Enchanted Forest

Many Years Ago

He never enjoyed his visits to Rumpelstiltskin's Castle. He limited them to one or twice a month to drop off the vial of blood he asked for to keep his end of a recent deal they had made to keep another one of little 'incidents' from coming to light to the Queen. But he was happy to donate a vial or two of his blood to make sure she never heard what happened.

Letting himself into the castle, he made his way into the long room that served as the dining and living area where the Dark One's spinning wheel could be found only to find the curtains wide open letting the sunlight into the dusty room. But the thing that took him most by surprise was the young brunette that was busy dusting the table.

She must've heard him enter as she jumped making her heat beat faster than before, willing for the sound to lessen as he kept himself anchored to the present and not let his other half get the better of him.

"Oh, h-hello" she replied a little surprised to see the man in the castle, he wore a gentleman's day-wear attire paired with a neatly combed down hair and clean-shaven face that showed off his strong jaw and defined cheekbones "I'm sorry but w-who are you?".

"Hello" he greeted the young brunette that was in the castle "My apologies for startling you. I wasn't expecting anyone other than the Dark One. I'm Elijah" he greets the woman with a gentle smile that made her relax.

"Belle" she replied with a smile that mirrored his "A-are you looking for Rumple?".

"Rumple? You mean Rumpelstiltskin" he corrected her trying not to chuckle at the nickname.

"Ah yes, sorry" she chuckled out in embarrassment "He's not here at the moment. I'm not sure when he'll be back. Would you like to come back another time?".

"That's not necessary I can wait, if that's alright with you. I came here to drop something off and I don't wish to return too many times if I can help it".

"Oh okay, W-would you like some tea while you wait?".

"I would love some tea, Belle" he answers with a bright smile.

Storybrooke

Present

Elijah Mill's never thought he was a cruel man, but when it came to a simple principle to a matter, it was better to be cruel to be kind. So if he thought keeping Henry away from his birth mother after her accusation of him and Regina using public money to pay for new homes and designer suits.

But as he listened to Emma asking her roommate how her son was in the diner as he enjoyed some downtime with a new book he had purchased, he felt like the cruelest man in all of existence. But he had to remember how Emma and Sidney had broken into the Mayor's office to get the evidence they needed for their ill-fated investigation, using her position as Sheriff to go through confidential documents, the thought of it made his blood boil.

After the lengths he had gone to ensure Henry spent time with her, going against his sister's wishes, she hadn't even had the decency to apologize.

"So. How's your day going?" Emma asked her roommate not seeing Elijah say at the counter listening to what she said.

"Henry's fine" Mary-Margaret answers her.

"That's not what I asked you. …You sure?".

"Really. He's his normal self" the pixie haired teacher tells her "Regina won't keep you separated forever. When people are supposed to be together, they find a way".

"Yeah. So, he's his normal self? He's fine? He's happy?" the blonde continued.

"Yes" the teacher blurted out only to see the horrified look on Emma face to hear he was happy not to see her "No!" she quickly corrects herself "He misses you. A lot. Trust me. I'm with him, like, six hours a day".

"Six hours?" A voice asks her making the pair look behind them to see Ashley handing baby Alexandria over to Granny to hold her "You take newborns? Cause I'd love six hours off".

"Ashley! I didn't… I didn't even recognize you".

"Baby on the outside?" she points out to the teacher in jest as she takes a chair over to their table to join Emma and Mary Margaret blocking David from the teacher's view.

"How's it going?" Emma asks the young mother as Elijah catches the image of the small infant in Granny's arms remembering like it was only yesterday it was Henry in his arms.

"It's, uh… It's, uh… I mean, baby's great, but we really haven't had time to do the whole getting married thing. So, that's been rough. And Sean's been working double shifts at the cannery".

"Well, he has to work" Mary Margaret points out to her as Ruby comes over to give Ashley a coffee.

"On Valentine's Day?" she questions them "Yeah. He couldn't get out of it".

"I'm sorry. That sucks" the blond sympathizes with her.

"It doesn't have to" Ruby tell the group "Come out with me. Let's have a girl's night. We can all go. Mary Margaret – Emma, too. If you leave the badge at home".

"I'm not really in the party mood, but you guys can all go and have fun" the blonde turns the invitation down as her phone vibrates, receiving a message.

"What's that?" her roommate asks her.

"It's the station – something's up" she tell them getting up to leave only for a voice at the counter to make her freeze at the door.

"Have a good day Sheriff" Elijah called out making his presence known to the blonde as she was about to leave making her freeze at the door and turn on her heel to see the man looking straight at her with a small smile his face as Mary Margaret froze in her seat knowing he must've heard everything they had just been talking about.

"Thanks" Emma made herself reply .

"Your welcome" he replied politely "Didn't you say you were needed?".

"Yeah. Thanks" opening the door to leave and answer the call as Elijah spotted David in the booth with a book he had already read himself. Leaving the counter the man rounded the table to join the man, to see the title of the book he was reading .

"Ahh Anna Karenina. Very interesting" Elijah read the cover of the book David was reading in the booth "That's funny, I just recommended this book to Miss Blanchard only a few weeks ago".

"Actually, it was Mary-Margaret who suggested it" the man informs him.

"Really" he breathed out looking over to the pixie haired teacher with an amused grin on his face before looking back to David "Then I must have good taste. Were you able to read Dorian Gray?".

"Uh sorry, I didn't really get into it" he tells the Principle with a shrug of his shoulders.

"That's a shame. Give it another try. You'll find it's more interesting the further you get " Elijah encouraged hi "Perhaps I should convince my sister to re-open the library so we could all start a book club, so we an share in our collective interest in classic literature".

"Maybe" David answered nervously chuckled at the man.

"It was a joke David" Elijah tells the man with a grin "I don't have time to start anything now that my nephew is at home more now after his birth mother broke into my sister's office to illegally obtain confidential documents to use against her and myself" he says making sure Mary-Margaret clearly heard him to remind her why Emma wasn't allowed to see her son anymore.

"Enjoy your book Mr. Nolan" he tells the man before leaving the man and leaving the diner to start his day.

Returning to his home after dealing with a pesky pixie the Dark One re-entered his home more than ready to sit at his spinning wheel once and let his mind find peace for a few hours as he spun gold, his dream was cut short when he paused when he heard music coming from the dining room where his wheel sat combined with the sound of a woman's laughter. More specifically his new maids laughter. Belle. He'd never heard her laugh like that in her short time with him. The only cries that ever came from his home was cries of pain from his dungeons as he tortured those who dared to go back on a deal with him.

"Laughter?" he questioned out-load to himself as music "In my castle?".

Entering the room the Dark One was greeted with the image of his tea set laid out on the table with two cups put out as giggles belonging to his new maid rang out making him look further into the sun filled room to see his new maid being spun around by the Evil Queen's younger brother before she was pulled back for her back to meet his chest as music played out around them.

Playfully trapping her in his arms as his nose and mouth hovered over her exposed neck as dark veins grew under the man's eye's and fangs grew from his gums ready to clamp down on the soft delicate neck only to be stopped as he heard Rumpelstiltskin's voice bring him out of his hunger.

"Master Elijah!" snapping his head up, dark red eye's met his as the veins sunk back in to hide under his skin and his eye's turning back to the normal brown color as he allowed Belle to escape his arms to straighten herself out in front of her employer.

"Dark One!" the young man joyfully greeted the sorcerer "I was just introducing myself to your lovely maid".

"Is that what you call it now?" he sneers at the man after nearly catching the man feeding off the help.

"Uh- I-Rump-" she stammered trying to explain what they were doing.

"Enough!" the Dark One stops her stuttering as the music stops playing with a click of his fingers "Be gone with you. I have business with Master Mill's here that doesn't concern you".

"It was nice to meet you Miss Belle" he tells the maid taking her hand in his, gently lifting it to his lips to press them against her knuckles "I hope we meet again" his charming smile almost made her swoon as she was caught in his gaze as his eye's seemed to dilate as she became entranced in them.

"Belle!" the Dark One broke the woman's gaze making her look his way as she pulled her and out of Elijah's hand, not sure what had happened. It was like she wasn't in her own mind.

"Uh sorry" she mumbled "Goodbye Elijah" she tells the man before making her way out of the room. Once the door closed behind her a loud crash came inside making her want to go back inside only for something to tell her not to as the crashing continued.

Doing his best to clean up the blood around his neck with his handkerchief the Queen's younger brother made his way through the cast palace hallway to find his sister and tell her about the sweet maid he had met.

Splotches of his blood covered his clothes as waited for the wounds to heal after the beating he had endured from the Dark One from tempting to feed from his maid, leaving his body aching and his throat sore as he itched to find a servant to quench his thirst and completely heal. Maybe the Huntsman was around, he was always a favorite of his to feed from.

"Sister" his voice hoarsely croaked out as he found her sat at her vanity in her room "I just learnt the most delectable piece of news that will ever reach your ears".

"What the hell happened to you brother?" she questioned him hearing the soreness he felt in his throat "And why do you sound like that?" he questions him as he stood behind her with both his hand on her shoulders, bending down to meet her gaze in the reflection.

Rumpelstiltskin had jammed a wooden stake in his throat, he wanted to answer.

"Disagreement with a stake" he gulped "Don't you want to hear what I had just learnt?".

"Unless it's Snow White's head on a spike I don't care" she tells her brother.

"Better than Snow White. It's about the Dark One. He has a weakness" he whispers in her ear.

Turning on her stool the younger Mill's sibling stood up straight to address his sister.

"Tell me everything" she asks him with a wide smirk.

The pharmacy was the last place he wanted to be that evening especially to be around Mr. Clarke after feeling the first signs of a cold as the back of his throat scratched, but that was the price with working with children. You picked up any sort of virus that was doing the rounds, mid-February was cold which meant colds were being passed from child to child and to their teachers.

He hated lice season the most, it meant his sister pinned him down to treat his hair as Henry had to suffer the same fate at the first sign of either of them scratching their head. But he didn't mind the memories of Henry sat on his lap when he was younger as he sat on a chair with a towel over their shoulders while his sister 'attacked' them with a comb.

Gazing through the medicines that stacked the shelves that this world offered to combat illnesses that could possibly kill you back home, he looked for the cough syrup he and Regina religiously used for Henry whenever he was sick, picking up a bottle just in case, he looked for his own when he saw David Nolan looking through Valentine Cards.

Valentines Day. Yes. He was aware of the holidays this world celebrated. Although he didn't understand why people celebrated something so sad. And yes it celebrated Love in all it's forms, but the story associated with it ended very badly for the patron saint that inspired it.

Glancing towards the rack of cards that the Pharmacy sold, the younger Mill's sibling saw David Nolan stood before them with two cards in his hands instead of one before heading to the line to pay for them, where Mr. Gold was also waiting with a roll of duck tape and rope.

"Two valentines – sounds like a complicated life" Gold comments to the man behind him.

"Oh, no. I… I just couldn't decide" David tells the older man.

"These are both for the same woman?" Gold inquired with the man turning around to see two very different cards in his hands.

"Well, they're both so…us" David awkwardly answered the man .

"I see" Gold states with a sly smile on his lips "Well, you're fortunate you have someone that loves you".

"I really am" he states to the older man as Elijah joins the line with the medicines in his approaches the cashier to put the roll of duct tape and rope on the counter.

"Love – it's like a delicate flame"Gold tells the man behind him "And once it's gone, it's gone forever. Best of luck to you" he wishes the man as Mr. Clarke hands him a bag of his paid items over to him.

"Thanks".

"Master Mills" the older man greets the Principle as he moved past the younger man to leave the pharmacy.

"Mr. Gold" he answered in the usual way only to realize how he addressed him as he snapped his head around to watch the man leave as David approached the counter with his cards.

He would have to speak to his sister about that soon.

Walking down the middle long road through the forest with a basket in hand ready to fill with straw for Rumpelstiltskin, trusting her to return to the castle to tell her the tale of his son to her, the sound of horses hooves and neighing behind her, she back to see dark carriage behind escorted by a number of knights in dark armor and horses making their way towards her.

Stepping out to the side of the road, the maid allowed the horses to ride past her with the carriage only for the coach to stop in front of the young woman, the Evil Queen opens the door

"Did my carriage splash you?" the Queen asks her.

"Oh. Oh, no, um… I'm fine" she tells the woman in the carriage.

"You know, I'm tired of riding. Let me stretch my legs and walk with you for a spell" she says before turning to the passenger sat opposite her inside the carriage "Would you like to join us brother?".

"I think, I just might sister. Thank you" he says stepping out for carriage himself first for Belle to see the man that had visited the Dark One's castle only day or so ago. She didn't see him leave, but the mess that was left behind made her think she would never see him again. Or at least alive.

"Elijah?" Belle stated out of surprise to see the man with no evidence of his 'confrontation' with the Dark One.

"Lady Belle, the odds seem to be in my favor these days" he says with a charming smile on his face as he holds out a hand for his sister to take to ease her down from the carriage "Shall we walk?".

Walking ahead of the carriage Regina and Belle walked alongside the other as Elijah straggled behind them with a book in his hand and his head bent down to read the words off its pages he allowed his sister to speak to Rumpelstiltskin's new maid, who kept looking behind them to keep an eye on the man's behavior.

"I-is he okay" the young woman asks Elijah's sister.

"Oh he's fine" Regina brushes her concern off "He loves his books. I'd more concerned if he had anything else but a harmless book in his hands".

"Oh, okay" the maid

"You carry very little" the Queen noted out-load to the younger woman.

"I don't want to be slowed down" Belle replied.

"Mm. You're running from someone. The question is, master or lover?" she asked the young brunette, only to smile to herself as she knew the answer already "Oh. Master and lover".

"I might take a rest" Belle tells the woman stopping as Elijah pauses behind them to look up from his book to see what was going on "You… You two go on ahead" the maid suggest to the Queen only for the latter to put her arm around her to continue their walk anyway.

"So, if I'm right, you love your employer, but you're leaving him" she summarized.

"I might love him. I mean, I could, except… Something evil has taken root in him".

"Sounds like a curse to me" Regina tells her "And all curses can be broken. A kiss born of true love would do it" she suggests to the younger woman only to laugh it off "Oh, child, no. I would never suggest a young woman to kiss a man who held her captive. What kind of message is that?".

"Right" she mumbles in agreement.

"Besides, if he loves you, he would've let you go. And if he doesn't love you, well, then the kiss won't even work".

"Well, he did let me go" Belle tells the woman coming to stop once again.

"Yes, but no kiss happened" the dark haired woman reminded her.

"And a kiss… A kiss is enough? He'd be a man again?".

"An ordinary man. True love's kiss will break any curse".

Halfway home from the Pharmacy with pressing question to ask his sister on the forefront of his mind, the Principle became distracted when he received a phone call from Mary-Margaret Blanchard asking for him to call by the apartment. She sounded upset, which made the man forget about the small incident with Mr. Gold and walk to the teacher's apartment across town to knock on her door.

He didn't have to wait long for the door to swing open to see Mary Margaret stood on the other side to see him.

"Hello" he greets her from the hallway outside of her apartment.

"Hi, come on in" she readily invites him into the loft.

"So, what was it you needed to talk about?" he asks her stepping into the apartment, she closed the door behind them as he turned to face her "You sounded upset on the phone".

"I uh-" she started to try and explain why he was asked to come here only for the man to stop her.

"Oh sorry" he interrupted her "Hold on to that thought, I thought this might cheer you up" he says reaching into his jacket pocket to pull out a red envelope handing his friend.

"Happy Valentines Day" he wished his friend with a warm smile.

Opening the red envelope , the pixie-haired teacher takes out the card placed inside it to see a white card with a small picture of a 'Prince' crowning his 'Princess' with a a castle. Opening the card she read the small message written inside with the familiar neat cursive writing that belonged to the man in front of her:

To the fairest Miss Blanchard,

Happy Valentines Day.

From your friend,

Elijah x

"Oh Elijah" she breathed out as she looked up the man, overwhelmed by man's gesture only a while after telling David to go home to his wife after accidentally receiving his wife's card "You really didn't have to".

"I didn't, but I wanted to" he rebutted "Everyone deserves to know that they're thought of, every day of the year, not just on Valentines" he says reaching up to move a piece of her dark hair out the way of her face as her unhappy green eye's meet his, the tip of his thumb brushing against her cheek as he did so.

"You are a remarkable woman Miss Blanchard, if I can give you one bit of advise, it would be that whoever's made you this troubled, is not worth someone as kind and loving as you are, if they can't see that, then they must be foolish not to fight for you".

Leaning down the man placed a gentle kiss on the woman's forehead the Principle stepped away putting distance between himself and his teacher before walking around her to head to the door. Placing his hand on the handle the man paused looking back at his friend with a gentle smile on his face to see that she had turned to face him.

"Goodnight Mary-Margaret" he tells her.

"Goodnight Elijah" with a nod the ma opened the door to let himself out of the apartment to stop his friend of making a mistake she would surely regret the next morning.

Sitting on the uncomfortable cot in one of the cells in the Sheriff's Station after being arrested for assault on the owner of the 'Game of Thorns' shop owner and local florist Mr. French, the man had to watch the blonde Sheriff eat her lunch from her office as he remain behind bars.

"Pastrami" Emma tells the pawn shop owner "You want half?" the Sheriff offers the man from her office "You know, I still owe you that favor. Nice, fatty pastrami. Delicious way to clear the books".

"Well, I don't need a reminder that you owe me a favor" he replies "And when the day comes that I make my request, it'll be for more than half a sandwich"

Hearing footsteps from the entrance of the station, the Sheriff to looks up from her lunch to see Regina and Elijah walk in with Henry in their company coming to stop at the front of her glass paneled office.

"Sheriff Swan? We're letting you have thirty minutes with Henry" the Mayor tells the blonde Sheriff "Take him out, buy him ice cream" she says before the Mill's siblings turn their attention to the man in sat in the cell.

After his slip up the previous night with the younger sibling, it was time the had that chat they have been meaning to have with the man

"You want me to leave you two alone with a prisoner?" Emma voiced to the pair.

"Twenty nine and a half minutes Miss Swan" Elijah tells the woman as he and his sister watched the man behind bars.

"Hi, Emma" Henry greets his mother.

"Hey" she replies happy to see the ten-year old again, only to look towards the man in the cell in concern to leave him in the company of the siblings.

"Bring me back a cone?" Gold asks the woman

"Just this once" she agrees grabbing her coat from the rack to leave with Henry "Come on. Let's go" Emma tells her son before his mother or Uncle change their mind.

"Well, you really wanted that little chat, didn't you?" Gold voiced to the Mayor once the three of them were alone "You even brought little brother with you".

"Apparently, this is the only way I could do it" she replies taking a few steps towards the cell with a grin on her face.

"Please, sit" Gold offers the Mayor. Having to take the request the Mayor does so, asking a seat on the arm rest of the blue couch that sat next to the cell Gold was being held in before he slowly follows her coming to stand at the door of the locked cell, leaning his arm and shoulder again the bars.

"Now, when two people both want something the other has, a deal can always be struck. Do you have what I want?".

"Yes" Regina simply states with a small grin.

"So, you did put him up to it, then".

"I merely suggested, that strong men take what they need".

"Oh, yeah. And you told him just exactly what to take, didn't you?".

"We used to know each other so well, Mr. Gold" Elijah speaks up from his place at the bars making the older man looking up at him "Has it really come down to this?" Elijah asks the man.

"It seems it has, yeah. But you know what I want – what is it you want?".

"We want you, to answer one question" the Principle spoke for his sister "And answer it simply – what's your name?".

"It's Mr. Gold" he answers the pair.

"Your real name" Elijah corrects him "Because what you called me last night suggests otherwise".

"Every moment I've spent on this earth, that's been my name" the older man persists with his answer.

"But what about moments spent elsewhere?" the Mayoress questions him.

"What are you asking me?" he asks the elder sibling.

"I think you know. If you want me to return what's yours – tell me your name".

Silence enveloped the three as Mill's siblings waited for the man paused before a tight lipped grim they both recognized belonging to the Dark One grew on the man's face, confirming that somehow his cursed had been broken

"Rumpelstiltskin" he finally answered them, standing from the bed to latching his hand around the cell bar to bring his face closer to the bars to intimidate the Queen and her ripper brother "Now give me what I want".

"Such hostility..." the Queen commented as Elijah smirked to himself at his sister's taunt.

"Oh, yeah" he agreed nodding his head at her as the Queen reached into her purse to take out the chipped teacup.

"Over this? Such a sentimental little keepsake" she comments as she hold it in front of him before he catches the lip with his finger to take it from her.

"Thank you,Your Majesty" he tells the Queen, looking over to her younger brother "Master Mills" he addresses the younger sibling before retaking his seat on the cot with the teacup safely in his hands.

"So, now that we're being honest with each other, let's remember how things used to be, shall we? And don't let these bars fool you, dears. I'm the one with the power around here. I'm going to be out of here in no time, and nothing between us will change".

"We shall see".

Volunteering to see the girl himself, the elementary school Principle made his way through the hospital to find the hidden psychiatric ward in the basement. coming to the door the man pauses entering the pass code into the keypad next to the door to climb down the stairs that would lead down to the basement of the hospital.

Reaching the bottom of the stairs he was greeted by the nurse sat behind the deck of the ward who stood to greet him. Reaching inside his suit jacket pocket he pull out a single red rose, handing it to the nurse with a charming smirk playing on his lips.

"Pretty" the nurse comments at the rose given to her.

"Well, my sister and I know how hard you work" he tells the woman "Has anyone been to see her?".

"No, sir. Not today, not ever" the nurse answered him handing him the key to the 'cell' the girl was locked in "Only you".

"Good" he states turning to find the cell he was after.

Walking down the corridor, going past several doors either side of him, he walks past the patient mopping the floor paying no mind to him as he finds the cell, he uses the key given to him to let himself into the padded room to find a familiar brown haired young woman sat on the far corner of the bed with her knee's pulled up to her chest.

"Hello I'm Elijah" he greets her "Do you remember me?".

Nodding her head, she looks to the book that the man was holding knowing that's the reason he ever came down here to see her. Once a week he would venture down here to bring her a new book to make her time here a little more bearable, like he would when she was held prisoner in the Evil Queen's palace. He was limited to what he could bring to her back home, but in this world there were endless stories he could bring her from the authors that came from this world.

"I thought I would bring you some Agatha Christie novels this time" he tells the young brunette "She writes crime mysteries. This one is about a Detective Hercule Poirot, Murder on the Orient Express" he says placing it on far side of the bed for her to pick up later as he took back the Jane Austen book she had read last week.

"Did you enjoy Pride and Prejudice?" he asks her. She simply nods at him again. "Then I shall bring you another. Enjoy" he tells the woman before turning to leave, locking the door behind him.

AN: Hello! Hope you enjoyed the Chapter.

Next chapter will be a bit of a mix of the next few until we get to the Mary-Margaret story line and we get to learn more about Elijah's past. Personally, I can't wait to get to The Stable Boy and Elijah's involvement with Daniel's death.

Just to note I had Elijah give Mary Margaret the card David was supposed to give her. feel free to look back and see a still of the card I was trying to describe.

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