eyebrow. She smiled venomously, " Are things heating up between the two of you? "

Mr. Gold gave Regina a caustic look, " There's a prowler about and Miss Swan needs someone to watch Miss Blanchard while she goes out to look for them. She asked me to sit with her while she looks for him. "

Regina scoffed, " Well well well. Talk about the cat watching the canary. "

" Miss Blanchard is my client, for all intents and purposes, so I'm the most logical choice to mind her, " Mr. Gold shrugged. " And she wants to figure out a way to look innocent after that fiasco this afternoon. "

" Good luck with that, " Regina snorted. " She did everything except slap the horse in the ass. "

Mr. Gold chuckled at her words but said nothing. He still had a few tricks up his sleeve that he could use. Regina was so blinded by her hate for Mary-Margret, she hadn't even realized he held all the cards. It was just like how Emma was blinded by her hate for Regina and couldn't see the truth in front of her face about Sidney.

" As I said before, " Regina sighed. " I need to get home to Henry. Good evening, Rumple. "

Mr. Gold frowned, " Good evening, your majesty. "

The camp was quiet, the men there sitting around and working with their weapons. Robin sat away from them all in the cave, plotting his revenge on Rothwell. The brutal slaying of John Little played over and over again in his mind as he tried to think of a way he could have stopped it. He felt a presence in the cave, the air seeming to chill in spite of the raging fire in front of him.

" Who is there? " Robin asked without turning around.

" Who do you think? " It was Rumplestiltskin.

Robin turned quickly, his heart stopping in his chest and his skin going cold. " Sir... "

Rumplestiltskin walked over to him, " I heard what happened to John Little. Such a shame, such a shame. "

" It was an ambush, " Robin sighed. " We didn't... "

" Have a chance, " Rumplestiltskin finished the sentence.

Robin nodded, " And I think it may have been the only one we had. "

Rumplestiltskin smirked, " Perhaps you have another. "

" Another? " Robin furrowed his brow.

" Yes, " Rumplestiltskin nodded. " You see, Rothwell has become convinced that the golden arrow is cursed and now he wishes to get rid of it. "

" He does? " Robin arched an eyebrow. " But how? "

Rumplestiltskin made motion with his hands like he was drawing a bow back and releasing an arrow. " With a shooting contest. You see, he wants to not only get rid of the arrow but find the best shot in all of the woods. "

Robin wasn't following, " Why would he want to do that? "

Rumplestiltskin looked mockingly sad, " One of Rothwell's best archers was killed when that terrible tragedy occurred. "

Robin recalled there had been a bit of fight on the way off of Rothwell's property. He didn't know it had happened though until the army returned to camp. He hadn't heard of any casualties though. " One of his men was killed? "

" Indeed, " Rumplestiltskin nodded. " And now he needs to be replaced. You're a good shot, aren't you? "

" I can't possibly enter such a contest. Everyone knows what I look like, " Robin countered.

Rumplestiltskin put a finger up, " That's where I come in. I can change your appearance so he won't recognize you. "

Robin thought it over then nodded, " I'm listening. "

" And you will enter the contest and win that arrow, " Rumplestiltskin said then laughed. " Not only will you get the arrow, you will make Rothwell look like a fool. "

" I would like to do much more than that, " Robin said.

" You will, " Rumplestiltskin smiled. " When you go to accept your prize, you can stab him through the heart just as he did John Little. "

" And what of Marion? And the sword you want? " Robin was starting to like the sound of the plan.

" Once he is dead, you can snatch both from his clutches, " Rumplestiltskin explained. " But you'll have to be quick and have that army of men at the ready. "

" Oh trust me, " Robin said. " I will. "

" Excellent, " Rumplestiltskin smiled.

Robin arched an eyebrow, " But do you want anything more from me if I do this? "

" My terms remain the same, " Rumplestiltskin said, his expression becoming dark. " However, if you fail this time, I will have to take the woman. You see, Belle could use someone to help her with the housework. "

Robin shivered at the though of Marion being reduced to nothing more than a maid for the imp. He dared not to fathom what else he had in mind for her. He had heard stories that he was a twisted and depraved in every imaginable way. How much of it was true he didn't know but Rumplestiltskin was considered a wicked demon by many.

" I will not fail this time, " Robin bowed. " I swear it. "

Emma drove to Regina's in the beetle, August sitting in the front seat next to her. After much debate, he conceded and agreed to ride in the car instead of taking the motorcycle. She felt uncomfortable as he stared at her with his icy blue eyes. " So what's going on with you and that Mr. Gold guy? " He finally spoke.

Emma took a sharp breath at the mention of his name. Her heart raced a bit, wondering why August would ask such a thing so randomly. " Where did that come from? "

" He's been hanging out with him a lot, " August pointed out. " People around town have been talking about it and I overheard some things. "

" Like what? " Emma asked. She had been way too busy to listen to any gossip... not that she cared about it in the first place. If people were talking, they probably had it wrong or passing around information Regina had fabricated.

" They're saying there's a thing going on between you two, " August said. He added, his voice low, " A romantic thing. "

" It's not like that at all, " Emma said. " He's Mary-Margret's lawyer. "

August chuckled, " But what were you doing with him before this all happened? You were seeing a lot of each other even before Mrs. Nolan disappeared. "

" Have you been watching me? " Emma furrowed her brow. It was bad enough when she found out Jefferson had been spying on her but now it seemed August was doing it as well. He seemed more upfront about it but it was stalking nonetheless.

August smirked, " Maybe a little. "

" I could bring you up on charges you know, " Emma said sharply.

" For what? " August arched an eyebrow.

" Stalking me, " Emma replied. She really didn't like being spied on or followed. It was just plain creepy and dangerous to boot. She was still sore from wrestling with Jefferson and had a few bruises from it as well.

The night she was at Jefferson's was probably one of the scariest of her entire life. Discovering Mary-Margret was being held captive as well only compounded the situation. It was bad enough she had to worry about saving her own ass but then she had to think of a way to get both her and her friend to safety. She was surprised when Mary-Margret had been able to kick Jefferson out the window like she had but decided it had to be adrenaline.

August scoffed, " You have no proof. Besides, I like to think of it as observing. I do a lot of that as a writer. So, why are you with that Gold guy so much? "

" Why do you want to know? " Emma asked.

" Curious I guess, " August said.

Emma sighed, " If you were in town more, you would know. "

" So are you two dating? Or is it more than dating? " August said with a wry smirk. It was like he knew it would get a reaction... and it did.

Emma glared at him, " No way! It's not like that at all. "

" Then why are you together so much? " August prodded in a way that let Emma know he wasn't going to stop asking until he got an answer that satisfied him. She wasn't sure what to tell him but she wasn't going to tell him the truth. She was still trying to figure out what that was herself.

In the beginning, she thought maybe it was just a one-sided infatuation that would pass. That theory changed when he began kissing her cheek and told her he wanted to see more of her. She tried to rationalize that by telling herself he was just being a gentleman and he was lonely. All of that changed when he had kissed her in the police station then again at his shop, setting her mind back to square one and leaving her more confused than ever.

Emma frowned after thinking about what she was going to say. She had to tell August something... anything to get him off her back. " He's... he's been in a bit of trouble lately. Someone tried to kill him and then he got robbed again. "

" He seems rather unlucky, " August stated, cutting Emma off.

Emma didn't like being interrupted, narrowing her eyes a bit as she finished, " Since I'm the sheriff, I had to handle both cases. "

" Oh, " August nodded. " I see. "

Emma waited for him to speak again but he didn't. It seemed he was more easily satisfied than she feared he would be. " So that's it? "

" Not really, " August said. " I was just thinking. "

" About? " Emma arched an eyebrow.

" How defensive you just got, " August smirked again. " I think there's something there and you're scared to admit it. "

Emma abruptly pulled over to the side of the road, " You can get out here. "

" Why? " August teased slightly. He gave her another wry smirk " Did I hit a nerve? "

Emma growled, " No. I just don't like these questions you're asking me. "

" That last thing wasn't a question. You see, I'm a bit of a stickler for grammar, " August said. He quirked the corner of his mouth, " It was a statement. "

" A completely false one, " Emma scoffed. She wanted to smack the smirk August had off of his face. " We're just... I guess you could call it friends. "

August sighed, " Friends. Right. "

Emma reached across and opened his door, " It's not that far to Granny's. I'm sure you can make it back on foot. "

August chuckled, " I'm not going anywhere. "

" Then change the subject, " Emma said firmly. " My business is just that. MINE. "

August put his hands up then closed the door, " I'm just trying to figure out what's going on. "

" You don't need to, " Emma said sharply. " It's none of your business. "

" Can I give you an outsider's observation then? " August was not going to be deterred.

Emma was considering unbuckling his seat belt and throwing him out of the car. She decided against it though. He seemed pretty strong and she would have a hard time fighting him if he retaliated. " If it will make you happy and get us back on our way then yes, tell me. "

" You shouldn't get involved with a guy like that, " August said. " First off, he's way too old for you. "

" He's not that old, " Emma said.

" How old do you think he is? " August arched an eyebrow.

Emma shrugged. She really wasn't sure but had to make a guess, " I really don't know. Maybe forty-five. "

August scoffed then chuckled, " Right. Forty-five. "

" How old do you think he is? " Emma said.

August chuckled, " Older than that. "

" How much older? " Emma arched an eyebrow. Actually, she thought he looked bit younger than what she had guessed. In fact, she found it confusing because he seemed like an old soul though he didn't look like he was even halfway out of his forties.

" Just... older, " August said, giving Emma a look that let her know he wasn't going to guess a number.

" And? " Emma said sharply. " What else besides his age? "

" He's the kind of guy that will use you for what he wants, " August said. " For him, you'll just be a means to an end. Then, once he has it, he'll toss you away. "

Emma didn't like how August was talking. It had an air to it that made her feel like he knew more than he was ever going to tell her. " And how do you know? " Emma arched an eyebrow. " Do you know him? "

" I know his type, " August put his hands up. " I'm just warning you before you do something that can't be undone. "

" Well, he's not like that. His methods may be unorthodox but he gets results, " Emma said. " I have known him long enough to know his intentions are good. "

" But the road to Hell is paved in good intentions, Emma, " August said, a fairly serious look on his face. " I just don't want to see him take you there with him. "

" He's not taking me to Hell, " Emma frowned. She still couldn't get over the sense that August knew more than he was ever going to tell her. " Are you finished? "

" For now, " August said.

Emma pulled back onto the road, " I hope we haven't missed our chance to get past Regina. "