Debt to the Devil (Part Two)
This is part two to "Debt to the Devil" I'm going to post this here and on my journal first as a dry run to see how people like it. Feedback would be wonderful!
ALSO NOTE THE RATING IS R for fun times
Note: I do not own “Once Upon A Time” and I do not make a profit from writing this story. I’m just amusing myself.
Authors Note: Massive shout out to josiefier and mcc2040 for their help and encouragement. Also much kudos and cookies to cyprith for giving Mr. Gold the name of Timothy, I love it so much I’m using it.
Rating: R (For very strong language and sensual content)
Warnings: Violence, Blood, Language
Genre: Angst/Drama
Word Count: 4,065
Cast: Ruby, Mr. Gold, David Nolan, Mary Margaret, Granny, Archie
Summary: He wanted her to live and he wanted her loyalty, but most of all, he wanted her to make a deal...
Debt to the Devil
Part Two: The Exchange
Ruby awoke with a scream, as she became aware she wasn’t dreaming and was in fact wide awake, it stopped immediately. She heard her Grandmother shuffling as fast as she could down the hall; the girl flopped down, her body soaked in sweat.
“Nightmare?” Granny called, given this was how her morning always began she felt no need to look in on her granddaughter any more. After all the girl usually didn’t like it when she burst in.
“Yeah,” Ruby called back, and shivered, this is exactly how their day started for as long as she could remember. Forcing herself from bed, she hurried into her bathroom and started the shower. She just wanted to feel clean, to feel fresh, not to feel the like her skin was caked in blood. She knew it was a dream but the feeling of being torn into, being caked in blood and mud and dying felt so real. It scared her more than anything in the world.
She confessed it to Archie Hopper once and he seemed to want to council her after that. Ruby would never spill that dream to him, mostly because within minutes she couldn’t remember what happened. Just that she was dying, a slow, lingering feeling, Archie looked at her so sadly and touched her hand so gently. He assured her she would be alright and she knew she was. She took pride that he looked at her like she was a Deity; it gave her a high to know she could make half the town want her with the turn of her lips. Something else he should probably council her on and they both knew it, but it wouldn’t happen.
“I won’t need you today, a few of the girls switched shifts and forgot so they are both showing up and neither one will call off,” Granny said when Ruby came down to the kitchen 15 minutes later.
“Oh, cool,” Ruby said, she didn’t feel like working today but yet again she never had a day where she felt like it was a good to be a waitress in a dead end town.
“But I will need you to go shopping,” Granny said, Ruby sighed into a glass of orange juice the woman poured for her.
“There’s always a catch,” she muttered and the old woman shot her a glance that could only be described as a death glare.
“Here’s your list and keep your phone on and don’t ignore my calls, I didn’t get to do inventory this week and I know that it will be a mess when I get there. You may need to bring me some supplies. This will not turn into last week when we had to shut down because we didn’t have enough flour!” Granny said as she left and Ruby stifled a giggle. The old woman’s rage amused her; she needed to relax before she put herself into her grave.
Ruby bounded back upstairs to dress, throwing her pajamas aside she took a glance at her naked body and smiled, she loved her body and knew how to use it. Choosing a black shirt and tight pants and forgoing her heels for knee high boots, she carefully applied her makeup and when she was satisfied she headed out. The day held a cool nip in the air and Ruby frowned, hoping it wouldn’t rain. She always hated that she never checked the weather before she left. As she walked into town, she passed Archie like she usually did on her days off. He smiled and greeted her as Pongo snuffled her legs.
“Good morning Ruby,” he said kindly, and she smiled at him. He was such a nice man, a man she knew if she just said the word, he’d happily date her. But she couldn’t bring herself to say it, he was such a good, pure man, she would only bring him heartache and she could never hurt him like that.
“Good morning Archie. Off to work?” she asked, their usual song and dance began.
“Yup, beautiful day out, good day to be off,” he said with a grin and she smiled and laughed as the dog lapped at her face.
“Yeah, looks like it, I hope it doesn’t rain,” she said and he gestured to his umbrella.
“That’s why I’m always prepared. You never know,” he said kindly, and looked at his watch. “I have to go, take care Ruby, pop in if you ever need anything,” it was the same parting words he always gave her and she replied with her same answer “maybe”. But always left him with a killer smile that she knew would make him melt.
She grabbed the list she had carefully folded into her pocket, it was always the same things. She walked to the main grocery store in town and grabbed a basket. She hated taking carts; she always was too careless and ended up knocking things and sometimes people over. Usually it was either Sean or Leroy that she would accidently hit. Except that one time where she hit the Mayor and nearly went to jail.
Just as she began the mind numbingly task of getting the first item on her list she realized there was a handsome man standing in her way, looking lost. She had seen his face before, the night of Granny’s heart attack; he was being brought into the hospital as a John Doe. As far as she knew from gossip he had woken up a week ago and had been saved by the Saint. Mary Margaret had brought him from his coma and back to life when they found him not breathing. Now seeing this man up and around, he seemed so familiar to her and she didn’t know why.
“You’re John Doe,” she blurted out and he looked at her, looked down and looked at her again, as if trying to place her.
“I usually go by David,” he told her and she smirked.
“Well then David, good to see you up, are you ok? You seem lost,” she said and he laughed softly.
“I think I am, I can’t remember why I’m here. Kathryn insisted I should be able to try a simple task to pick up one item…too bad I can’t remember,” he said idly and Ruby waved the piece of paper in her hand.
“That’s why you can always write it down,” she said shaking her head. “Was it something for the kitchen? Bathroom…bedroom?” she asked with a leer and he shook his head but wore a small smile.
“I can’t remember. Could I tag along with you? Maybe something you get will jog my memory,” he told her and she shrugged.
“Sure but why me?” she asked, this time he was the one to shrug.
“Don’t know. You seem familiar. Were we friends?” he asked and she shook her head.
“No,” she said, “I just hope your wife isn’t the jealous kind,” Ruby said as she strutted over to paper goods and grabbed paper towels.
“Why do you say that?” he asked, partially looking at her, partially squinting down the aisle hoping for a sign.
“I have a bad reputation around here,” she said with a wink and he laughed.
“I’ll reserve that judgment until I actually get to know you,” he said and she smiled, the only thought that crossed her mind was what a good man he seemed to be. That and he felt like a friend, someone she could trust.
“Why thanks, anything yet?” she asked as she checked off two more items on her list, only one was left.
“No. But thanks for your help…”
“Ruby,” she said and it felt odd but she offered her hand and he shook it without hesitation.
“Thanks for your help, Ruby. I appreciate it, I hate to impose myself and ruin your day but could you help me home as well?” and she felt nothing but pity for him and she nodded.
“Sure, I’d rather make sure you get home safe than wander around,” she said, it didn’t help he was easy on the eyes. He waited patiently for her to pay for her items and together they headed out. He handed her his ID with his address and she realized that thankfully it was only around the block. “I’ll get you home in no time,” she said and he smiled happily at her.
“Thank you,” he said and she nodded.
“No problem, I may be many things but I’m not heartless,” she told him and he looked confused.
“You don’t seem that you would be,” he said, he seemed so innocent and so sweet that she felt an honest smile grace her lips. Most smiles she wore were for show, but this time she felt touched.
“Thank you David,” she said, “I’m glad to make a good first impression since I usually don’t.”
“You seem to be judging yourself really harshly,” he said as they strolled.
“Why not, everyone else does,” Ruby said and let out a surprised ‘oh’ as she turned the corner and bumped into Mary Margaret. “Sorry!” Ruby squeaked but Mary Margaret’s attention seemed to be only on David and honestly Ruby didn’t blame her. When she watched them, she felt like she was interrupting something she couldn’t understand. It felt intense just as they spoke, there was such a longing in their faces, something she knew they probably didn’t realize how heart aching it was to watch them. They seemed like long lost lovers ripped apart by fate though they had just met.
“-and Ruby said she’d help me get home,” David was saying when Ruby tuned back in at the sound of her name.
“That was kind of you Ruby,” Mary Margaret said and Ruby wasn’t sure if she meant it as sincerely as she did. But the girl nodded.
“I’d feel better if I knew he got home safely instead of wandering around lost. You can take him the rest of the way, I have eggs and milk to get home,” Ruby said and Mary Margaret nodded.
“Oh ok, thank you, I will,” Mary Margaret said, and Ruby smiled at the eagerness in the other woman’s eyes. She bid them both goodbye and turned back on her way home. She watched the clouds darken and thunder sounded above.
“Shit,” Ruby cursed as the sky opened up and in moments she was soaked. “Really?” Ruby cursed to the heavens. “Try to do one nice thing and-“just when she thought it couldn’t get worse, her bag let go and everything smashed to the concrete below. “Fucking wonderful.” She sighed, feeling so frustrated and angry that she threw down the tatters of the bag and just stood there in the rain.
“Ruby, are you in need of help, my dear?” came a voice from the road and she looked over to see Mr. Gold calling out to her from his car.
“No.” She was surprised when he laughed.
“No need to lie, come on, you’ll catch your death out here. You have a few more blocks to walk and groceries that need replacing. Let me take you to my home and you can wait out the rain,” he said and Ruby looked at her destroyed goods, to his car, to him and back to the sky.
Her Gran had always warned her about him, she said he was a dangerous man. Ruby was aware of his dealings, legal and not so legal but she never saw the danger that everyone said. She saw a man who had money who was either giving back or making sure people got what they wanted. He had always been so kind to her, not judging her for the reputation that was really ill begotten from her appearance alone.
“Come on Ruby, I’m starting to hold up traffic,” he said with a grin, she smirked, she liked it when he was being playful because given the town at this time of day, traffic was non-existent. She shook her head and climbed into the car, uncomfortably wet and cold. She shivered and watched as he turned the heat all the way up and pointed all vents towards her.
“Thank you, Mr. Gold, you’re too kind,” she told him, finding herself shaking and she wasn’t sure if it was because of the cold.
“No, just a man trying to offer help to a beautiful girl in obvious distress,” she laughed softly.
“Usually I don’t like to be even lightly compared to a damsel in distress, but you are not wrong in this case. Just goes to show I can’t do something nice for people, karma just bites me in the ass,” she said and he looked over to her.
“What did you do?” he asked and she leaned closer to the hot air blowing at her.
“I walked David Nolan home so he wouldn’t get lost, he’s still not really all there,” she said and he nodded.
“It’s good to know the man is at least healthy enough to be on his own two feet,” he said idly and she nodded.
“Yeah, but whatever. Thanks for the lift and hospitality, Mr. Gold,” she said and looked over to him as they pulled into his driveway. “I’ll have to think of some way to thank you,” she said and when he parked his car she leaned over and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. Then she scampered out of the car and up the stairs to wait under the overhang in front of the door.
He looked at her unsure how to continue on with his day now. This beautiful girl, who had tempted him for years, was making her move on him. Lord save him, he wanted to give in. But he knew what it meant for her, the talk that would follow. The names she would be called, on top of what she was being called now. He wouldn’t say they had a friendship but it was a back and forth of trust.
He hurried as best he could to get out of the car to let her in. It was never easy to have a limp when the barometer was low. The pain in his leg was almost unbearable but the thought of spending the day with her, instead of the haze of pain killers, sounded so much better. When he let her in he smiled at her reaction, she spun around and then carefully climbed out of her boots.
“Let’s get you upstairs, you may have a bath to warm up, I’ll launder your clothes and you can wait out the rain,” he said and she smiled.
“Thank you,” she said and followed him upstairs. He led her to the guest bathroom that was already for company. He usually kept one prepared just in case. He never knew when someone would be in need of a place to stay. He headed to his own room to shrug off his coat and the jacket for his suit, and placed his cane next to the bed.
When Gold knocked on the bathroom door to check on Ruby, he heard the tub running. But over the noise he heard her voice telling him to come in. He just willed himself before opening the door. He knew what was on the girls mind as of late and he just prayed he could keep his resolve. He was not a good man, but he tried to be a decent one and to take advantage of an emotional young woman would torment him.
She was wrapped up in the robe he had provided her, her clothes were in a pile in a corner. She was bent over the tub, her hand under the faucet; he could see a lot of her leg. Her long, perfect, pale, slender leg. He swallowed hard; she was not making this easy.
“Thanks again, Mr. Gold,” she said, smiling at him, she looked stunning with no makeup on her face, though she’d never believed him if he said so.
“It’s not problem, dear, I’d rather you not catch your death,” he told her and he stood there as she shut off the water as the tub filled and he was amused to see the obnoxious amount of bubbles she had added. He shook his head. “Your clothes?” he asked, and she let out an ‘oh!’ She grabbed the pile from near her and handed it out to him.
They watched from the fumbled mess as her red underwear landed at her feet. She smiled as she saw color in his cheeks but nevertheless he knelt down to grab them. She shivered as she felt the air from his body touch her cool skin. She moved her clothes so she could see him looking up at her and she swallowed. Her bare knee was so close to his face and she had never been so aroused in her life. It was a bit startling that all he was doing was looking at her with a conflicted look. She sighed as she felt his hand touch her knee and slide up her thigh.
She threw her clothes back on the floor and placed her hands on the back of his head. She couldn’t help it as she pushed him closer, and she could feel his hot breath on her upper thigh. She wanted to beg him to eat her right then and there and she realize he was drawing shaky breaths. He was fighting to stay in control and she wanted nothing more than to break it. He began to stand, slowly brushing himself against her body on the way up. When they were standing face to face, she grabbed him and slammed her lips to his.
That broke him momentarily, the taste of her lips, and the aggressiveness of her kiss. His hands went from her hips to the top of her buttocks and then raced up her back to crush her to him. He surprised her with his strength as he lifted her up and put her on the counter, never once breaking his lips from hers. She could feel him, hard, under the confines of his pants and she ground herself against him. He broke the kiss as she moaned, as she bucked against him and his hips jerked for her.
“No, no,” he panted, pulling away, “We have to stop.” He growled out firmly and she looked at him from the counter. The robe was nearly off her body and he could feel his erection throbbing, wanting nothing more than to release inside her. “Christ,” he breathed and she was looking at him like he was insane.
“But why?” she asked, “You can obviously get it up and looks like you know how to use it,” she insisted and he shook his head.
“I’ll have you know that I do, but I can’t let this happen, the talk about you would be so unfair,” he said and she shook her head, looking as furious as he ever saw her.
“Fuck the talk and this town! I don’t give a shit! If I did, I wouldn’t dress the way I do! I would be some simpering bitch trying to please everyone! I know what I want and right now, it’s you, Mr. Gold” She said, climbing off the counter to go toe to toe with him and he’d be damned for saying it wasn’t the biggest turn on he ever had in his life…well this life.
“Why me? And its Timothy,” he said mildly, “What does a pretty, young woman like yourself want an old man?” she rolled her eyes.
“Act like your 80 why don’t you? You’re smart, you’re handsome, your accent makes me weak and from that kiss alone I’d say it’s because you’d be the best fuck I ever had,” she said bluntly and he smiled.
“I would be, but what else can I offer you? I mean, being the best sex you ever had is tempting but you can’t exactly brag about that,” she laughed and he glared at her.
“Says you,” she winked; he let out a low sigh.
“Answer my question, besides money, besides sex, what more do I have that you want? What can I offer you in a relationship?” That sobered her up immediately.
“It’s not the money. Sex is a bonus. I feel safe when I’m with you, I feel like I can be me. I don’t feel that I’m being judged, I don’t feel that you look down on me. You listen to me, I…I just…trust you,” she said with a sigh. “I don’t care what anyone says, I never have, and I’m sorry for trying to take advantage of you,” she said and she was startled when he laughed.
“Oh Pet, you have nothing to apologize for. If you have the need to apologize for making your arousal known, the fault lies with me and not you. Trust me, having you shove my face between your legs was one of the most erotic moments I’ve ever had. And it’s taking all the strength in me to not fall to my knees and worship you with my tongue,” he saw her face flush and she looked so turned on.
“You’re not helping,” she told him and he smirked. “And just think I was going to show you what you were missing, oh well,” she sighed.
“Never said I would, I’m going to go launder your clothes and change now that you’ve made a mess on my pants,” he said, shaking his head. “I will be in the study when you finish with refreshments, now enjoy your bath.” He said, brushing past to gather the pile of clothes and limped from the room. Ruby stood there, confused and aroused; shaking her head she dropped the robe and climbed into the bath.
It was about 20 minutes later when she joined him in the study. He was sitting on a couch, a glass of wine in front of him, an empty glass for her beside it. He was reading an old looking book, and she walked on the plush carpet and began to look at his collection of books. That’s when gold writing caught her eye and she pulled the book from the shelf. The large book looked familiar and she realized it was just like the one she had seen Emma, Mary and Henry carrying around.
“It’s ok dear, you can look at it,” he said, not looking up and she took it with her as she headed to his side. Dropping down, beside him she laughed softly. “What?” he asked.
“It’s a book of fairytales,” she said and he shrugged.
“It’s a collector’s piece; there are only two copies of this book.”
“I know, I’ve seen the other,” Ruby said, “Doesn’t look as good as this one though. This is mint, the other is beat up…ripped up,” she looked over to see him frowning.
“Who had it?” he asked.
“Henry, he got it from Mary Margret and Emma’s read it too but I heard them talking, the ending is missing.” She said and he sighed.
“It happens, children are careless. What did they say about it?” he asked, and smiled as Ruby poured herself a glass and leaned into him. He placed his arm around her so she could recline comfortably against him.
“Well I got this from Archie but Henry thinks everyone in town are characters from the book. He doesn’t have everyone figured out but he’s convinced Regina is the Wicked Queen and Mary is Snow White and Archie is Jiminy Cricket. He cares for Henry and he feels this is how Henry is exploring the world around him.” He watched her skim through the pages and she quickly closed it. “Boring. Fairytales aren’t real and there’s no such thing as a happy ever after.”
“You don’t believe in Witches and Curses? Imps and Crickets? Princes and Happy Ever After?” he asked and she laughed.
“Hell no,” she said, an idea struck her as she slowly stopped laughing. “You should tell me a story,” and he grinned at her, a wolfish grin that she liked very much.
“Once upon a time, in an enchanted forest, there was a young girl who had been told not to go into the forest alone…”
---
TO BE CONTINUED
ALSO NOTE THE RATING IS R for fun times
Note: I do not own “Once Upon A Time” and I do not make a profit from writing this story. I’m just amusing myself.
Authors Note: Massive shout out to josiefier and mcc2040 for their help and encouragement. Also much kudos and cookies to cyprith for giving Mr. Gold the name of Timothy, I love it so much I’m using it.
Rating: R (For very strong language and sensual content)
Warnings: Violence, Blood, Language
Genre: Angst/Drama
Word Count: 4,065
Cast: Ruby, Mr. Gold, David Nolan, Mary Margaret, Granny, Archie
Summary: He wanted her to live and he wanted her loyalty, but most of all, he wanted her to make a deal...
Debt to the Devil
Part Two: The Exchange
Ruby awoke with a scream, as she became aware she wasn’t dreaming and was in fact wide awake, it stopped immediately. She heard her Grandmother shuffling as fast as she could down the hall; the girl flopped down, her body soaked in sweat.
“Nightmare?” Granny called, given this was how her morning always began she felt no need to look in on her granddaughter any more. After all the girl usually didn’t like it when she burst in.
“Yeah,” Ruby called back, and shivered, this is exactly how their day started for as long as she could remember. Forcing herself from bed, she hurried into her bathroom and started the shower. She just wanted to feel clean, to feel fresh, not to feel the like her skin was caked in blood. She knew it was a dream but the feeling of being torn into, being caked in blood and mud and dying felt so real. It scared her more than anything in the world.
She confessed it to Archie Hopper once and he seemed to want to council her after that. Ruby would never spill that dream to him, mostly because within minutes she couldn’t remember what happened. Just that she was dying, a slow, lingering feeling, Archie looked at her so sadly and touched her hand so gently. He assured her she would be alright and she knew she was. She took pride that he looked at her like she was a Deity; it gave her a high to know she could make half the town want her with the turn of her lips. Something else he should probably council her on and they both knew it, but it wouldn’t happen.
“I won’t need you today, a few of the girls switched shifts and forgot so they are both showing up and neither one will call off,” Granny said when Ruby came down to the kitchen 15 minutes later.
“Oh, cool,” Ruby said, she didn’t feel like working today but yet again she never had a day where she felt like it was a good to be a waitress in a dead end town.
“But I will need you to go shopping,” Granny said, Ruby sighed into a glass of orange juice the woman poured for her.
“There’s always a catch,” she muttered and the old woman shot her a glance that could only be described as a death glare.
“Here’s your list and keep your phone on and don’t ignore my calls, I didn’t get to do inventory this week and I know that it will be a mess when I get there. You may need to bring me some supplies. This will not turn into last week when we had to shut down because we didn’t have enough flour!” Granny said as she left and Ruby stifled a giggle. The old woman’s rage amused her; she needed to relax before she put herself into her grave.
Ruby bounded back upstairs to dress, throwing her pajamas aside she took a glance at her naked body and smiled, she loved her body and knew how to use it. Choosing a black shirt and tight pants and forgoing her heels for knee high boots, she carefully applied her makeup and when she was satisfied she headed out. The day held a cool nip in the air and Ruby frowned, hoping it wouldn’t rain. She always hated that she never checked the weather before she left. As she walked into town, she passed Archie like she usually did on her days off. He smiled and greeted her as Pongo snuffled her legs.
“Good morning Ruby,” he said kindly, and she smiled at him. He was such a nice man, a man she knew if she just said the word, he’d happily date her. But she couldn’t bring herself to say it, he was such a good, pure man, she would only bring him heartache and she could never hurt him like that.
“Good morning Archie. Off to work?” she asked, their usual song and dance began.
“Yup, beautiful day out, good day to be off,” he said with a grin and she smiled and laughed as the dog lapped at her face.
“Yeah, looks like it, I hope it doesn’t rain,” she said and he gestured to his umbrella.
“That’s why I’m always prepared. You never know,” he said kindly, and looked at his watch. “I have to go, take care Ruby, pop in if you ever need anything,” it was the same parting words he always gave her and she replied with her same answer “maybe”. But always left him with a killer smile that she knew would make him melt.
She grabbed the list she had carefully folded into her pocket, it was always the same things. She walked to the main grocery store in town and grabbed a basket. She hated taking carts; she always was too careless and ended up knocking things and sometimes people over. Usually it was either Sean or Leroy that she would accidently hit. Except that one time where she hit the Mayor and nearly went to jail.
Just as she began the mind numbingly task of getting the first item on her list she realized there was a handsome man standing in her way, looking lost. She had seen his face before, the night of Granny’s heart attack; he was being brought into the hospital as a John Doe. As far as she knew from gossip he had woken up a week ago and had been saved by the Saint. Mary Margaret had brought him from his coma and back to life when they found him not breathing. Now seeing this man up and around, he seemed so familiar to her and she didn’t know why.
“You’re John Doe,” she blurted out and he looked at her, looked down and looked at her again, as if trying to place her.
“I usually go by David,” he told her and she smirked.
“Well then David, good to see you up, are you ok? You seem lost,” she said and he laughed softly.
“I think I am, I can’t remember why I’m here. Kathryn insisted I should be able to try a simple task to pick up one item…too bad I can’t remember,” he said idly and Ruby waved the piece of paper in her hand.
“That’s why you can always write it down,” she said shaking her head. “Was it something for the kitchen? Bathroom…bedroom?” she asked with a leer and he shook his head but wore a small smile.
“I can’t remember. Could I tag along with you? Maybe something you get will jog my memory,” he told her and she shrugged.
“Sure but why me?” she asked, this time he was the one to shrug.
“Don’t know. You seem familiar. Were we friends?” he asked and she shook her head.
“No,” she said, “I just hope your wife isn’t the jealous kind,” Ruby said as she strutted over to paper goods and grabbed paper towels.
“Why do you say that?” he asked, partially looking at her, partially squinting down the aisle hoping for a sign.
“I have a bad reputation around here,” she said with a wink and he laughed.
“I’ll reserve that judgment until I actually get to know you,” he said and she smiled, the only thought that crossed her mind was what a good man he seemed to be. That and he felt like a friend, someone she could trust.
“Why thanks, anything yet?” she asked as she checked off two more items on her list, only one was left.
“No. But thanks for your help…”
“Ruby,” she said and it felt odd but she offered her hand and he shook it without hesitation.
“Thanks for your help, Ruby. I appreciate it, I hate to impose myself and ruin your day but could you help me home as well?” and she felt nothing but pity for him and she nodded.
“Sure, I’d rather make sure you get home safe than wander around,” she said, it didn’t help he was easy on the eyes. He waited patiently for her to pay for her items and together they headed out. He handed her his ID with his address and she realized that thankfully it was only around the block. “I’ll get you home in no time,” she said and he smiled happily at her.
“Thank you,” he said and she nodded.
“No problem, I may be many things but I’m not heartless,” she told him and he looked confused.
“You don’t seem that you would be,” he said, he seemed so innocent and so sweet that she felt an honest smile grace her lips. Most smiles she wore were for show, but this time she felt touched.
“Thank you David,” she said, “I’m glad to make a good first impression since I usually don’t.”
“You seem to be judging yourself really harshly,” he said as they strolled.
“Why not, everyone else does,” Ruby said and let out a surprised ‘oh’ as she turned the corner and bumped into Mary Margaret. “Sorry!” Ruby squeaked but Mary Margaret’s attention seemed to be only on David and honestly Ruby didn’t blame her. When she watched them, she felt like she was interrupting something she couldn’t understand. It felt intense just as they spoke, there was such a longing in their faces, something she knew they probably didn’t realize how heart aching it was to watch them. They seemed like long lost lovers ripped apart by fate though they had just met.
“-and Ruby said she’d help me get home,” David was saying when Ruby tuned back in at the sound of her name.
“That was kind of you Ruby,” Mary Margaret said and Ruby wasn’t sure if she meant it as sincerely as she did. But the girl nodded.
“I’d feel better if I knew he got home safely instead of wandering around lost. You can take him the rest of the way, I have eggs and milk to get home,” Ruby said and Mary Margaret nodded.
“Oh ok, thank you, I will,” Mary Margaret said, and Ruby smiled at the eagerness in the other woman’s eyes. She bid them both goodbye and turned back on her way home. She watched the clouds darken and thunder sounded above.
“Shit,” Ruby cursed as the sky opened up and in moments she was soaked. “Really?” Ruby cursed to the heavens. “Try to do one nice thing and-“just when she thought it couldn’t get worse, her bag let go and everything smashed to the concrete below. “Fucking wonderful.” She sighed, feeling so frustrated and angry that she threw down the tatters of the bag and just stood there in the rain.
“Ruby, are you in need of help, my dear?” came a voice from the road and she looked over to see Mr. Gold calling out to her from his car.
“No.” She was surprised when he laughed.
“No need to lie, come on, you’ll catch your death out here. You have a few more blocks to walk and groceries that need replacing. Let me take you to my home and you can wait out the rain,” he said and Ruby looked at her destroyed goods, to his car, to him and back to the sky.
Her Gran had always warned her about him, she said he was a dangerous man. Ruby was aware of his dealings, legal and not so legal but she never saw the danger that everyone said. She saw a man who had money who was either giving back or making sure people got what they wanted. He had always been so kind to her, not judging her for the reputation that was really ill begotten from her appearance alone.
“Come on Ruby, I’m starting to hold up traffic,” he said with a grin, she smirked, she liked it when he was being playful because given the town at this time of day, traffic was non-existent. She shook her head and climbed into the car, uncomfortably wet and cold. She shivered and watched as he turned the heat all the way up and pointed all vents towards her.
“Thank you, Mr. Gold, you’re too kind,” she told him, finding herself shaking and she wasn’t sure if it was because of the cold.
“No, just a man trying to offer help to a beautiful girl in obvious distress,” she laughed softly.
“Usually I don’t like to be even lightly compared to a damsel in distress, but you are not wrong in this case. Just goes to show I can’t do something nice for people, karma just bites me in the ass,” she said and he looked over to her.
“What did you do?” he asked and she leaned closer to the hot air blowing at her.
“I walked David Nolan home so he wouldn’t get lost, he’s still not really all there,” she said and he nodded.
“It’s good to know the man is at least healthy enough to be on his own two feet,” he said idly and she nodded.
“Yeah, but whatever. Thanks for the lift and hospitality, Mr. Gold,” she said and looked over to him as they pulled into his driveway. “I’ll have to think of some way to thank you,” she said and when he parked his car she leaned over and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. Then she scampered out of the car and up the stairs to wait under the overhang in front of the door.
He looked at her unsure how to continue on with his day now. This beautiful girl, who had tempted him for years, was making her move on him. Lord save him, he wanted to give in. But he knew what it meant for her, the talk that would follow. The names she would be called, on top of what she was being called now. He wouldn’t say they had a friendship but it was a back and forth of trust.
He hurried as best he could to get out of the car to let her in. It was never easy to have a limp when the barometer was low. The pain in his leg was almost unbearable but the thought of spending the day with her, instead of the haze of pain killers, sounded so much better. When he let her in he smiled at her reaction, she spun around and then carefully climbed out of her boots.
“Let’s get you upstairs, you may have a bath to warm up, I’ll launder your clothes and you can wait out the rain,” he said and she smiled.
“Thank you,” she said and followed him upstairs. He led her to the guest bathroom that was already for company. He usually kept one prepared just in case. He never knew when someone would be in need of a place to stay. He headed to his own room to shrug off his coat and the jacket for his suit, and placed his cane next to the bed.
When Gold knocked on the bathroom door to check on Ruby, he heard the tub running. But over the noise he heard her voice telling him to come in. He just willed himself before opening the door. He knew what was on the girls mind as of late and he just prayed he could keep his resolve. He was not a good man, but he tried to be a decent one and to take advantage of an emotional young woman would torment him.
She was wrapped up in the robe he had provided her, her clothes were in a pile in a corner. She was bent over the tub, her hand under the faucet; he could see a lot of her leg. Her long, perfect, pale, slender leg. He swallowed hard; she was not making this easy.
“Thanks again, Mr. Gold,” she said, smiling at him, she looked stunning with no makeup on her face, though she’d never believed him if he said so.
“It’s not problem, dear, I’d rather you not catch your death,” he told her and he stood there as she shut off the water as the tub filled and he was amused to see the obnoxious amount of bubbles she had added. He shook his head. “Your clothes?” he asked, and she let out an ‘oh!’ She grabbed the pile from near her and handed it out to him.
They watched from the fumbled mess as her red underwear landed at her feet. She smiled as she saw color in his cheeks but nevertheless he knelt down to grab them. She shivered as she felt the air from his body touch her cool skin. She moved her clothes so she could see him looking up at her and she swallowed. Her bare knee was so close to his face and she had never been so aroused in her life. It was a bit startling that all he was doing was looking at her with a conflicted look. She sighed as she felt his hand touch her knee and slide up her thigh.
She threw her clothes back on the floor and placed her hands on the back of his head. She couldn’t help it as she pushed him closer, and she could feel his hot breath on her upper thigh. She wanted to beg him to eat her right then and there and she realize he was drawing shaky breaths. He was fighting to stay in control and she wanted nothing more than to break it. He began to stand, slowly brushing himself against her body on the way up. When they were standing face to face, she grabbed him and slammed her lips to his.
That broke him momentarily, the taste of her lips, and the aggressiveness of her kiss. His hands went from her hips to the top of her buttocks and then raced up her back to crush her to him. He surprised her with his strength as he lifted her up and put her on the counter, never once breaking his lips from hers. She could feel him, hard, under the confines of his pants and she ground herself against him. He broke the kiss as she moaned, as she bucked against him and his hips jerked for her.
“No, no,” he panted, pulling away, “We have to stop.” He growled out firmly and she looked at him from the counter. The robe was nearly off her body and he could feel his erection throbbing, wanting nothing more than to release inside her. “Christ,” he breathed and she was looking at him like he was insane.
“But why?” she asked, “You can obviously get it up and looks like you know how to use it,” she insisted and he shook his head.
“I’ll have you know that I do, but I can’t let this happen, the talk about you would be so unfair,” he said and she shook her head, looking as furious as he ever saw her.
“Fuck the talk and this town! I don’t give a shit! If I did, I wouldn’t dress the way I do! I would be some simpering bitch trying to please everyone! I know what I want and right now, it’s you, Mr. Gold” She said, climbing off the counter to go toe to toe with him and he’d be damned for saying it wasn’t the biggest turn on he ever had in his life…well this life.
“Why me? And its Timothy,” he said mildly, “What does a pretty, young woman like yourself want an old man?” she rolled her eyes.
“Act like your 80 why don’t you? You’re smart, you’re handsome, your accent makes me weak and from that kiss alone I’d say it’s because you’d be the best fuck I ever had,” she said bluntly and he smiled.
“I would be, but what else can I offer you? I mean, being the best sex you ever had is tempting but you can’t exactly brag about that,” she laughed and he glared at her.
“Says you,” she winked; he let out a low sigh.
“Answer my question, besides money, besides sex, what more do I have that you want? What can I offer you in a relationship?” That sobered her up immediately.
“It’s not the money. Sex is a bonus. I feel safe when I’m with you, I feel like I can be me. I don’t feel that I’m being judged, I don’t feel that you look down on me. You listen to me, I…I just…trust you,” she said with a sigh. “I don’t care what anyone says, I never have, and I’m sorry for trying to take advantage of you,” she said and she was startled when he laughed.
“Oh Pet, you have nothing to apologize for. If you have the need to apologize for making your arousal known, the fault lies with me and not you. Trust me, having you shove my face between your legs was one of the most erotic moments I’ve ever had. And it’s taking all the strength in me to not fall to my knees and worship you with my tongue,” he saw her face flush and she looked so turned on.
“You’re not helping,” she told him and he smirked. “And just think I was going to show you what you were missing, oh well,” she sighed.
“Never said I would, I’m going to go launder your clothes and change now that you’ve made a mess on my pants,” he said, shaking his head. “I will be in the study when you finish with refreshments, now enjoy your bath.” He said, brushing past to gather the pile of clothes and limped from the room. Ruby stood there, confused and aroused; shaking her head she dropped the robe and climbed into the bath.
It was about 20 minutes later when she joined him in the study. He was sitting on a couch, a glass of wine in front of him, an empty glass for her beside it. He was reading an old looking book, and she walked on the plush carpet and began to look at his collection of books. That’s when gold writing caught her eye and she pulled the book from the shelf. The large book looked familiar and she realized it was just like the one she had seen Emma, Mary and Henry carrying around.
“It’s ok dear, you can look at it,” he said, not looking up and she took it with her as she headed to his side. Dropping down, beside him she laughed softly. “What?” he asked.
“It’s a book of fairytales,” she said and he shrugged.
“It’s a collector’s piece; there are only two copies of this book.”
“I know, I’ve seen the other,” Ruby said, “Doesn’t look as good as this one though. This is mint, the other is beat up…ripped up,” she looked over to see him frowning.
“Who had it?” he asked.
“Henry, he got it from Mary Margret and Emma’s read it too but I heard them talking, the ending is missing.” She said and he sighed.
“It happens, children are careless. What did they say about it?” he asked, and smiled as Ruby poured herself a glass and leaned into him. He placed his arm around her so she could recline comfortably against him.
“Well I got this from Archie but Henry thinks everyone in town are characters from the book. He doesn’t have everyone figured out but he’s convinced Regina is the Wicked Queen and Mary is Snow White and Archie is Jiminy Cricket. He cares for Henry and he feels this is how Henry is exploring the world around him.” He watched her skim through the pages and she quickly closed it. “Boring. Fairytales aren’t real and there’s no such thing as a happy ever after.”
“You don’t believe in Witches and Curses? Imps and Crickets? Princes and Happy Ever After?” he asked and she laughed.
“Hell no,” she said, an idea struck her as she slowly stopped laughing. “You should tell me a story,” and he grinned at her, a wolfish grin that she liked very much.
“Once upon a time, in an enchanted forest, there was a young girl who had been told not to go into the forest alone…”
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TO BE CONTINUED