They had seized a table in one of the dark corners of the Rabbit Hole. Rumpel was happy with the selection, as many people in the bar were oblivious to his presence. He knew it would ruin the mood of everyone, as they would be watching over their shoulders in case he was nearby. Sat in the corner, Rumpel nursed his beer between his hands on the table, watching Hook and Henry at the bar, chatting to some women that were from Camelot and had remained behind in Storybrooke. Charming sat beside Rumpel, watching the exchange as well.
Finishing the last of his beer, Rumpel placed the empty bottle near the middle of the table. He sat back into his chair as Henry and Hook sat down at the table, a small disagreement going on between them.
"Look, mate, I think that those Camelot women are wired differently." Hook explained, taking a seat besides Charming. "That line always worked before."
"Line? Hey girls, would you like a ride on my Jolly Roger?" Henry's eyebrows pushed his forehead up. Rumpel could not help the roar of laughter. It amused him to think that Hook had used that chat up line on Milah and that she had fallen for it. If Hook had tried that line on Belle, she would have given him some literature on the fine art of courting, hoping to educate the pirate.
Charming smiled, saying. "Really? You had success with that line?"
"Okay," Hook waved his hook absently through the air. "They may have been a bit more… intoxicated."
"I don't need lines." Rumpel said with a smirk, shaking his head at Hook.
"Really?" Charming said, turning his attention to Rumpel.
"No, it's called conversation." He explained to the table.
"Yes, right, Crocodile. Of course, you can chat to those women, but does not mean you will get their phone numbers. You're too much of a coward." Hook said, but it sounded more of a dare. Rumpel titled his head at the pirate, his eyebrows slightly raised as he assessed whether to let Hook provoke him.
Henry looked over his shoulder and then pointed to the bar. "There you go, Grandpa, those two women are back at the bar."
"What?" Rumpel glanced towards where Henry was pointing. "I'm a married man. I have no interest to go over there and talk to them."
"Even for a deal?" Hook raised an eyebrow at Rumpel. The other occupants of the table knew that the look shared between Rumpel and Hook, was their lifetime feud coming out. It had always been a weakness of Rumpel's, not being able to turn down a deal.
Pursing his lips into a straight line, Rumpel said. "You have nothing of interest to offer me."
"Really?" Hook leant forward onto the table. "How about, if you go over there and get their phone number, I stop calling you crocodile, and if you don't get their phone number, you give me the use of your cabin for a weekend?"
Charming touched Rumpel on his arm. "Don't let him get to you."
"No, it's okay. His terms aren't drastic." Rumpel said as he stood from his seat, offering Hook his left hand to shake. "Shake on it?" Hook glared at Rumpel's left hand and then up at Rumpel. "Oh! I'm so sorry. I forgot." He jibbed offering his right hand. Tightly gripping each other's hands, they shook on their deal as Gideon came over to the table with a round of beers and shots, and a coke. He watched his father excuse himself from the table and walk over to the two girls at the bar, asking the table what was going on.
As Rumpel neared the two women, he put a smile on his face, hoping that they had not heard too much about him. They were both chatting to each other, one of them lazily played with the cocktail stick in their drink as the other ate some peanuts. Standing near them at the bar, Rumpel gestured to the barman for a drink and then leant onto the bar casually. He chanced a glance at the two women beside him and caught the one playing with her drink looking at him. Locking eyes with her, he smiled at her and received one back from the woman. The barman placed a beer in front of Rumpel to which he dropped some dollars on the bar. Taking hold of his drink, he shifted along the bar towards the woman that smiled at him.
"Hi there." Rumpel greeted and leant sideways onto the bar, leaving some space between them.
"Hi." The girl nearest him replied. Her friend was paying no attention to Rumpel.
"I don't think I've seen you two in here before." Rumpel told her, gesturing to the two of them with his hand.
The girl rolled her eyes at Rumpel. "I've heard that line so many times."
"Not a line, just an observation." He said before taking a sip of his beer.
"Your friend was just over here trying to pick us up." She indicated towards Hook. "So I guess it's your turn now."
"Him? He is not my friend. No. He's an ass." Rumpel chuckled at her assumption that Hook was his friend. "Look, err… Sorry, what's your name?"
"Danielle." She answered and sipped from her cocktail.
"Danielle, I simply wanted to have a more intellectual conversation than with those guys. All they want to talk about is sports and cars. Me," Rumpel held his hand over his chest. "I saw you over here and thought she looks interesting."
"Really?" She asked, perked by what he had said.
"Really, dearie." He smiled, shifting closer along the bar.
Danielle smiled at him, a slight blush creeping over her cheeks. "What would you like to talk about?"
"I would rather hear what you would like to talk about, dearie." He said and sipped from his beer to place on the bar near her drink.
"Well… Do you like" She gazed down at her drink in thought and Rumpel took the chance to glance over at the boys, who were all watching intently. "Do you like tapestry?"
"My aunts used to make tapestry when we needed some extra money." He told her, fibbing. "I actually have some for sale in my shop at the moment."
"In your shop! I've been looking for a new piece for my house, but I can't find one I like." She told him turning on the stool towards him.
Rumpel feigned that he was deep in thought, touching a hand to his chin as he scowled at his thoughts. "I think I have some more in my warehouse. How about this, if I get them brought over to my shop and you give me your number, I'll call you and you can come and have a look? And then, while you're deciding, we could go for a drink to discuss" He touched her arm and leant towards her. "About the price?"
"Oh… Okay." Her cheeks reddened at his closeness. "Let me write my number down for you." She said reaching for a napkin and took a pen out of her bag. He smiled at her and watched her write the number. When she had finished, she held the napkin out to him for him to take. Rumpel took hold of her hand and held it steady to place a kiss across her knuckles, gazing up into her eyes. She bit down on her lip and a small sigh of pleasure escape her. He took the napkin slowly from her hand, keeping eye contact with her.
Danielle's friend touched her friend's arm. "Danielle, let's go. I'm bored."
"Okay, Jen." Danielle replied to her friend, her face showed her disappointment. Hoping off her stool, she smiled at Rumpel before following her friend out of the bar. A pause in the doorway for one last look at Rumpel, Danielle left with her friend, Jen. The smug smile on Rumpel's face said it all. He retrieved his beer from the bar and strolled triumphantly over to their table, waving the napkin in the air.
Rumpel leant over Hook and placed the napkin on the table in front of him. "No more crocodile."
"No more crocodile." Hook repeated resentfully. A broader smile pushed at Rumpel's cheeks as he slipped by the back of Gideon's chair to take his seat in the corner. He swigged from his beer, so glad to get one over on Hook.
"I don't think you know anything about women, Hook." Henry said, taking a drink from his coke.
"Hey! I've had many women!" Hook exclaimed to Henry, but caught the glare that Charming was giving him. "But none come close to your mother."
"Grandpa had way more success than you did." Henry gestured towards the bar. "She was blushing at him. She was laughing at you. She so wanted Grandpa." Henry told Hook, making Rumpel snicker.
Gideon cleared his throat. "Can we stop talking about my father like he's Don Juan?"
"You father did supposedly teach him everything he knew, so technically, he is Don Juan." Charming informed Gideon with his bottle of beer held ready to take a drink from as Gideon rolled his eyes at Charming.
"Hello, boys!" The voice broke the humorous atmosphere of the table. Rumpel glared at the woman that stood between Henry and Hook, her hands resting on either ones shoulder. Zelena appeared pleased with their reactions, smiling wickedly as her eyes came to rest on Rumpel sat across from her.
"That was quite a display, Rumpel. Chatting to that young girl and getting her number." Zelena said to him. "I hope Belle doesn't find out. She might not be happy about that."
"Go and tell her." Rumpel countered, reaching for his shot in front of him.
"You don't think she'll care?" Zelena asked, her face showing her surprise.
Rumpel knocked the shot back in one. "No, she'll probably be furious. But I am not going to make a scene here and I am not going to run home in desperation." He said placing the shot glass into the middle of the table. "I will tell you, that at the end of the day, after my wife has beaten me senseless, that we - will - be sleeping beside each other tonight. Cuddling up. While you… You spend your night alone."
"Remember, Rumpel," She pointed her glare at him. "She may be in your heart, but she doesn't own it." Zelena sneered at him, clenching her hand into a fist.
Grabbing at his chest, Rumpel struggled to take a breath and bent forward onto the table for support. Gideon was instantly at his father's side, his arm over his father's back as he tried to figure out what was wrong with Rumpel. Looking up at Zelena from Rumpel, Gideon saw the joy on her face at his father's pain and without thinking flung his hand in her direction, sending her flying backwards into the bar. Knocked off her feet and distracted, Rumpel was able to sit up and took a deep exaggerated breath, his hand held over his heart.
"Whoa!" Charming jumped up out of his seat.
Zelena climbed to her feet and straightened her clothes and hair. "Baby Rumpel wants to play!"
"Zelena!" Charming shouted at her. "If you don't leave, then I will be forced to put you in jail for the night."
"You can't put me in jail! That puny jail couldn't keep me locked up!" She laughed.
"No," Gideon said standing up and drew Zelena to look at him. "But I can!" He waved his hand again and made Zelena disappear. Everyone looked flabbergasted at Gideon.
Charming grabbed Gideon's arm over Rumpel. "What have you done?"
"She's in the jail with an anti-magic cuff on." Gideon informed him, his hand resting on his father's shoulder.
Rumpel took a deep breath, trying to steady himself and calm his heartbeat. It felt like his heart was about to rip itself out of his chest. Slowly as the pain subsided, he allowed his hand to drop down onto the table, cursing the day he had taken Zelena under his wing. He knew that she was unhinged, but thought if he gave her a purpose then she could accomplish his plan for him. When she had showed signs that she was in love with him, then it had ruined everything.
It sickened him to think she still held a torch for him after all this time. When she had his dagger in her possession, she had abused its power and him, controlling him against his will. Making him do things. Making him kiss her. 'Kiss me like I'm Belle' she had commanded. Rumpel had thought he was going to be sick all over her as he kissed her, kissing her sweetly as he would Belle. Zelena had plenty of kicks out of it. He was just glad she had not told him to make love to her. It was bad enough when Rumpel had tried to turn the tables on her, using her lust for him against her. Kissing her neck and running his hands over her body, he wanted to stab himself in the chest again and return to his dark vault in the Enchanted Forest. The only thing that had stopped him was thinking of Belle.
Rumpel took a deep breath and closed his eyes saying. "I'm going home."
"Are you sure?" Gideon asked sitting back down on his seat to be eye level with his father.
"Yes." He patted Gideon's shoulder and handed the car keys over to Gideon. "You stay and enjoy yourself." Before anyone could say anything, Rumpel waved his hand and disappeared. He reappeared in a heap on the floor of his basement and just lay there. The room was dark and just the way he wanted it. He knew at some point that he would have to deal with what that woman had done to him, but for now, he could hide in the darkness.