Disclaimer: I do not own Once Upon a Time or it's Characters, they belong to their respective owners. I do, however, own Storm and her alter ego as well as Striker and his alter ego and their story line. This has come from the haunted, depraved, tortured darkness that is my mind.

Opera123: I know, I'm going to go back and change it sooner or later, I honestly think it's a bad chap, need's to be screwed around with a bit but I was kind of sitting there going my brain is melting out my ears while I was trying to write it.

shippolove844: I know and there's more to him and Ms. Star/Striker and the Thief than meets the eye.

Hope and love: More Gunner will come along, little bit in this chap too and even more chaps down the road including one dedicated purely to his alter ego, Striker, and The Thief.

tigger64: Bits and pieces will come along every now and then but there's more to them than first appears, that's for sure.

Anger and Pain

=Ms. Star's P.O.V=

I furrowed my brow lightly glancing at the clock above the diner counter as Ruby came back over with a bottle of whiskey.

"Date looks like he's a no show"

I nodded lightly idly playing with the star around my neck. "So it would seem"

"Purely out of curiosity," She grinned lightly. "Who were you meeting anyway?"

I stood downing my glass and pulled out a twenty handing it to her. "Mr. Gold" I stated before turning and heading out, I was put out that he'd stood me up, sore that he hadn't even bothered to ring me to tell me he wasn't going to make it. He's going to have it coming to him when I get my damn hands on him. I scowled softly brushing past Archie and Pongo as I headed towards my store, my crowning glory still parked outside.

I stalled with my keys in the door and looked towards the pawn store; I furrowed my brow slamming my door shut and locked it again quickly as I noticed the smashed window on the door. What the hell's happened now? Lock himself out so he needed to smash a window? I glanced across the road before crossing over quickly and pushed open the door glancing around in the darkness.

I blinked a few times adjusting to the darkness before rushing in as I saw Mr. Gold laid out on the ground. "Jesus fuckin' Christ love, what have you done?" I murmured brushing back a few strands of his hair before I noticed the blood matting a portion of his hair. "Love, love wake up"

He groaned lowly as I shook him gently before yelping as he grabbed at my wrist and pinned me down against the floor with surprisingly quick ease. "Ms. Star?"

I nodded quickly. "Yeah it's me now can you let go of my wrist? It's starting to hurt"

He released my wrist and settled back with a soft groan against the glass display case counter beside us, his hand going up to his bleeding temple. "What happened?" He asked looking to the few droplets of blood on his finger.

"No idea but I just got here" I murmured sitting up slowly rubbing at my wrist.

His eyes darted quickly from his hand to the wall behind the counter, the largest painting that hung there had been pulled from the wall, the safe embedded in the wall was open baring its contents to the store. "Damn, she must have taken it" He scowled at the safe.

"Pardon? Who must have taken what?"

"Ashley Boyd"

I mouthed and 'Oh' before standing and holding out my hand to help him up.

"I don't require help Ms. Star"

I flinched lightly at his snappy tone as he hauled himself to his feet with the aid of his counter and staggered towards the safe rifling through it quickly. "So what'd she take?"

"Documents of great importance"

I stepped around the counter and peered into the safe. "Well she can't have gone too far could she?"

He scowled again glaring at the safe in disgust before slamming it shut, the keys rattling in the lock as he did. "I need to find her and get those documents back" He snapped.

"In the morning, you need to get your head checked out or at the very least let me clean it up" I went to place a hand on his shoulder only for him to bat it away.

"Don't touch me," He snapped angrily grabbing a medical kit from under the counter. "I don't require your help; I thought I made it quite clear"

I scowled softly shaking my head lightly before turning and striding out of the shop, if he wanted to be an ass I was going to let him but I wasn't going to stand by while he had a hissy fit like a child over a few stolen pieces of paper.

I slammed my car door shut and quickly flicked the headlights on before pulling a U-turn and heading down the road towards home. I had no intention of sticking around and waiting for him to calm down.

I reached home and pulled in slamming the door shut as I slipped out of my F1 before locking it and leaning against it sighing heavily, I was hungry, tired and more than wanting to get drunk after stopping at the liquor store. I sighed again letting my shoulders sag as I turned and looked at Gunner, his head hanging over the fence as he snorted and whickered softly. "I'll put your cover on in a minute handsome" I murmured as I placed my black bag of whiskey and bourbon down on the small table on the deck before heading to the stable to grab his cover.

I slung the cover over his back and fixed it into place before checking it over once again and gave the stallion a soft kiss on the nose. "At least you don't get all pissed off at me when you're injured, you just turn into a big baby" I teased softly before smiling and patting his neck as he nudged my stomach.

I headed inside grabbing my bag of alcohol along the way and glided into the house grinning softly heading towards the kitchen as I kicked my shoes off and nudged the door shut with my hip. I pulled a glass from the cabinet and headed towards the lounge, bottle of whiskey in hand as I hit play on whatever was in the stereo and opened up the doors taking a seat on one of the loungers on the deck before pouring out a drink.

I leant back relaxing against the chair closing my eyes briefly letting the drink and music flow through me before sighing heavily. I'd never realized just how big, empty and quiet my home, my paradise, my haven was until I had no one here.

I felt the sharp bite of loneliness tear into my chest before sighing and flicking my eyes open quelling the pain briefly for a moment as it tried to flare and twist through my chest. I sighed softly and shook my head finishing my drink before standing and heading towards Gunner's paddock. "I'm turning in for the night gorgeous, sleep well my handsome steed" I murmured leaning over the fence and hugging Gunner's face before heading inside and closing up the house.

I was mental and physically tired as I hit the pillows, Mr. Gold was a hard man to like at the best of time but once you actually got to know him and his quirks then it came quite easily but I couldn't deny that it had hurt being turned away like I had.

I growled lowly stretching out on the king sized bed before closing my eyes in some half ditched attempt to find sleep and hope in the morning everything would be fine and that this was all just a bad dream.

=Mr. Gold's P.O.V=

I settled at the counter of the store, I felt a bite of guilt at turning away Ms. Star as I had but right now it had to be done, even if I had promised myself I would never do it if my little Songbird ever found her way back to me.

I sighed cataloging just what had been taken from the safe, the money I could live without but the contracts, the contracts I couldn't. I looked towards the broken window, my mind drifting as I began to think of my little Thief, the one who had made me open my eyes and open my mind to the world and see just how big and wondrous it could be.

Storm grinned lightly at me from her spot beside me, it was a night filled with stars dotting the inky night sky.

"You're thinking about something dearie"

She smiled lopsidedly and nodded. "Of course I am, I'm always thinking of something, right now it's how Striker and I are going to survive the upcoming winter, I haven't exactly got enough coin to stay in that inn any longer and I sure as hell don't want to work for the slimey innkeeper, every time I turn my back I can feel that lecherous leer on my backside"

"Well what are you going to do about it dearie? Winter's just around the corner and a bad one by the sounds of those little farmers in the market" I sneered lightly.

She laughed softly shaking her head. "It's not the cold I'm worried about Rumpel, that I can stand with ease it's the food and water," She sighed softly, eyes wandering over the town square before us. "Animals are in for their long winter sleeps and the waterways are mostly all frozen and I need to spend my coin on that shitty little room and a stall for Striker," She shook her head lightly. "The outlands are looking pretty inviting again, plenty of shelter and plenty of plants and small animals to eat"

I growled softly, the cart we were sitting on rocked slightly in the breeze that swept through. "I'm not damn well letting you go out there again dearie, last time you decided to wander out there you were gone for ten years"

She smiled warmly, a smile that she very rarely ever used, one that reached up to her fiery red irises. "If I managed to survive ten years I think I can survive one more winter out there"

"I bloody well couldn't" I grumbled lowly to myself.

"What was that?" She grinned softly.

"Nothing dearie, nothing"

She laughed softly, she knew exactly what I'd said but just decided to playfully torture me with the fact she knew it instead. "Don't worry love, there's only one man allowed in my bed but he refuses to tear down the walls he built around his heart," She ran a hand through my hair smiling softly before standing."He refuses to belief he could possibly be loved and refuses to open his eyes and mind to the world around him" She grinned walking backwards away from me, eyes resting on mine.

"He must live a very dull life then"

"He must, mustn't he?" She grinned brightly. "Perhaps if he stopped trying to convince himself there was no happiness for him he would see what's right in front of him waiting for him," Sadness flickered through her smile, her irises darkening slightly. "Tell me Rumpelstiltskin," She continued to walk backwards, the distance increasing between us with every step. "Do you live a dull life?" She turned on the heel of her boots and headed in the direction of the inn.

I snapped from the memory, the pain radiating in my chest. I'd opened my heart once and it and served as a hard reminder that all love could do was burn but what we had, what Storm and I had shared in all those nights together was something different, something strong and something foreign to both of us, a bond that transcended through time and through this curse, it must have for her to have been drawn back to me like she had been.

"Oh my little Songbird, what I wouldn't give to have not screwed this all up yet again," I sighed softly brushing back the strands of hair and looked towards the saddle and bridle still proudly displayed to the right hand side of the shop. "If anything would help her regain those memories it would be those," I nodded lightly confirming the idea and looked to the contracts in my hands. "I'll deal with that after I find Miss Swan" I murmured standing and grabbing my cane before heading out.

More to come soon, busy with artwork for all my stories right now, so as soon as I have some done for this series I'll post it up on my DA account.