Once Upon A Time: Dancing With The Devil, Part Four

By Rebekkalee Mouri-Hibiki

Rumplestiltskin lurked in the shadows that cloaked the outer edges of the royal gardens. His mark would be a guest at the party that was taking place before his gold hued eyes. He rolled the Wyvern's Tear in his fingers, waiting for the right moment to use it. He wanted to test it and make sure all the legends were true.

This was the second step in a plan to obtain a very powerful magic wand, the first being complete. He did feel it was quite a shame that Clarissa had been so foolhardy. She could have been very useful in stealing things for him but she had made the bad decision to steal from him. " Poor little mouse... so so greedy, " He sighed under his breath.

He sensed a strong presence of good magic, his mind going back to the task at hand. He brought the Wyvern's tear up to his left eye, scanning the forest around him slowly. A slow wicked grin spread across his lips when he saw a tiny pink point of light coming in his direction. " Come to Rumple, " He sang under his breath when he saw it was indeed the fairy he was looking for.

The fairy was unaware she was being watched, Rumplestiltskin could tell that much by the way she played around in the air on her way to the party. He even heard her singing to herself a happy little tune. As she passed him, his free hand darted forward, grabbing her by her diaphanous wings. She screamed in surprise then became terrified when she saw who had her.

" Hello, Meadow. I've been looking for you, " Rumplestiltskin took the Wyvern's Tear away from his eye, finding that his touch had broken the enchantment that had protected her. He slipped the jewel into his coat pocket as he sneered at the fairy.

" What do you want from me? " Meadow hissed. She was obviously in pain from the way Rumplestiltskin was holding her.

" I want to know where your mentor, Fairy Godmother, is. She has something I want, " Rumplestiltskin gave her a shake. He smiled when she cried out in pain, a great bit of fairy dust shaking off of her tiny body.

" I'll never tell you! " Meadow ground out.

" Tell me or I'll take your wings off, " Rumplestiltskin snarled. He got her very close to his face " Slowly. "

Meadow's eyes grew wide, " NO! That will kill me! "

" Don't you think I know that? " Rumplestiltskin shook her again. " Now tell me! "

Meadow began to cry, her tears slipping down her cheeks, " I can't! "

" Yes you can! " Rumplestiltskin hissed. He brought up his other hand, taking her tiny rib cage between his thumb and forefinger, holding her tightly. " Tell me now, " He growled.

Meadow gasped in pain as he squeezed her, certain he would break her ribs if she didn't tell. Panic flooded her body when Rumplestiltskin began to tug at one of her wings. He did it gently but soon pulled it to where Meadow could feel it starting to come loose from her back. She let out an anguished cry when she felt her skin begin to tear, " Please stop! I'll tell! "

Rumplestiltskin smirked, " I knew you would. "

" My mentor is patron to the family of King George, " Meadow whispered, unable to speak any louder because she was in so much pain.

Rumplestiltskin let out a sinister chuckle, " Oh. I know King George quite well. I gave him a son some years ago. "

" Go to him and he will know where to find her... " Meadow murmured. Her breath was short, like she couldn't get any air, color draining from her face before slumping over in Rumplestiltskin's fingers.

" I'm not done with you yet, " Rumplestiltskin shook the little fairy's limp body as he watched her sparkle fade away and a trickle of blood run out of the corner of her mouth. He frowned, realizing that maybe he had held her TOO tightly. " Tsk, tsk. So delicate, " He muttered to himself as he placed her in a knothole on the tree. He walked away, concocting the next step in his plan...

Emma trudged up the stairs to Dr. Hopper's storage space. It was the only place in the clock tower building she hadn't been able to check after chasing the thief and was told by Mr. Gold it was under lease to Dr. Hopper. She had put it off until she could talk to Archie because the door was locked and she didn't want to go in without him there. She trusted that he was honest enough to let her know if anything was amiss.

After being so rudely awakened by Regina at seven-thirty, she dragged herself back home to find a huge breakfast prepared for her and a note from Mary-Margret that simply read 'Sorry'. She scarfed a piece of toast and threw back a glass of orange juice before she hauled her tired ass to bed. She had managed to get three hours in before waking up at eleven, unable to sleep any longer. There was just too much on her mind to get any meaningful rest.

She knocked on the door and waited. She had called before leaving Mary-Margret's to let him know she needed to look around. A minute after she knocked, he walked up from the street access stairs. He was wearing a brown tweed suit, brown tie and white shirt. " Oh Miss Swan. You're here already. I had to find the keys. "

Emma smiled, " Well, I guess you didn't check anything before I came. "

" No. I haven't been here. I thought I'd just leave everything alone until you got here. I even moved my appointments around so I could look with you. "

" Excellent, Archie. Let's go, " Emma said.

Archie stepped aside after unlocking the door, " After you. "

Emma walked into the storage room and it seemed like nothing had been gone through at all. She walked around, looking closer at everything as Archie waited by the door. " Would you like to take a look around now, Archie? I don't see anything on the surface. "

Archie nodded, " Okay. "

Emma scribbled out a few notes in her notebook as Archie looked around, " Make sure you look very carefully. If anything's missing I have to put it in my report. "

" Right, " Archie nodded. He glanced at Emma, " So how are you, Miss Swan? "

" I'm fine, " Emma replied.

" I heard about what happened down at the bridge, " Archie said as he continued to look through his things. The room seemed to contain files mostly, folders stacked in some sort of order that made sense to Archie.

" It's been two weeks, " Emma sighed. " I'm pretty sure everyone in town knows some form of the story by now, true or not. "

" Is the part about you discovering the body true? " Archie asked as he continued to look.

Emma frowned. It wasn't something she liked to remember. " Yes I did. "

" Have you talked to anyone about it? " Archie stopped what he was doing and looked at Emma. " It's an awful thing to see. "

" Awful is an understatement, Archie. I had to go to the river bank and throw up from the shock, " Emma said. " I can still see it sometimes as clearly as when it happened. "

" I'm so sorry, " Archie came over to her. " Is it why you haven't been getting much sleep? "

Emma furrowed her brow, " What? "

" I know what lack of sleep looks like. You are a perfect example of it right now, " Archie said.

" It's the robberies, " Emma said hurriedly. " I'm working like a dog to get this mess solved as quickly as possible. "

" Are you sure that's all? " Archie asked.

Emma arched an eyebrow, " Are you trying to analyze me? "

" You look like you have a lot of things bothering you and I wouldn't be able to live with myself if I didn't try to help. You can't go on in the state you in before it starts affecting you health. Do you know how it would affect Henry if you became seriously ill? " Archie said.

" Yes, " Emma sighed. " He'd be devastated. "

" Yes, he would. So if you don't take care of yourself for you then take care of yourself for him. You can't be so reckless with your health when that little boy depends on you to give him hope, " Archie was emphatic in his plea.

" I'll be fine once this case is over and I can get some sleep, " Emma shook her head. She couldn't tell him ALL of the reasons she wasn't sleeping well. She wanted to talk to someone about it but he just didn't seem like the right person. He was too close to Regina because of Henry and she couldn't run the risk of her extorting information out of him.

Archie looked at her for a long moment. Emma couldn't help but notice his concern was genuine. He sighed, " Well if you ever want to talk, I'll listen. "

Emma let out a strained chuckle, " I don't need a therapist. I need a thief. "

Emma sat at the counter at Granny's. She was staring at a mug of her new favorite drink, triple shot espresso hot cocoa with whipped cream and cinnamon. It was pretty much the only thing that had kept her going for almost two weeks. She knew she was really tired because even copious amounts of caffeine weren't giving her energy.

After going to see Dr. Hopper's storage space, she had stopped by the sheriff's office to write up the 'missing' part of her report about Mr. Gold's robbery. She put it in her notebook to give to Regina but she would show it to Mr. Gold first for his input. She wanted to see if he wanted to add or take away anything before handing it over. After all, he was the one who made up the story about being robbed in the first place.

While she was at the office, she called Mr. Gold and made an appointment so he could come with her to examine the rest of the building. She made it for two o'clock, a time that seemed like it was quickly approaching. She didn't know if she could face him, not after the dream she had and what had happened in the car.

Ruby came over, " Hey girl. You look like Hell. "

Emma sighed. She was the second person who had showed concern for her that day. It made her wonder if she was really failing that bad at hiding her fatigue. " I feel like Hell. I haven't been able to get a decent night's sleep for a while now. "

" Oh? Why not? " Ruby arched an eyebrow.

" Work and other things, " Emma replied.

" Other things? " Ruby arched an eyebrow and smirked. " Would the other thing happen to be a guy? "

Emma rolled her eyes, " Is that all you think about? Guys? "

Ruby giggled, " Yeah, maybe. So is it a guy? I can give you lots of great advice if you're having trouble. "

Emma sighed, " Don't worry about it. I think I can handle it. "

" You don't have to give me names. Just tell me the situation and I'll tell you what I think, " Ruby put her hands up in a pleading position.

Emma shook her head, " I have an appointment really soon. I can't get into it right now. "

" Please? " Ruby whined. " It's so slow right now and I'm bored. "

Emma looked at the clock on the wall, finding she had about fifteen minutes until she had to meet Mr. Gold at the clock tower to do a walk through to make sure there was nothing missing from the vacant part of the building. She didn't want to admit it to Ruby but the real thing that was bothering her was indeed a member of the opposite sex. She really didn't want to admit to who it was either.

" Please? " Ruby repeated and gave her a pleading look.

Emma resolve vanished and she relented. She had to tell someone and Ruby said she didn't want names. Emma sighed and looked down at her cocoa, " Okay. You're right. It's a guy. "

" I knew it, " Ruby smiled. " Tell me more. "

" There's not much to tell, " Emma chuckled nervously. " I can't get him out of my head. When I'm not thinking about anything else, I find myself thinking about him. When I am thinking of other things, my mind drifts to him. "

" Awww, " Ruby leaned on the counter and smiled. " How cute. "

Emma scoffed, " Not as cute as you think. I can't sleep at night without having dreams about him. They get pretty intense too. "

" Like how do you mean? " Ruby asked. She leaned in close and whispered, " Like as in... having sex and stuff? "

Emma blushed and nodded, " Yeah. "

" Wow, " Ruby said. " You've got it bad. "

" I do, " Emma sighed.

" Does he know? " Ruby cocked her head to the side. " I mean, have you said anything to this guy? "

Emma had to think about that. Sometimes, it was like Mr. Gold knew and was just playing with her. It was liked they were locked in a dance where he was leading. He would disarm all of her defenses with that damn smile of his, leaving her helpless to do anything but follow along.

She sighed, " I'm not sure I want to. I'm still so confused about how I feel about him. I also don't know how he feels about me. I don't want to tell him and find out he doesn't feel the same way. I don't know if I could handle being let down after everything... "

" Everything what? " Ruby furrowed her brow. " Do you have some kind of history with him or something? "

" Not in the way you're thinking. He's been really nice to me and doing stuff for me and I feel like that he likes me back. Then again, sometimes I think that maybe he's just being friendly and it doesn't mean anything at all, " Emma said and took a breath before continuing.

" I would hate to think it means he likes me in that way and it just be the other way, " Emma couldn't believe she had opened up that much and Ruby looked like she was overwhelmed by the information.

Ruby was silent as she processed what Emma had said then asked, " Like what kind of stuff? Has he been giving you gifts? "

" No. Nothing like that, " Emma put her hand up. " He's just been really courteous and taking care of little things that no one else has ever taken care of for me unless they wanted something in return and he's never asks for anything... at least not yet. "

" Not everyone wants something. You should know that, " Ruby said.

Emma gave her a serious look, " Trust me. Most of the people in my life have wanted something in return. "

Ruby cocked her head over to the other side, " Like what kind of things has he been doing for you? Tell me and I'll let you know what I think. "

Emma sighed, " He does courteous things like thinking about my needs before I think about them. He's quiet and gentle, not too pushy and... "

" A gentleman, " Ruby said with a wry grin.

Emma laughed and smiled, " And I don't know how to handle a gentleman... just jerks. "

Ruby sighed, " Sounds like a problem to me. Maybe you should just tell him how you feel and see what he says. "

" But I already told you, " Emma shook her head. " I can't. I don't know if I'll be able to take it if he doesn't feel the same way. "

" But what if he does? " Ruby said. " What if he's the one, Emma? "

Emma shivered at the thought. Never in a million years did she think her 'one' would be anything like Mr. Gold. Like most girls, she had imagined the mysterious tall dark stranger or the valiant knight in shining armor sweeping her away. Mr. Gold was none of the above, except perhaps mysterious.

There was so much she didn't know about him and she was afraid to find out. Regina had given her cryptic warnings about him but never elaborated. It made her wonder if he had a lot of skeletons in his closet or if Regina just hated him that much she would say anything to keep people away from him. " But I don't know, " Emma said.

" Girl, " Ruby grabbed her hands in hers. " You can't just sit here and wonder. If you like him, let him know. "

" I can't, " Emma said. " I don't know if I could say the words. "

" Then ask him without asking him, " Ruby said.

Emma furrowed her brow, " How do I do that? "

Ruby smiled, " Next time you're with him, look into his eyes. If he feels the same way, maybe he'll kiss you. "

Emma arched an eyebrow, " And if he doesn't? "

" I guess it either means he doesn't feel the same way or he's clueless, " Ruby said. " What's the worst that could happen? "

Emma thought it over, " He could freak out on me, tell me he doesn't like me back and then I'll have to see him every day until I can get out of this place. Either that or he could like me back and want to be with me. "

" How can that last part be 'worse'? " Ruby looked confused.

" Because I've hardly ever went past one night with anyone, Ruby. I suck at relationships, " Emma sighed.

" Well if he's as nice as you say he is, maybe he'll be patient and help you learn the ropes. It sounds like you have found a fantastic man. You shouldn't let him get away if you have feelings for him, " Ruby gave her hands a squeeze. " You deserve it. "

Emma looked down at her cocoa, " Do you think I do? "

Ruby nodded, " Yes. "

The bell on the door jingled, Ruby looking over to see if it was someone coming in or going out. She let go of Emma's hands. " What time was your appointment? " She asked quietly.

" Two, " Emma said then looked up at the clock to find it was ten after.

" Miss Swan, " Mr. Gold's sharp tone made Emma knock her cocoa over. He had once again slipped up on her without her even noticing.

" Damn it, Gold, " Emma growled as she and Ruby grabbed for napkins to sop up the mess.

Mr. Gold frowned, " You're late for our appointment. I thought you wanted to meet me at two sharp. "

" I got distracted, " Emma said as she and Ruby continued to wipe up the spill.

" I would appreciate it if you would please come with me and get this over with, " Mr. Gold said then threw a twenty dollar bill on the counter. " This should cover Miss Swan's drink. "

Ruby looked at the bill, " This is more than enough. "

" Then keep the change, " Mr. Gold said flatly. He turned his attention back to Emma. " Let's go, Miss Swan. "

Emma growled, " But I needed that. "

" Then you can come back for another once we're done, " Mr. Gold said. He was being insistent like when he had retrieved her the day before... when he had kissed her on the cheek.

Emma furrowed her brow, wondering if there was a reason he was being so pushy. She sighed, " Alright. Let's go. "

Mr. Gold stepped away so Emma could dismount the stool, swaying a bit as she reclaimed her dodgy balance. She had been having trouble with it because of her lack of sleep. He looked concerned, " Is something wrong, Miss Swan? "

" I'm fine, " Emma said. " I just got up too fast. Do you have the keys? "

" Yes, " Mr. Gold pushed his jacket aside, revealing a key fob hooked to his belt. The keys themselves were not visible because they were tucked inside his pants.

Emma looked away after feeling like she had looked at the front of his pants too long, " Good. I have to go get something from the car and we can go over there. "

" I'll go ahead and you can catch up " Mr. Gold said.

" No. You're staying with me, " Emma said as they walked out the door.

Mr. Gold stopped on the front step of the cafe, " Miss Swan, I need a head start to get there. I can assure you that you'll catch up with me before I get to the building. "

" I'll walk with you, " Emma said firmly though the prospect didn't thrill her one bit. God only knew what Regina would twist the situation into. " I only have to get my notebook. "

Mr. Gold followed her to the police car, waiting patiently as she opened the trunk and got what she needed. They then started down to the clock tower building. As they walked, he glanced at her, " Have you been getting enough rest, my dear? "

Emma getting aggravated at everyone pointing out she looked worn out, " No. This case is keeping me pretty busy. "

" Well I hope you solve it soon, " Mr. Gold replied. " You don't look at all well. "

" Nothing a good night's sleep can't fix, " Emma scoffed. She didn't know if she'd ever get another good one again as long as he was in her head. The fact he cared about her well being was endearing yet unnerving all at the same time. It had been so long since anyone gave a damn about her, she didn't know how to handle it.

They reached the clock tower, Mr. Gold moving just a bit faster to get to the side door. As he reached it, he got the keys off of his belt. Emma got to him as he got the right key and slid it into the lock. " Ladies first, " He said after he opened the door.

" Thank you, " Emma walked into the building though her feet felt like lead weights. The last two times they had been alone together came dangerously close to leading to other things.

" Do you have an idea where the thief got in? " Mr. Gold asked as he shut and locked the door.

" Upstairs, " Emma pointed over her head. " There's an air shaft that comes down through the roof into the second floor. "

" Oh yes, " Mr. Gold nodded. " Just near Mr. Hopper's storage space. Was anything missing from there? "

Emma shook her head, " No. There was some evidence the lock had been tampered with but he wasn't missing anything. I met with him after I got up from a nap. "

Mr. Gold nodded, " Yes. He just goes straight up and comes down using the front stairs. He never comes into this part of the building. "

Emma nodded, " Right. So are we going to look around? I noticed a lot of boxes. "

" If you wish to do so, " Mr. Gold said. He made a sweeping motion with his left arm, " All of the things on this floor were left by a previous tenant that lost their lease. "

" So now it all belongs to you, " Emma recalled that little detail from his leases.

" Indeed it does but I haven't had the time to sort through any of it, " Mr. Gold nodded.

" So you wouldn't know what's missing? " Emma arched an eyebrow.

Mr. Gold shook his head. " No, I would not. Were any boxes open by chance? "

Emma sighed, " None of them. "

" Then we shall move upstairs, " Mr. Gold said and turned to head for the stairs.

" You seem in a hurry to get this over with, " Emma pointed out.

Mr. Gold turned his head slowly, " I am a busy man, Miss Swan. I am only here because you asked me to come. "

Emma couldn't help but notice his demeanor was stiff, almost tense. She wondered if he had some kind of history attached to the building, a story he wasn't happy to be reminded of. She followed him to the back stairs and they climbed together, Emma staying close to him because he had to go slowly with the cane. When they reached a door at the top, she looked at him, " Would you like to rest for a minute? "

" No Miss Swan, " He said shortly as he opened the door. " I'm just fine. Let's finish here so we can go. "

Emma nodded once then looked out across the practically vacant room. She had seen the dusty old display cases during her investigation after chasing the thief, noticing it was set up almost like his shop across the street. Actually, the cases looked similar to the ones he used in his shop. A long empty spot on the far side of the room pretty much validated her suspicions.

" Those cases have been empty for years, " Mr. Gold answered her question before she had a chance to ask it.

" How did you know what I was going to say? " Emma arched an eyebrow.

" It was obvious, " Mr. Gold said. " In fact, this whole floor has been vacant for at least two years. "

" Two years? " Emma furrowed her brow.

Mr. Gold nodded, " That is when I moved across the street. I used to have my business here. "

" But why did you move? " Emma said.

Mr. Gold looked at the floor for a long moment then said, " I believe you were here to see if anything was stolen, not pry into my personal affairs. "

" I'm not prying, " Emma said. " I was just wondering. "

" I didn't need as much space any more, Miss Swan. Is that an acceptable answer? " Mr. Gold's tone was pointed, like he was starting to get angry.

Emma blinked then nodded, " Yeah. I'm sorry. I didn't mean... "

" Let's just leave now, Miss Swan. I believe you said there was something else you wished to discuss with me but I would like to do that in my shop, " Mr. Gold said then turned towards the door.

" Wait. I wasn't done apologizing, " Emma went after him. Her boot caught on a ridge in the old carpet, causing her to fall forward. One of the empty display cases was the last thing she saw before a sharp pain shot through her head and everything went black...