Edited: 16/07/2022

For the first time since waking up from her cursed life, the assassin walked through the sunny streets of Storybrooke without the comforting weight of her gauntlets on her forearms, having locked them away with the former Queen's spell book. If the Evil Queen could go without magic, then the Black Widow can make do without her hidden blades. The first step of forging some trust between herself and the rest of the town.

But she couldn't help the feeling of being completely exposed without them. Sure she could defend herself from the strongest opponent, but they always came in use. The running joke between her and Regina over the years had been about how much she wore them, that the Queen wouldn't be surprised it they were a part of her body. In a way the joke had come true because she felt like she had lost a hand.

The bell over Granny's door rang out announcing her arrival as she headed straight to the counter to be met by Ruby on the other side "Two coffee's black, and a sesame bagel bagel to go" she ordered hers and Regina's breakfast order as she pulled out some cash from her tan leather jacket, counting out the bills for her items only to be met with silence. Looking up she was met with the blank expression of the waitress who hadn't moved since entering staring at her "Please?" she added.

Still nothing. Letting out a sigh she slapped the cash onto the counter "Okay, What?"

"Why are you helping David get Snow and Emma back?" the younger woman suddenly asks her, taking the redhead back in surprise.

"I don't think that's any of your business, little red" her nickname for the she-wold rolled off her tongue.

"It is, if you're planning on hurting them once they get back"

"Then I guess you'll just have to trust me" she retorted. Ruby went to reply when another voice the pair knew called out to the redhead.

"Amelia?" the assassin's head whipped to the side to see a the voice matching the person it belonged to sat in a booth with a glass of ice-tea in front of her with an empty glass next to it.

"Belle?" Amelia greeted the young brunette she had met fleetingly during her time as a Master Assassin as Ruby snatched the cash from the counter leaving the pair to put i the former Widow's order.

"It-It's really you?" Belle asked as she stood from the booth and rushed up to the red head and tightly embraced the assassin who hesitantly returned the hug.

"Yeah it's me" Amelia says into her shoulder before Belle was the one to pull out of the friendly embrace gave her a look over.

"Y-Your hair its.." she started shaking her head in disbelief at how short it is in comparison to how long it was in the Enchanted Forest.

"That happens when you are cursed I guess, new life, new haircuts" the redhead replied with a smile as the young brunette drags her to her booth by her hand. Belle retook her seat as the Amelia took the opposite side,

"H-How are you?" the brunette asked her old friend.

"Okay, despite everything" she answered the younger woman.

"What happened after you left my Father's palace, did you find what you were looking for?"

"Eventually" the pair were interrupted by the she-wolf.

Ruby drops her order on the table as she stands at the end of the table "Here you go, two coffee's black and a sesame bagel for the Queen" Amelia's green eyes glared at the she-wolf

"The Queen?" Belle questioned the red-head "You know her?" the redhead couldn't answer as the she-wolf answered for her.

"Oh, Amelia's been working for her for years" Ruby informs the brunette slapping the back of the redhead's shoulder for emphasis.

"Thank you Ruby" Amelia told Ruby dismissing her, taking the hint she leaves the assassin to deal with the bomb she had just dropped on her.

"What is she talking about?" Belle asks her in confusion

"Things...changed since that last time I saw you. I changed" she admits to her.

"Changed?"

"I'm not the same person you met before. After I left you palace. I took a path that eventually took me to the Evil Queen. You might've heard of the Black Widow"

Belle sat their in silent shock in front of her. Even in her captivity she heard the stories of the infamous and dark Black Widow. Even Rumple had told her stories in their time together as his caretaker.

"You're the Black Widow" Belle deduced. Amelia simply nodded confirming. Amelia continued to look forward as Belle stood from her seat shaking her head in disbelief and left the diner. Snatched her order up and left the diner trying to quell the anger that she wanted to take out on the wolf.

Enchanted Forest

Many Years Ago

She's been back in the Enchanted Forest for months and she had heard nothing about her former brothers since returning as a widow and childless mother. She had mere whispering but with the Brotherhoods reputation in tatters, no one would talk to her as soon as they recognized the symbol.

She walked with weapons that she took from Monteriggioni the night her father was killed. Her hidden blades, some throwing knifes and one of her cutlass swords and the robes that were on her back, if felt odd wearing the clothing since she hadn't worn them in over four years. She felt her heart had hardened after watching the family she found die. Claudius was the one responsible and he would pay dearly for not killing her when he had the chance. But she needed more weapons, more alliances to get to her targets. she let out a huff of frustration. She would need a miracle.

Her first move would have to be retaking the Brotherhood's ancient stronghold and home Monteriggioni. It held the assets she would need going forward. But it wasn't it's anti-magic shield that protected the city from the outside world that was the issue it's what was still inside. The tall city walls could withstand most heavy artillery and the provisions inside would hold out any blockade from enemy forces for at least two months. The mercenaries inside would be another problem if anyone got in, well trained and well organized, the men and woman that used the city as a rest stop would be able to repel any attack. And then there's the assassins.

Trained for years the assassins knew all the way how to kill a man and then some more. She would know, she was trained the same way. Some were experts in free-running, weapons, stealth. The list went on

It was impenetrable.

The sound galloping horses behind her brought her out of her thoughts as she moved to the side and bowed her head brought her hood further forward to hide her face. The horses came closer and ran past her, she looked up and saw a trio of knights in black armor.

She continued until she saw the knights returned. They all jumped off their horses and surrounded her.

"Who goes there, this is the Queen's Highway!" he announced to Amelia. She kept her head down with her hood covering her face.

"Didn't realize sir, I've only just returned to the kingdom. I'll be on my way" she tipped her hood at them and went to walk into the forest. The captain didn't like her answer and took out his sword, the other two followed his action.

"Remove you hood woman, or be arrested and taken to the palace for questioning"

"For what? Walking?" she argued

"For trespassing" he retorted, as the three knights stepped forward sword ready.

"You really need sword to take down a lone woman, who the hell trained you"

"Quiet wench!" the Captain yelled at her.

Amelia answered the Captains insult by reaching for her throwing knifes and swiftly implanting it between his helmet and chain mail. The others stood in shock as the Captain fell onto the forest floor dead.

"Take her head!" the two guards ran towards her with their swords. Amelia unsheathed her sword and bend her knees ready to take on the knights. She was too used to holding two swords instead of one. As the knight on her right swung his words towards her old instants kicked in as she dodged the over arc swung by rolling onto the ground in between the two knights, making the knight to hit nothing but air. The knight lost his footing and fell onto the ground.

Amelia climbed back onto feet already tired, the second knight turned on her and swung at her this time she used her hidden blade to parry him, she turned her back into his front trapping his sword arm under hers and sent the back of her head into his face, stunning him into stumbling backwards, she swung her arm around and slit his throat between armour. Blood splattered onto her face as she used her other arm to send her sword through the knight's armour and chainmail into his chest making his body fall forward over the sword, she grabbed the back of his armour and pulled the dead knight off her sword.

She turned back to see the first knight had gotten back onto his feet and watched helplessly as his comrade full onto the ground.

"I'll take your head whore!" he bellowed as he ran at her once more. He swung his sword towards Amelia, she dodged the move but not quick enough as the sword sliced open her upper arm cutting through the material of her robes into the flesh. Amelia stumbled back holding the wound with her free hand. She could feel the blood drip down the inside of her robe and soak into the material.

The knight gave her a sickening smirk with his teeth seeing the damage he had inflicted onto the woman. She let go of her bleeding arm.

"Did your mother ever tell you not to hit a woman" she asked rhetorically as she dropped her blood covered sword onto the grass and flexing both her forearms making both of her hidden blades spring from her gauntlets, she could see the knights eyes bulge in surprise seeing how long and sharp they were.

"Especially woman with blades" she finished. The knight brought his sword over his head and threw it down but for the sword to get caught on two crossed blades inches from the woman's face, she jerked the sword out of the knight's hands, disarming him before kicking his groin making him bent over in pain. With the back of his neck now exposed to her she sunk her hidden blade through his neck severing his spine from his skull, killing him. she stepped back jerking the blade back and let his body hit the ground letting the blades go back into her gauntlets

She stood there letting the adrenaline flow through her body, the first time she's felt it in years, she let out heavy breaths as her heart pounded in her chest. Behind her she heard a manic giggle and hands clapping. She whirled around to see what she thought was a man with gold skins and long hair sat on a rock continued to clap and giggle.

"Bravo! Bravo!" he yelled he stopped clapping at least "a little rough around the edges but still such grace, such poise, a true assassin"

"Who are you?" Amelia asked

"Oh, my apologies I'm Rumpelstiltskin" he rolled the 'r' mockingly bowed before her from the waist.

She remembered that name. "Dark One" she seethed at him stepping back towards her sword.

"The one and only dearie"

"I'm in no mood for one of your infamous deals" she turned her back on him only to appear in swirling red smoke in front of her making her flinch back. He grinned at her.

"So, you have heard of me, good that saves us some time" he giggled as she stepped away from the man "I'm in need of your particular skill set of late and you're a desperate soul if I ever saw one"

"No deal" she flicked her right wrist up making her hidden blade spring out as she pushed the blade in his chest. He didn't even flinch. Her eyes widened in fear.

"I see your Father didn't teach you everything about the Dark One" he flicked out his wrist making her be pulled from him by an unknown force making her spin in the air before landing heavily onto the ground. The move made the air leave her lungs as she took in a desperate gasp when the world stopping spinning. She sprung back up to face the Dark One once more only making him giggle again.

"How did you know my him?"

"You're not the first Assassin I've dealt with over the centuries dearie, and you certainly won't be the last" he answered "But it's you I want" pointing a long finger at her

"Why me, there are other Assassins, better than me"

"Ahh, but you're the only one who's desperate enough. I've invested in your future and I want to see a fruitful return"

"What do you need from me?"

"Over the years I've made a number of deals with desperate souls such as yourself and they've gone back on their part of the deal, I need them found and dealt with for double crossing me"

"What do I get in return?" she was interested

"I shall give you bed and board in return as well as better weapons for each good job done and give you information on the where about on the five former brothers for killing your husband and son"

How did he know about them?

"That's it?"

"I'll even give you the location of your first target, in good faith, if you kill him then you have to take my deal"

"And if I get better deals in the meantime, I won't serve just one"

"Then you shall have the freedom to do so, but when I give you a contract you have to take it, whatever it is, no questions asked"

"Where's my first target?" she asked him he giggled and waved his hand engulfing them both in red smoke, when the smoke disappeared, they were overlooking a road that held more of the knights she had fought earlier, they were on horses escorting a dark carriage from the treetops.

"Well go on. Use that little trick you Assassins have" he pointed at the carriage with his thin fingers. She used her sixth sense and the world around her turned dark blue, she saw the knights were highlighted a bright red on the horses, she turned to the carriage and saw a male figure sat across from a feminine figure highlighted in a bright gold. Her vision zoomed into the man her vision turned itself off as she zeroed in onto the man.

"Iago" she growled

"Yes, your former weapons master has switched his alliances to The Evil Queen, but you know her as Regina"

"Regina. She's the Evil Queen" it was more of a statement than a question.

"Since you've been riding the high seas with your husband, she's taken a leap of faith into darkness. Killed King Leopold, with his daughter Snow White a wanted criminal throughout the kingdom" she turned to the Dark One.

A lot had happened since the last time she set foot in the Enchanted Forest

"I'll take your deal when I end his life" she told him and walked the length of the branch onto the next tree until she was running in the trees chasing down the carriage leaving the Dark One giggling once again as he watched the woman give into the darkness that surrounded her hardened heart.

She couldn't get Ruby's voice out of her head for that last two hours. She wanted to skin the bitch alive and turn it into a decorative rug. Her frustrations were even getting on the former Queen's last nerve as she paced the living room as the anger built up from confrontation.

Her finger's itched. And she going to scratch.

The redhead found herself outside the diner with a long silver dagger in her hand, before she stormed in taking the she=wolf by surprise as she stood at the back of the diner. She continued on her war path until she had a hand wrapped around the she-wolf's throat making any customers she had flee the diner in fear of being the Widow's next target. The deadly assassin used all her strength to hold the werewolf against the wall with the tip of the dagger at the latter's throat

"Did you enjoy that Little Red?" she seethed at the young woman as her back hit the wall next to the hole in the wall "Turning someone that was a friend agaisnt me for what? You're own personal kick?"

"I was only telling her the truth" Ruby croaked out as she tried to pry the assassin's hand off her neck, but she couldn't fight the assassin's hold on her as the silver dagger was pushed further into her skin without cutting her.

"And you think I wouldn't?"

"You're a liar." she spat the at the woman "It's what you do. You don't want Snow or Emma back it's what your Queen wants"

"You don't know me!" Amelia's anger got the better on her as she yelled in the she-wolf's face taking the dagger off her throat and stabbed through the wall next to her head as the bell on the door rung out announcing someone's arrival.

Her rage hadn't gone unnoticed by the town's sheriff as he saw people rushing out the diner in fear. Thinking it was Regina he ran leaving Gold to catch him back only to find out it was Amelia as one of the fearful patron's announce the Black Widow being on a war path.

"Hey!" David exclaimed as he saw Amelia holding Ruby against the dagger embedded in the wall close to Ruby's head, he ran over and pulled the Assassin off Snow's best friend. Putting himself between his wife's best friend and childhood hero as the former rubbed her neck in discomfort.

"I see you've inherited your cursed self-temper Miss Montague" Gold observed out load from the door as her breath's came out in pants. Hearing the old man's comment she cricked her neck before spinning on her heel with a closed fist, only to be stopped when a vise grip took a hold of of her arm. Green eyes met blue as she looked at the person who dared to stop her from making a grave mistake

"That's enough Amelia" the sheriff sternly tells her before she snatch her arm back "Get out and cool off before I lock you in a cell" he warns her as she heads for the door knowing it was a fight she wasn't winning. Today at least.

"Actually"Gold says making the woman from leaving "I think her Assassins skills can have some use to our search"

Belle was missing. it didn't take much convincing for Amelia to help the Dark One as David gave her a sketch of her face. "You know her?" David asked the red head

"She helped me decode a message for me shorty after I saved your future wife from mercenaries that tried to kill her and Queen. I bumped into her here while I was waiting for my order" she informs the pair

"Snow mentioned that" he added as Amelia hands the sketch to Ruby.

"Belle, huh? Sorry, doesn't ring a bell" Ruby told them men

"You're a terrible liar wolf girl" the assassin scoffed at her from the bar.

"Ruby, listen to me" David spoke to his friend "If you've come across her, you've got to tell me. I'll make sure nothing bad happens" he tried to reassure her.

"Yeah, but what about him?" she motioned to Gold behind the Prince.

"I've got him. Trust me"

"She was in earlier" she tells him "She was looking for a job. I pointed her in the direction of the library"

"Well, you think she went there?" Gold asked

"Don't know" she told them and walked behind the counter "But, when you find her, give her this. She left it in her booth" Ruby pulls out a sweater from under the counter

"Well, that's mine" Gold corrected her "She didn't have anything for the cold" Amelia watched the Dark One closely, he cared for Belle. She'd only seem him like this whenever he mentioned his former caretaker.

"You sure you'll watch out for her?" Ruby asks the former prince

"Yes. Why?" he asks her

"I think… I think I can find her. Lately, since things changed, I've been, uh, a little more sensitive to odors"

"You can smell her?" Amelia raised a curious brow at the werewolf, the Brotherhood didn't know much about werewolf's, only how to kill one.

"I guess it's cause of the wolf thing"

"Well it looks like my job here is done" Amelia went to leave the temporary sheriff with Ruby and Gold, but her former employer stopped her.

"Actually, Miss Montague it's not" his voice stopped her "you work for me remember, consider Belle your next target. Find her alive and return her to me" she turned to face him

"You know that deal only works when I get something in return. I got my revenge, Monteriggioni is in another realm, I have money through my club, you have nothing to offer me old man"

"That's true but you'll do it anyway" he calls her out "Am I right?"

"Fuck" she whispered to herself. He was right.

Amelia followed Ruby as she tracked Belle through the scent of the jumper with David and Gold trailing her. The former assassin used her own way to track her old friend down sixth sense to track Belle's movements but each time she would use it would send a sharp stab of pain through the back of her eyes.

She had to stop as the world turned back to normal and she winced as a fresh stabbing pain went through her head. Seeing the redhead suddenly stop and wince in pain as she held her head, he doubled back to see to the female assassin.

"Amelia? Are you okay?" David voiced in concern. In all the years he knew her nothing made the woman wince in pain like this before as Gold eventually stopped to see the slight delay in finding Belle.

"You're little trick not working for you in this realm, dearie?" Gold leered at the red head.

"Trick?" the prince looked between the red head and the man in confusion.

"There's a reason why I've always been able to find you and Snow even in the thickest of forests Shepherd" she spat at him as the pain finally faded away "But that's another story for another day" Amelia brushed the Prince's concern off and caught up with Ruby who had suddenly stopped in front of the florist 'Game of Thornes'.

"What's wrong?" David asks his wife's friend.

"I had her, but, uh… I lost her trail" Ruby sneezed "It must be the flowers. I… I can't track her anymore. I'm sorry"

"Don't be. This is her father's shop" Mr. Gold tells them. The four followed him into the shop were they were quickly greeted by owner.

"You again. Out!" Moe French and Belle's father yells at the Dark One "This is a private establishment – you're not welcome" he continues eyeing the Black Widow behind him.

"Where's Belle?" The Dark One asks him but was reluctant to answer.

"I won't let anything happen to her, Moe" David reassured the man.

"We're just worried" Ruby added.

"Don't be. She's safe. So, you can stop looking" Moe tells them. Cocked her head to the side watching Belle's father, the redhead watched the conversation closely. He was confident. Too confident keeping his daughter away from the Dark One.

"Look, if I could just have the chance to talk to her" Gold tried but was quickly shut down by French.

"You will destroy Belle like you destroy everything else. Well, I won't let that happen"

"What have you done with her?"

"There's only one way to get her" Mr. Gold jabs him in the chest with his finger.

"What have you done with her?"

"I have to make her forget about you. No matter the cost. Even if it means she forgets me, too"

"He's sending her across the town line" Amelia said aloud as she takes French by the back of his jacket and escorting him out of the shop as the other's follow them out. He didn't even fight against her hold knowing it was useless.

"Where are you sending Belle across?" David asks the man "You know we have patrols on the town line to make sure no one crosses accidentally. So, how are you planning to pull it off?" He wasn't answering their questions making the assassin take the interogation into her own hands. The smaller woman roughly throws him against his own van beofre stepping away to let the old man to lunge at him, pinning him to the truck with is cane agaisnt his neck.

They were always a good team in these circumstance's.

"Where?!" he yelled in the man's face, his own temper contorting his face"Where are you sending them across? Tell me!"

"Stop it! You're going to kill him" David warns the older man

"Isn't that the point?" Amelia shrugged earning a judgmental glare at the assassin. The sheriff pries the old man off the florist getting a glimpse of his hands and sees that they're covered in mine dust. Like his was when he helped the dwarfs out.

"You've been down in the mines" he says out-load "The tunnels – they lead out of town" shoving the Moe into the truck and the other's climbing in, the Prince took the wheel in a race against time towards the mines.

The four ran down the mines to find the track for the mine cart Gold held out his hand and used his magic to drag the cart back with Belle occupying said cart cuffed to it. Once the cart stopped at the start and Gold used his magic to snap the cuffs open.

"That is seriously… Wow" Ruby commented at Golds magical abilities.

"Belle, are you alright?" Gold asked his love as David helped her out of the cart.

"Yeah. I, uh… I think so" she replied

"You remember who I am?

"I do, Rumpelstiltskin. I… I remember" relieved Mr. Gold hugged Belle, but she doesn't reciprocate.

Gold pulled back concerned that Belle didn't hug him back "Belle, what's wrong?"

"Thank you for what you just did, but that doesn't change that you're too cowardly to be honest with me"

"Well, Belle, that's just-" Gold tried to reply but Mr. French interrupted the Dark One

"I tried to tell them that, Belle. Come with me, darling"

"After what you just tried to do to me? You're no better, Father. You don't get to decide what I do or how I feel. I do. If either of you cared about me, you would've listened. I don't want to see either of you again. Ever" Belle glanced back to Amelia including her in the conversation and left, leaving the rest behind them.

The next day Amelia watched from the street from the clock tower as Gold left the clock tower where Belle was now working as the librarian. Quickly crossing the street, she opened the door to the library and found Belle looking through the shelves. Hearing the door open she was surprised to Amelia stood at the front desk.

"He used to talk about you" Amelia says first.

"What?"

"Rumple. He talked about you. Not by name but by the way he talked about the caretaker he used to have, reminded me of something I thought I'd lost a long time ago"

"You knew him?" Amelia nodded solemnly

"I worked for him back home. He'd give me a name and location of a person that went back on a deal and the..Black Widow would go deal with said person in return, for moeny for my home, new weapons and information about the people who hurt my family"

"Family?"

"A little while after I left your castle, I returned home to witness my father die at the hand of the people I used to call family for falling in love with my mother and having me. I did the same thing any scared girl would do at the time. I ran. Three years later they found me and killed my husband and took my three-year-old son away from me" Belle looked stunned by her revelation, the grief still remained in her eyes as she told her story.

"In the years since I've been hunting down my former brothers and killed them in my vengeance, I worked for both the Dark One and The Evil Queen. I let myself become the worst version of myself"

"Amelia, I'm so sorry for what happened to you, but it doesn't excuse some of the stories I've heard of the Black Widow"

"I know" she nods "And I'm working on it" the redhead gulped "Look, it's a long-shot but if you ever want to come by the bar I own and come for a drink to talk, I'd really appreciate you giving me a second chance" Belle nodded

"What's the name of the bar?"

"The Hidden Ones. It's a bit of a dive. But the people there are good people"

"Okay"

Years Later

Amelia had taken the deal made by the Dark One after taking Iago's life. In the past few years she has managed to take down three of her five targets with alliances she had made with The Evil Queen. In-between her targets she has been taking care of those who didn't pay their debt to the Dark One. She had taken over her former home and developed an affection for the Evil Queen which was being partly reciprocated.

She walked into the Dark Castle after completing yet another contract. She was to hunt down the elusive Pied Piper of Hamlin and bring back its enchanted wooden pipe. The Dark One gave her wax ear plugs to stop her coming under the pipe's powers. She pushed the doors into his castle and saw him at his spinning wheel turning straw into threads of gold.

The Dark One heard her enter and stopped to greet her, she had her white hood down, he long red-hair cascaded down her shoulders in tight ringlets. Rumpelstiltskin almost mistook her as his sister with the similarities they both held. She reached into the robes he had given her at the start of their deal years ago. She would wear them when she was working for the Dark One and wear her black and red robes when she was working for the Evil Queen.

Those robes gave her the title of 'The Black Widow' by the villagers and townsfolk her 'Widow Bite' has become famous for inflicting a tremendous amount of pain from a small weapon. She pulled out the wooden pipe that he had given the Pied Piper and threw it into the air and catching it again as she approached him at this spinning wheel.

"I take the Pied Piper has played their last tune" he giggled as she held the pipe towards the Dark One

"That and a few of her little birds" he giggled again as he went to take it the instrument from her hands but before he got his hands on the enchanted piece she snatched it away and waked over to his long dining table and jumped up to sit on the table and resting her feet on one of the chairs.

"Arrogance doesn't suit you, dearie" he growled in annoyance at the woman.

"No arrogance" she defended herself "I want a different reward for this contract Dark One"

"What do you desire, more weapons? Gold for Monteriggioni? Name it and it will be yours"

"Answers" she held out the pipe for the Dark One who snatched the instrument out of her hand and stalked back to his spinning wheel

"Answers about what Assassin"

"Why did you want me to become your debt collector, there're mercenaries in the Enchanted Forest that would be more than willing to do your dirty work for less gold"

He's been waiting in trepidation since the day he found her fighting those Queens Guard. She was smart like her Mother. For his plan to work he couldn't let her know, if she knew she would be in danger by those against him. He needed her to find Bae.

"Let's just say…I'm invested in your future" he told her cryptically starting to spin his straw again

"Like how your invested in Snow Whites and Prince Charming's future or what it could make" he suddenly stopped surprised of what she knew.

"Different kind of investment dearie" he told her and continued to spin with his head down.

"I was taught from a young age what magic like that could do, even if we don't practice it ourselves and with you giving The Evil Queen a curse that would take the entire kingdoms to place without magic, the product of true love could break such a curse if you desired so"

"You're on very thin ice dearie" he warned her

"Then answer my question or I'll go and do the thing the Queen doesn't have the guts to do, kill Snow White and there'll be no curse. " she enjoyed pushing his buttons "It would be no trouble really"

Amelia suddenly found herself on her back on the wooden table with the Dark One's arm in her chest as he gripped her heart still in her chest. She snarled at him in pain showing him her teeth as he held her heart in his heart stopping the groan of pain that threatened to come out.

"You will not touch Snow White! Continue your work with your Queen or I'll make you wish your Brothers killed you years ago"

"Then tell me what I want to know" she growled at him she cried out in pain as he tightened his grip on her heart.

Suddenly he let go of her heart and walked away from the Assassin, as she caught her breath. Her heart pounding against her chest.

"Be gone with you, I'll send the crow with another target" Amelia sat up and kicked the chair down, jumping down onto the ground. She swiped her finger on the table. Dust gathered on the end of her finger.

"The Queen was right you, do need a new caretaker, old man" she brushed her fingers on her cloak and turned to leave. Once she shut the door behind her, she heard his yell in rage throwing objects across the room.

The musty smell of the shop hit her nose as soon as she opened the door triggering the bell above it to ring out, announcing her arrival to the Dark One as he limped out from the back of the shop to the front of the counter. She had no idea what the impromptu meeting was about, but it was never a good thing in her experience with the she should've staged a break in have brought her gauntlets with her.

"Miss Montague, thank you for coming" he greeted her as she closed the door behind her

"Well you were polite enough to call me" she said taking a few steps forward "So, what did you want?" he limped around the back counter until it was the only thing between them both. She stepped forward towards the sorcerer until she was stood in front of the counter with her arms crossed over her chest.

"It's uh actually something you want, tell me has the pain in her head gotten any better whenever you use your little gift?"

"No, only worse" she admits to him narrowing her eyes at him with suspicion "What did you do?"

"Nothing" he brushes her suspicions off "It's simply reacting to a realm where magic doesn't usually exist. And I just happen to have a cure for such an ailment" he reached down to something underneath the counter and brought out a small glass vial with bright blue liquid inside "Take this and you little problem will go away"

"What's your price?"

"Call it an investment" he says placing it on the counter between them "I need to find someone in this world, and I need your skill set to find him"

"You might not know because of your old age" she starts "But there's a small problem crossing the town line at the moment, you won't get the Assassin you need, you'll get the bar owner with a bad temper"

"I'm aware" he tells her "Leave that to me Miss Montague. This would be your last contract for me, find him and you'll be free to go. so to speak"

"Our final contract?" she stated curiously. He spoke of their final contract often, but it never seemed to come as the years went by. It would be the contract that would sever all ties she had with, no more dodgy deals, no more problems. She would be free to do as she liked.

"Our final contract" he confirmed

Snatching the vial into her hand, it rested in the palm of her hand as she looked back at the older man "Who's your target? I need a name"

"Baelfire. He's my son" A curious eyebrow quirked up in surprise. She never knew the man had children. To be honest she never asked. If this son of his was her way out of their deal she was going to take it. Pushing the vial up her hand so it sat in between her thumb and forefinger he uncorks the vial, shooting the liquid down her throat swallowing it in one gulp.

Gold watched as the assassin tested out his tonic as her irises flash a bright gold as her 'gift' turned on. Her eye's looked over the shop as it found all the magical items that sat in the store. A pair of puppets, a snow globe and several other trinkets glowed as she looked back at the man himself. The Dark One naturally gave off a red aura in warning as an enemy but, surprisingly it came up as blue. An ally.

There was no pain this time as the old man's tonic worked it's magic.

"Pleasure doing business with you as usual Rumple" at that the redhead turned to leave the shop only for his voice to stop her.

"Wait" he called out making her stop in the middel of his shop. She turned back ready to listen to whatever he had to say "Thank you. For finding Belle"

"Your Welcome old man" Amelia says with a tight smile before finally leaving.

AN:

Filler chapter but I hope this chapter opens the relationship between my OC and Rumpelstiltskin.

Small reference to one of my favorite stories by LizzieXX and her OUAT series Every Rose Has It's Thorns and its sequels. Her main character Piper gets a very brief mention (Sorry). It's a brilliant story, I recommend it to everyone.

Just to be clear there is NO connection to this story and her's. I thought it would make a nice Easter Egg for anyone who has read that story already and I haven't been asked to mention the author.

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