Gold sat down with Michal to there more-or-less-weekly-but-sometimes-was-forgotten-or-canceled chess game.
"What is with our cursed persona's and chess?" Michal asked as he held a black Pawn and a white Pawn behind his back.
"I have the excuse of cursed memories, you don't." Gold said, picking the left hand, and the white Pawn.
Michal chuckled. "Yes well." Gold made his first move, Pawn D2 to D4. Michal responded with Pawn C7 to C5 "How are things with Emma going?"
"Exhausting." He then moved Pawn D4 to D5, Michal went Pawn F7 to F5 "It's as if we have the passion of newlyweds." He moved his B1 Knight to C3. "But the understanding of each other as if we are expecting our 50th anniversary." Michal moved Pawn D5 to D6.
"Well, the rings are enhanced with true love." Gold moved Pawn E2 to E4. "And all it took was for you to make her care for you." Michal had Pawn F5 take E4. "And the rings opened a hole in her walls." Gold had his Knight C3 take E4. "And you managed to get through before it closed." Michal moved Pawn E7 to E5. Gold responded with Bishop C1 to G5, and Michal his Queen to A5, and Gold blocked with Pawn C2 to C3.
"Well, next time I ever do something like this, remind me to remember the age difference, she seems to have way more energy than me, and the rings have gone and made the difference that much more." Michal moved Bishop C7 to F5, Gold moved Knight E4 to G, so Michal moved the Bishop back to G6.
"Maybe you now have a killer weight loss program." Michal said as Gold moved Bishop F1 to D3. Michal then had Bishop G6 take D3, followed by Gold taking D3 with his queen.
"Are you suggesting I'm fat?" Gold asked, faking annoyance. Michal moved Pawn G7 to G6, and Gold moved Knight G1 to E2.
"No, but there are lots of skinnier men around town." Michal moved Bishop F8 to E7. "So by comparison, you might be." Gold moved Knight G3 to F4.
"For that, I bet $500 dollars that I will win in 35 moves or less." He said and Michal moved his Queen to B6, and Gold castled, so Michal moved Knight B8 to D7.
"You're on." And then the game became more focused. BishopG5 took E7. Michal took E7 with Knight G8. Gold moved Knight E4 went to G5. Michal moved Pawn H7 to H6. Gold moved Knight G5 toE6. Michal moved Knight D7 to F8. And Gold had Knight E6 take F8, And then Michal's Rook H8 took F8. "So, have you heard about the stranger?" Michal asked as Gold lifted his hand and moved Pawn B2 to B4.
"Emma met him. Said he was secretive and not talkative, couldn't even get a name from him." Michal had Pawn C5 take B4, and then Gold picked up Pawn B4 and nudged Pawn C3 into its place. Michal moved his King to F7, and Gold moved his King to H1. Then Michal's King moved to G7. Gold picked up pawn F2 and placed it on F4. Michal moved his Rook A8 to D8. Gold moved his A1 Rook to D1. And Michal's Pawn H7 moved to H5. Gold's Queen went to C3. And Michal's queen moved to B5.
"So Emma didn't get anything from him." He asked. Gold moved his Queen to D2. Michal moved Rook F8 to F5.
"No, not even a name, fake or otherwise." Gold said as he picked up his Knight and moved it to G3. Michal's F5 Rook moved to F6. "Said he was a hopeless flirt with her."
"Ten moves left old boy." Michal said as Gold had his Pawn F4 take E5. And Michal's Rook F6 took F1. "And if he is a hopeless flirt with Emma, that could mean she doesn't know him." And Gold's Rook D1 took F1. Michal's Pawn D6 took E5. Gold's Queen moved to G5. And Michal's Rook moved to D7. "And if she doesn't know him, it begs the question of how did he find this place." Gold's queen took E5. And Michal's King moved to H6. "Five moves left."
Gold calmly picked up his queen and moved it to H8. "Mate in three. And who knows, we met people in New York, maybe she met someone there and got talking about the town, and they told the stranger." Michal then moved his King to G5. Gold placed his Knight on E4. "Or maybe she dropped a postcard and that was how he found the town." Michal's King moved to G4. Gold slid his Pawn H2 to H3. Michal sighed in defeat as his King moved to H4. And Gold picked up his Rook and placed it on F4. "Check mate." He said. "That is $500 to me."
Michal handed him the 500, and then went to put the game away. "Next time we play in the park." Michal said.
"Are you sure you want to, you won't be able to use magic to move the pieces?"
"Apparently it helps you win if I do that."
"Exactly, why stop now." Gold said smiling.
Gold's Home.
When Gold got home, he was surprised to smell cookies cooking, and they smelled good. "Emma, are you baking?"
Emma's head appeared in the door way, followed by Mary Margret's. "Almost, Mary is instructing me in the art of holiday food preparation."
Gold's eyes widened. "Mary, what did I ever do to you that were so cruel you want to poison me or burn my home to the ground?" Gold asked seriously.
"Nothing, Emma has natural talent."
Gold shuddered at that. He remembered the time Emma had tried to make dinner the night after meeting the stranger. Gold still wasn't sure how you could make rice catch on fire when there was water still in the pot. "At masking the horrible taste of some poison with the horrible taste of the food she's made?"
"Hay, I'm trying to be maternal and wife like, you don't like it you can starve or pig out on Oreos." Emma said trying to sound unhappy.
"And 'pig out on Oreos' is a bad thing?" Gold asked amused. "And you have to admit. When the toast is burned, the vegetables are mush, the chicken is burnt on the outside and almost raw on the inside, and the rice is on fire underwater. Most people would hide at Granny's, and be concerned if their better half, outside of the kitchen, was trying to cook again."
"How did you manage to burn rice underwater?" Mary couldn't help but ask.
"Honestly, I have no clue." Emma said. "But with a little help from Mary, I have so far learned how to make cookies from scratch and how to properly cook vegetables and season them." Emma said smiling. She, Mary, and Gold then went into the kitchen, and Gold saw a tray of Chocolate chip cookies on the pan. Emma handed one to him. "Try it."
Gold took the cookie, but looked at Mary. "You have tried one yourself, right?"
"Yes, they're fine." Mary said, a little annoyed at Gold's lack of faith, but she couldn't really blame him if Emma was really that bad.
All things considered, Emma was an ok cleaner and could follow the recipe on the back of a Betty Crocker box, or throw a T.V. dinner in the microwave. But give her a stain, a bunch of raw, unmeasured ingredients, and she could burn the place down, or melt the stain and the thing it was on.
Gold took a bite, fully expecting the need to reach for the phone and call 911. But to his surprise, this tasted… good!
"They're good? They're good? They're good." Gold was very surprised, but showed his belief in the statement by eating that one and four more.
"Emma, I think he likes them." Mary said.
Gold chuckled. "The only thing better then these cookies, is the idea of how I must reward your student tonight in bed Mary." Causing Mary to blush a deep red.
"Oh stop it Gold, and maybe I need to reward my favorite critic." Emma said, and now Mary Margret had a blush that could probably make any farmer think they had found a walking tomato.
"All I ask is that you let me leave before you begin rewarding each other." Mary begged. "I don't need that sound stuck in my head. Or the images."
"Now Mary, do you think I hate you enough to seduce and begin to strip the clothes off my wife." Gold was smiling as Mary started to look like a police siren. "In front of you, I mean, you're my favorite mother in law." That caused both Mary and Emma to let out a small shocked gasp.
"Most husbands don't like the mother in law." Emma pointed out.
"Oh please, who, other than madam Mayor, could hate her?"
"My class after I give them a test." Mary said. "Last time we had a math test, I was worried I'd find death threats written in crayons or markers."
"Well, if it's any consolation, Emma would catch who did it, and I could be the prosecutor." Gold said smirking. "But if they wrote in a rainbow of colors with the crayons, Hopper might get them off with an insanity plea."
"Well then, I'll be sure to tell them to use black pen when writing death threats." Mary said.
"Since when are you two so…" Emma couldn't find a word she liked. "Chummy? Budy-budy?" Emma just couldn't think of a good word.
"I'm assuming that if Henry is right, I want a good relationship with my wife. So it's best to not anger the mother-in-law." Gold said.
"And I want a good relationship with my grandchildren." Mary said. "Meaning I need a good relationship with my son-in-law."
"Well that's nice." Emma said laughing.
"So you love birds, any ideas for Christmas?" Mary asked.
Both Emma and Gold looked at her as if she had sprouted wings and another head. "Christmas?" they both asked.
"You forgot about Christmas." Mary looked shocked.
"Never had a reason to celebrate." They both said again. Then they looked at each other. "Let me guess, you never had anyone to celebrate with." Emma said.
"That, and it was more a time to ignore, it was more a reminder of loss then love." Gold replied.
Mary could see that this was a bit of an uncomfortable topic for them. "Well, look at the time." She said looking at the clock. "I need to… iron my counter and scrub my clothes." Mary then realized what she had said and ran out the door.
"Well, any less subtle and she would have needed a marching band in neon." Emma laughed. "So how bad is Christmas for you?"
"I'm sure Scrooge and The Grinch took lessons from my reaction. Christmas has always been an unpleasant Holiday that reminds me that anyone I could celebrate with is dead. The last time I had decorations is when Belle put them up." He then bitterly laughed. "Imagine my surprise coming home to a small tree and the boxes of ornaments down from the attic. She had been waiting all day for me to come home so we could decorate the tree." He then paused and looked at Emma. "She had such a big smile on that I couldn't say no. But when she found a home made ornament, well, I suddenly remembered why I didn't decorate."
Emma knew why. "Did your son make you that ornament?"
"Yes." Gold sighed in defeat. "I took one look at it, and yelled at her to put it back. I think I scared her half to death, she put it back and ran out of the room." He paused again. "I don't know how long I stared at it. But I went and picked it up, told Belle to have 'the stinking tree if she wanted, but to keep it in her room and out of my sight.' I then went and put the ornament in my study in a wood box under lock and key." He then made a huh noise in his through, hating himself for that day. "So how bad is the holiday for you?"
"For me, it was either just another day of slave labor in whatever house I was in, or in group houses it was dinner with candy canes and the little kids might get a reject toy donated from somewhere. After I got out I never had enough money to worry. My first and Christmas was with Neal. We got drunk and had stolen a tree from some stall or something. My next and last Christmas party was in jail. You can imagine how festive that was."
Gold nodded. "So I take it we both would rather skip the candy and decorations and countdown to December 26th."
Emma was about to agree, but then Henry could be heard banging on the door yelling for her or Gold. Winter went and opened the door, almost being run over by the ten year old. "Emma. Emma." He said as he ran through the house, when he finally found them he took out two boxes with a bow wrapped around it. "This one is for you." He said handing the pink one to Emma. "And this one is for you." He handed the Gold one to Gold.
They both looked at the box in their hand, then back up at him. His eyes clearly saying 'open them, open them.' So they both opened their box, Gold managing to get the bow undone and the wrapping paper off in one piece. Emma just tore into the thing.
They both gasped at the carefully hand painted ornaments inside. Gold had a shiny gold one with blue stripes and a red heart, all the paint had glitter in it and the string was a golden one that glittered as well. Emma had a red one with silver swirls and a green 'I Love You', also all the paint had glitter and a red glitter string. "We made them in class. We just got them back yesterday." Henry said smiling like today was the day the curse broke.
Gold, with a look of complete happiness. Slowly set the ornament back in the box, closed it, and set it on the counter. "Henry." He said slowly and quietly. He then went over and hugged the boy. "How would you like to help me pick out a Christmas tree?"
Henry looked, there is no word for how happy he looked, he just nodded and they went to get their coats. He then looked back at Emma. "Are you coming Emma?"
Emma was still holding the ornament. She looked up, set it down and then went and got her coat on. "Sure kid." She said smiling. And they all piled into her new car and went off to get a tree.
All it took for Scrooge to get in the Christmas spirit was tiny Tim. The Grinch, it was Cindy Lou Who. For Gold and Emma, it was Henry.
After they got the tree an had decorated it completely, Henry had wanted them to put their ornaments on last at the top of the tree, for some reason Gold wouldn't let them get an Angel or Star.
After they had hung their ornaments, Gold noted that there was enough room at the top for one more. "One moment Henry." He then went to his study and retrieved a box and a key. "Would you mind opening this for me?" Gold said.
Henry took the box and opened it. Inside rested a large blue ornament that said 'I Love My Papa' and had two green stick figures standing and holding hands with a plain brown string. "Why don't you put that one up at the top." Gold said smiling to Henry, and when Henry did, the tree looked complete."
Gold's House. Christmas Day.
It is tradition in town, that on Christmas day, that the mayor hosts a Christmas feast. While the whole town in the past was invited as a symbol of the love of God for his creation, and therefore no one is to be excluded. Under Regina's rain as mayor it was made clear that certain people were unwanted, and it was best that they not attend. Gold being near the top, not that he cared because his cursed self hated the holiday with a passion.
But this year, Gold's spot on the top was greatly over shadowed by Regina's hate for Emma; it was almost surprising that there wasn't an announcement in the paper stating that Emma wasn't wanted.
"So why are we going?" Emma asked after Gold had explained the event.
"Simple, my Christmas gift to myself and the entire town is Regina's face when we open the door. That and free food and getting to see Henry to see how he liked his present."
Emma thought back to earlier that day.
It had been normal for the town, other than the fact it was Christmas. Gold had insisted Emma come with him to stand a block away from Regina's house. Michal and Madelyn were there waiting for them.
Soon a truck pulled up. "Ladies and Gentlemen, place your bets." Michal had said. Gold and Madelyn each handed him a slip of paper.
"What's going on?" Emma asked. Emma then saw eight men get out of the truck. She also saw Archie stop near them with pongo and Marko, looking at the truck.
"Shhh Emma, you'll ruin the moment." Madelyn said. Then the men begin to unload a pallet mover like they have at big ware house stores. Then another truck came.
"What you guys looken at?" Ruby said as she came up. Granny close behind her.
Nobody had to answer her because the pallet mover went into the other truck and brought out a pallet of Hershey's boxes. Everyone's jaw hit the ground.
After three pallets of Hershey's, or 5,616 bars, the truck drove off and Regina came out. "Gold, you won the first bet." Michal said, still holding the three pieces of paper.
"What the hell are you doing?" Regina yelled loud enough for the small crowd gathering to hear.
"Madelyn won the second bet." Michal said.
Regina had been talking with the delivery man as another truck pulled up. He handed her a note. Regina quickly read it and looked over to the crowd and shouted. "GOLD YOU BASTARD!" Regina then stormed back into her house as everyone stared to laugh.
"Gold, you won the third bet." Michal said.
After the candy came toys, stuffed animals, and a library worth of books. The men loaded it into the house and then left. "Well, bets are over." Michal said as he handed Madelyn a silver token and Gold two silver tokens, Madelyn then handed Gold a purple token. "Well, tell next time. Everyone have a very merry Christmas, and in case you didn't hear, oh by golly have a holly jolly Christmas this year." He sang, with Madelyn joining in as they left
"Did you just get all that because you love Henry, or to annoy Regina?" Emma asked.
"You make it sound like those two things are mutually exclusive." Gold said laughing. "I wanted the boy to be happy, a life..." Gold stopped to think for a second. "Month long supply of candy and fairytale books should be able to do that."
Emma smiled. "You know, keep this up, people might start to think you want Henry to like you."
"Well, they wouldn't be wrong." Gold said smiling.
Later that day. Regina's house.
Emma was currently in a beautiful dress, a word that did not do her or the dress justice. It was a long gold cocktail dress that she had got as a present from Gold. Emma had been smiling the whole way there thinking about how Gold had walked in and then stopped dead in his tracks when he saw her wearing it.
As they walked up Regina's steps, Emma had to help Gold to keep him from falling. "I'm almost certain I saw her with her house earlier spraying the steps down with water." He said.
"Sounds like her."
When they knocked on the door, the Evil Queen herself came to answer, and man, if pictures are worth a thousand words, the a picture of her face when she opened the door would be located between horror and oh #$%. "What are you doing here?" She asked in no way keeping with the holiday spirit.
"This is the town Christmas feast, to which all are invited, yes?" Gold said smiling. "And as a newly married man, I wish to show off my wife for all to see, and to say 'mine'."
"Why not put her in the shop with a not for sale sign." Regina suggested.
"Because then I can't do…" He then looked devilish. "Things to her… I mean with her, or is it for her." He looked thoughtful. "In the shop that would send the same message, but your home would be perfect, and with the whole town present."
Regina looked like she wanted to lose her lunch, slap him, run is horror, and a few other things. "If you even think about doing what your suggesting in the middle of my party…"
"Oh my dear no." Gold said looking shocked. "What king of a monster do you think I am? I would never consider doing it in the middle of the party. But in your bed while it's going on…" Gold let that hang in the air as he and Emma dashed around a dumbfounded Regina.
Finding Henry wasn't hard; all you had to do was find the trail of kids to the boxes of Hershey's. Henry had apparently decided to donate a third of them to the rest of the kids in town. Emma saw kids enjoying the chocolate and Henry was sitting reading a book. "Hay kid, what you got there?"
Henry held up the book. 'Elvish Symbols and There Common Meaning'. "It's a book about how to translate the Elvish language and symbols and what they do or mane. Like this one hear." Henry pointed to a picture of and letter 'P' with the bottom of the curve going past the line and swirling. "It's Ceyl which stands for Law, Order, Justice, Passion, and Sword that Draws Blood."
Henry went on to explain a few more, and Emma could tell he loved Gold's gift.
After about a half hour without incident, there was one.
Emma was going to get kid punch, because once was enough when it came to Regina's apple cider. When she Ran into the stranger, well, actually he ran into her.
"Hay." Emma said after being bumped and almost getting punch on her dress. "Watch where you're going."
"Sorry sheriff." She looked up and saw the stranger. "But I'm sure with no harm done; you can't hold it against me."
"Yeah, will if you were willing to tell me your name, I might not."
"Oh, but where is the fun in that, watching the wheels in your brain try to work it out is so much more fun." He said smiling. "Speaking of fun, want to have some."
"I'm happily married." Emma said holding up the ring.
"So I heard, but tell me, how did that happen? A young thing like you could have any man, was it the money, or is the cain usefully."
Emma was a little annoyed considering he had just called her a Gold digger, dear heavens she was glad she hadn't said that out load. "One, you'd be amassed what he can do. Two, I don't discuses my life with strangers whose name I don't know. Three, I don't discuses my sex life with strange men whose name I don't know. And four, I don't have sex with strange men whose name I don't know."
"Who said anything about sex?" He said looking up.
When Emma looked up, she felt a sudden twinge of horror. They were under the mistletoe. "Now, I believe you owe me one kiss, on the lips, a little tongue would be nice."
"You try and put your tongue in my mouth and I will bight it off." Emma warned. "And considering I'm married, I don't think I will be kissing you."
"Well then." He moved to the side as if to let her pass. When Emma was right next to him, he grabbed her and kissed hard. Luckily for him he let her go before she reacted in a way that might prevent fatherhood.
"What the hell." The party was suddenly stopped after seeing the kiss. "I hope you notified your next of kin, because there is an empty grave with your name on it." Emma said, trying to wipe the taste off her lips.
"The rules of miseltoE!" The stranger was now hoping on one foot, clutching his knee. And Henry, who had managed to sneak forward without anyone noticing, had hit him in the shin, with his new bat. "What was that for?"
"You kissed my mom." Henry said. Gold then walked up to the front.
He looked at the stranger, then Henry, then back again. He then took out a twenty and gave it to Henry. "Again." He said smiling, and Henry obliged, hitting the other shin.
Gold looked like he was about to give Henry more money when Emma said. "Gold, aren't there more important things you should be doing?"
Gold looked at her. "Like what?"
Emma pointed up at the mistletoe. "Figure it out." She said smiling.
Gold handed his cain to Henry, and then grabbing Emma, twirled her around, dipped low, and kissed her like a drowning man needing air. And they might have drowned had it not been for the fact that they remembered to need air. Gold righted the two of them, and then looked over at the stranger. "That. Is how you kiss a beautiful woman." He said in triumph. Henry then threw him his cain, he caught the handle, and slammed it down on the stranger's foot.
After the crowd dispersed, Madelyn in a lovely purple dress and Winter in a sky blue came up to the stranger. "Ever kiss Emma again, and we will stick your tongue to a lamp post." They said in scary unison.
As everyone went out to dinner, Emma spotted Henry sitting alone at a table. She decided that with no sign of Regina, well, why not sit next to him.
When most everyone was seated, Regina came out, Gold behind her with Michal, Madelyn and Winter. When Regina saw the Emma was sitting next to Henry. She walked right up to her. "Emma, that is not your spot, I sit next to MY son." This drew everyone's attention.
"Well, he has two sides."
"And a positive male presence always sits there. This year it's Archie."
"So why can't I sit here, his birth mother."
"Because I see no reason for you to start now after missing ten other Christmases." Regina said spitefully.
"I have a revolutionary idea." Michal said. It was kind of gunny to see all the heads there turn toward him. "Why not, I don't know, ask the person, because he is a person not a doll you can fight over with no opinion, and who's arms you might rip off." He said pointedly at them both. "You could see if he wants to sit next to either of you. Maybe he wants to sit near a school friend or something."
Everyone looked at Henry. "I want Regina on the left." Henry said hesitantly. "Emma on my right." He said with a bit more enthusiasm. "And dad in front of me, with Michal and Madelyn on either side of him." He said with glee.
It took Henry a moment to notice that everyone there had their mouth hanging open. Then he realized what he had called Mr. Gold.
They had talked about the title of dad and its implications. And many other things and Gold had agreed to let Henry call him dad, but this was the first time in public with half the town in earshot. Gold was rooted to the spot. "Come and sit down, dad." Henry said simply and quietly, in a way that showed how happy he was. And Gold did.
Then Michal and Madelyn came up to his left, in front of Emma. "Well I want to sit there." Michal said.
"No I want to sit there" Madelyn responded.
"No me, I should, I've know him longer."
"No I should, he likes me better."
"Yeah, well I'm just a whiny Mayor who doesn't like to share."
"Yeah, well I'm just a sheriff that didn't think as to what he wants."
"Well neither do I." then they both turned back to back and crossed their arms over their chest and stuck out their lips in a pout like a bunch of angry five year old.
Gold decided to join in. "Well I, being ten and therefore younger then you both but more mature and intelligent then both of you, shall point out that you both did not ask me if I want to sitting next to me. And that I have two sides."
"Really." Michal and Madelyn said in shocked unison. They then in unison looked at the chair on Gold's left, then back to his right, then his left, then right. "By Jove, he's right. Two sides."
"But wait." Michal said. "Is it possible for us to share? For us to overcome our hatred of each other for a few hours for his benefit? Are we that selfless?"
They then each looked at each other. "Na." and then they both mock slapped each other and sat down. The whole table snickered.
"Well that was entertaining." Henry said.
"A rather accurate pretrial, wouldn't you say Henry."
"Yep."
The meal was nice with no more than mostly harmless insults going between Emma and Regina, up until Regina made a few extra cutting remarks about Emma and Gold's relationship and her kissing the stranger. It is probably not proper that it be repeated for family viewing, but the result is.
Emma had the mashed potatoes nearby, and so grabbing a hand full she threw them at Regina. Regina responded by throwing some candied yams. Emma then poured the gravy over Regina's head, followed by Gold pouring the butter. Then Regina threw some ham and it hit Leroy, who threw a pie that hit Granny.
And then all hell broke loose. The pies were flying, there was cake in the apple tree, and Henry was armed with the vanilla pudding. Michal managed to use dinner roles like bombs full of punch, Madelyn had an umbrella and managed to defend him, her and Henry rather well.
And Gold managed to walk down the middle of the battle field without getting even a corn carnal on him.
All and all it was a lot of fun. "Do you think will be invited back next year?" Emma asked Gold, who was keeping her turkey, potato, chocolate pudding, and he thought maybe a little coconut cream pie self at arm's length.
"Who knows, it was defiantly more lively then normal." Gold said. "I give it a 50 – 50 chance."
It's the Christmas in July special. Sorry about the wait, I wanted it to be good, but the last few paragraphs are me trying to get the chap done before going to camp for a week.
Thank you to Skyeward MusicLover, GuestRoom, my new Beta Slayer213 who I did not have Beta this chap yet because I'm in a hurry, Twyla Mercedes, Ravenclaw992 and thank you for letting me use some of your ideas in this chap, Velkin13 both Guests and lozzy035.
And thank you all for responding to my question in the last chap. No I will not stop the story, and just to be clear. I don't mind people not reviewing or only every once and a while, it was the people who reviewed consistently for a few chaps and then stopped suddenly that made me wonder if I was driving them away or something.
Now, can anyone tell me what real chess match I based Gold and Michal's game off of, it is a famous one between two grandmasters in the mid 1800's. If you can, well it would be impressive.
How about you get one wish, but please P.M. me the answer if you want to try, don't want people cheating.