Title: Another Time, Another Place
Summary: One mysterious Maine town caused the "real" Audrey Parker to lose her memories. It's another mysterious Maine town that returns them to her. But not before she finds something she didn't know she had been missing.
Rating: R (sexual situations)
Spoilers: 2x03 of Haven, 1x16 of OUAT
Pairing/Characters: Audrey 2.0/Mr. Gold, mentions Archie Hopper, Audrey Parker 1.0, Emma Swan and others
Disclaimer: Once Upon a Time nor Haven are owned by me, but by ABC and SyFy. I’m simply borrowing these characters for non-profit entertainment.
A/N: One of my fills for the
ouatkinkmeme. Also, bonus points if anyone catches why I chose this ship.
~~
It had taken a week, but Audrey Parker's nearly life-long friend Emma Swan and her psychiatrist friend Dr. Hopper had come through. The dark-haired, and some might say actual, Audrey finally had her memories back. And as it turned out, she only had to come to another strange little town in Maine not too far from Haven to get them.
While everything else had come back to her, one thing continued to nag at the back of her mind. When Parker and she had first come to this town, Audrey had seen the man she had since learned was the resident pawnbroker and who also owned all of Storybrooke. In that first moment she had sensed that she knew him from somewhere.
Of course, initially, Audrey had been thrilled since he seemed to be the first person she had recognized since that day in the woods with Duke. She hadn't even been able to say that about her now ex-fiancée. Maybe it had been from another time or another place, maybe someone she had met while working a case years ago, but she felt she had very definitely known him.
Only now that she had her memories back, Audrey had realized she had never even seen him before, much less met him. Just as he had since told her more than once. But when she had been confused and had seemed to want to know him again, he had offered to help her. At least as much as he could this had equated to spending a bit of time with her to help her feel more comfortable, even less alone.
Parker and Emma had been more than a little worried it would do more harm than good, particularly with how Emma felt about the man. But Audrey had insisted and Mr. Gold had assured them he didn't mind. Really, that had only made Emma worry more.
But any time Audrey wasn't working as a sort of secretary for Emma she had found herself at his shop and he had welcomed her.
Even if he knew they had never met before in either world, Gold had decided the younger, dark-haired woman didn't seem to mean harm and perhaps it would be beneficial to befriend another person from the so-called real world. Particularly since he now knew that this woman had been a longtime friend of Emma's.
He had also heard rumors of where the Audrey and her friend, who was also named Audrey oddly enough, had come from. It was a place even he knew was almost as mysterious as some would consider Storybrooke to be. It helped too that he did find the woman attractive, and felt that perhaps Emma may owe him another favor if this paid off. But he found he had also missed having a woman look at him as Audrey seemed to so often. It was the soft smiles and the way her blue eyes would light up at the mere sight of him that he guessed had sped his downfall. With so many in town afraid of him or even outright despising him, this had been a nice change.
"Audrey," he smiled when he saw her coming into his shop that afternoon, "how lovely to see you."
She smiled back, part of her almost wanting to hug him on sight. She wondered for a second if she would always have that reaction to seeing him. "Hey. Emma and Parker sent me out on a lunch run, but I wanted to stop by here first."
"Are you sure the ladies won't mind?" he asked, sure they would only try to warn her away from him again. Even if he had been nothing but a downright gentleman with Audrey, Emma's suspicious nature seemed to have been contagious with the blonde agent.
"Well I'm here on a social visit, but not entirely happy one. Apparently since I've gotten my memories back, Parker's decided it's time to head back to Haven and then back home for me."
"Oh," he replied, a little surprised at his disappointment at that. "Today?"
Audrey shook her head. "Tomorrow." Even if she had since realized he had merely reminded her of a former friend and colleague and had not been that man himself, despite his uncanny resemblance to him, Audrey still hated the prospect of leaving now. For a week she had begun to know him even without really knowing herself. And now she worried she wouldn't get to continue to know him, particularly not as well as she had hoped.
"You must be happy about that. I'm sure you're anxious to see your friends and family again," he told her, distracting her from her reverie.
"Friends, yeah," she nodded, as long as they wouldn't keep looking at her like she were a glass doll or keep questioning her about what happened or how it happened or who or what she remembered first. "I never knew my family, but I met Emma in a group home when we were kids so we kind of became sisters. As for Parker, she's like family too, maybe even closer than Emma in a way, but that's a whole other weird story."
Sensing this might be goodbye, Gold told her, "In case I don't get another chance to tell you this before you leave, despite the initial circumstances for it, it has been nice to meet you and even to spend this time with you. I hope you have a safe trip back to Haven."
"Thanks. And even though it turned out we'd never met before, I'm glad I got to meet you anyway too. You've been really nice through all of this. I know it couldn't have been easy having some woman around who could barely remember her own name convinced that she knew you."
"In some ways you might be surprised how used it I've become," he replied, knowing just how many people he truly knew who didn't know their own real names either. The difference being that those in Storybrooke had other memories in place of their true past memories.
"No wonder you didn't think I was as crazy most would've thought," she almost chuckled.
"You weren't crazy, dear. You just needed a little help in remembering who you are. And you finally came to the right place to receive that help."
She mused over his words for a moment, certainly liking his take on it more than her own. "I guess so."
Seeing she didn't seem to be in a rush to leave, even to get that lunch order for her friends, Gold decided it might not hurt to ask her another question. "Since I suppose there was a reason you came to tell me in person of your plans for tomorrow, and in light of your memory having returned, would you care to join me tonight so I could perhaps leave you with a true memory of my company?"
Audrey's eyes widened slightly in her surprise, at that. Was he actually asking her out? Though she knew in a lot of ways he already had left her with some actual memories of his company. He had even been there, quite literally holding her hand when Dr. Hopper's hypnotherapy had finally worked and her memories had returned. But she nodded, enjoying that this might not be the last of him she would see after all. "What do you have in mind?"
"Dinner, perhaps? There's a restaurant not far from here I think you would enjoy. Shall I have my driver pick you up at the bed and breakfast at 8?"
Still a little stunned, she answered, "Yeah. Yeah, that's perfect."
He smiled. "Good. I suppose I should let you get back then, I'm sure the sheriff and her guest are wondering where their lunch is."
Audrey laughed. "Yeah. Right. Well, I guess I could always say I forgot."
Gold tried not to laugh, though he couldn't believe she would joke about that. "You could indeed."
"But you're right. I should go and let you get back to work too. I guess I'll see you again at 8."
He nodded as she headed out and Audrey only laughed again in her disbelief once she had rounded the corner away from the shop and towards the diner. Not only had the man she had found herself wanting all week just asked her out, even possibly just to give her a proper goodbye, but she found herself wondering if she really should tell Parker and Emma she had forgotten about their order.
"Occasional lapses are normal when one first gets their memories back, especially after a long period of time," Dr. Hopper had told her.
Audrey's smile became a smirk as she thought more about it. If she was lucky maybe she could swing another week in Storybrooke that way. And maybe another week with Mr. Gold in the process.
Instead Audrey decided she would wait until after their apparent date before making up her mind on that. If it didn't go as well as she was hoping or if he seemed okay with her leaving, then the next day would go as planned. But if it did go well or if he seemed that he wasn't any happier about her leaving than she was, then she would put her new plan into motion. And she could apologize to Parker later... Or maybe Parker could still go back to Haven and she could return there herself when she finally decided she was ready.
And speaking of ready, by 8 o'clock on the dot she was and there the black town car was waiting outside of the inn for her. With one final look in the mirror of the room she and Parker had been sharing, she decided to head on down the stairs and greet her date. She was just relieved Parker and Emma had decided to hang out at the local bar, maybe this way she wouldn't have to hear any more warnings about the supposed nefarious pawnbroker. He had helped her when no one else could; she found it no coincidence she had gotten her memories back only when he had been beside her in Dr. Hopper's office as opposed to the previous two times she had been there. And in addition to that she hadn't caught him doing anything illegal; she decided that was all the proof she needed that he could be a decent enough man when he wanted to be.
When they reached the restaurant, Audrey was taken aback a bit. While she hadn't been sure what she had expected, the look of Tony's hadn't been it. It wasn't that the clearly Italian restaurant necessarily seemed too fancy, though fancy it certainly seemed to be, or even too intimate. She was just surprised that it seemed to be exactly what she had hoped for.
"Are you sure about this place?" she asked him, noting again how formal the restaurant appeared. She guessed she was dressed well enough for it in her black pantsuit and white silk blouse which she had left just unbuttoned enough, as she had hardly thought to pack a cocktail dress when Emma had suggested she come here to meet Dr. Hopper, but she still felt a little uneasy.
Gold nodded once as he took her hand. "I suppose you might consider it one of the perks of my owning it."
"That's right. You own the town," she stated, still surprised she could forget a thing like that when she was with him. His power and influence, which ordinarily might have made her suspicious of him, just simply didn't matter to her. With that in mind she told him, "But you don't have to bring me here to impress me. You helped me get my memories back, that's done more to impress me than your owning this place or this town could ever do."
He smirked, enjoying that a bit. "Are you saying you're not still hungry then? Because if you are, then you still need to eat. And we are here. And there is a table waiting for us."
Audrey laughed as she nodded, agreeing. "Lead the way," she smiled.
Releasing her hand only to instead offer her his left arm, he did just that when she accepted.
"Ah, Mr. Gold, right this way," the man at the host desk stated as he quickly grabbed a pair of menus and led them further into the restaurant.
Audrey noted that it was dim, but nice, particularly as she could hear the soft violin music not far away as they followed the host. Nearly the entire restaurant seemed to be illuminated by candlelight, save for a few lights overhead hidden among the exquisite chandeliers. This certainly wasn't the kind of place she was used to, save for maybe a few busts in the past, but then she had hardly been there to indulge in the food, wine or atmosphere. She guessed now that was what made it just a bit better, that this time she could indulge in all of that and wasn't on any sort of clock.
The table they seemed to be headed to didn't appear to be in the very back, nor hidden, which she also appreciated. But it was clear that they wouldn't be front and center, or rather front or center either, but she didn't mind. With a few of the stares they were getting already she knew she didn't feel like being stuck with them for the entirety of the night. Yes, she liked Mr. Gold and yes she liked spending time with him. What about that was so hard for this town to understand?
"Was this a bad idea? Should we not have come here?" he asked when he noticed Audrey almost refusing to look up after a moment once they were seated.
Finally meeting his eyes again, she quietly asked, "How do you deal with all of these people staring at you?"
"Quite simple, really. Right now the only person I see looking at me is you." He was also used to it, but he didn't want to lessen the sentiment by adding that.
"But -"
"No," he told her. "I am here with you. And I am here with you because while I wish you would be staying in town longer, I recognize the best I can do is give you some sort of a proper last night here and I will not let the stares or opinions of others distract me from doing just that."
Audrey found herself smiling at that, more than a little comforted by his words despite the intensity that had crept into his voice.
After they ordered, she found herself realizing she had also heard a bit more that she had hoped to hear and asked, "Did you mean what you said? That you wish I was staying in town longer?"
He nodded. "I do. Over this past week the most I've gotten to know about you has come from the other Miss Parker and what you remembered only having been told to you. It's hardly the same."
"I was thinking the same thing back at your shop when I was first telling you about Parker's plan, and why I don't want to leave yet. I can remember now what made me want to be a cop, I can remember first meeting Emma, and Parker and her friends, I can remember not having actually met you until I came here but why I thought I had, and I can even remember who was there for me when I lost everything. Every time, actually. Before the memory loss and after. Social workers, partners, Parker..."
"I suppose you also remember that you enjoy spending your free time in pawn shops?" he smirked.
"Actually I've spent quite a number of work hours in them as well," she replied, almost laughing.
"That must have been why you were so comfortable then. A bit of hidden familiarity, perhaps."
She gave a slow shake of her head. "I don't think that was it at all. I think it had more to do with the rather charming owner who could have lived up to his local reputation, but didn't where I was concerned."
"Well perhaps that owner simply appreciated you not letting your friends' warnings or stories cloud your mind against him."
"I may not have remembered it at the time, but I was an FBI agent and even without my memories I could still sense when people seemed suspicious and when others seemed worth knowing. One thing that hasn't changed is that I still find you worth knowing. I wouldn't have stopped by your shop earlier or agreed to tonight if I didn't. And trust me, you're not the only one who wishes I wasn't leaving tomorrow."
Gold was silent for a moment, a little stunned that he was realizing she seemed to like him even more now than she had when she had thought he was that other man. But he could see it in her eyes, and certainly when she reached for his hand. Perhaps there was more she'd had in mind for tonight than she had let on.
By the time they had finished their meal and were outside of the restaurant again, Audrey decided to prove that. She had already decided she would settle for a goodnight kiss if she had to. But truthfully she had wanted more for days and now that he hadn't taken advantage of her previous mental state and this might in fact be her last night with him, she knew she at least had to try.
"Always the awkward part of the night, isn't it?" she asked him as they began to head back to the car, arm in arm once again.
"I thought that would have been when we returned to the inn and were saying goodnight, perhaps even farewell if I'm not able to see you before you leave tomorrow."
"We could always get it out of the way sooner," she told him with a slight shrug, not wanting to sound too eager or hopeful. "The awkward part anyway."
"Here? Are you not still worried others will stare?" he asked, a little amused by the idea given how uncomfortable she had been with the stares they had received at the beginning of the night.
"No. In fact, I'll make a deal with you," she grinned as she stopped walking and he turned to face her.
"Most in this town would warn you of such a thing," he smirked, knowing he might warn her too depending on the deal she was thinking of.
"I'm not like most in this town," she replied.
He sighed at just how true that was. "That is all the more reason I shall be sorry to see you leave tomorrow."
"Sounds like you'll miss me."
"I suppose I've gotten used to seeing you around this past week, it's been nice. Even despite certain things."
"Then I should thank you," she told him as she stepped closer to him and rested her arms over his shoulders, enjoying they were nearly the same height.
"For what?" he asked as he watched her smile again.
"For making my choice that much easier," she told him before she leaned in to kiss him, deciding to tell him what she had decided later. Maybe she was giving in to the rush she felt at finally being able to have him kissing her, touching her and feeling his soft hair in her hands all the while, but Audrey knew to take what she could as she could. Would she awake to find her memories gone again? it was possible. Slanting her mouth against Mr. Gold's, she wondered too how long he might let this go on for. He was a big man in town, would it be wise for him to be seen like this with anyone?
She guessed her silent question was answered when she felt his tongue against her lips and soon seeking out her own and finally exploring her mouth. She couldn't help the soft moan the escaped her when she pressed her body further into his and felt his left hand go to the small of her back to hold her even closer.
"What was that deal you had in mind?" he all but panted when they finally broke their kiss in need of oxygen a minute later.
"Huh? Right," she breathed, remembering finally. "I was just going to say that if you could handle the onlookers then so could I."
He chuckled. "I would say you handled them just fine, dear, assuming any were watching. I suppose now it's only fair to ask, is there somewhere else you would like to go tonight?"
She couldn't believe he even had to ask after that kiss. "If you're offering," she nodded.
"The inn?"
Audrey shook her head. "Parker could be back any minute; she might already be for all I know. And if Emma's with her..."
"My home it is then," he agreed as he offered his arm once again for their brief trek back to the waiting town car.
By the time they reached his bedroom they were already kissing again, faster, harder and without any regard for propriety. Audrey had known what she had wanted quite literally from the moment she had seen him and only now was she able to act on it. That was all she needed to know to already be shrugging her suit jacket off and tossing it aside, Gold quickly doing the same with his own before loosening his tie and letting it too fall where it would.
Meanwhile Gold couldn't claim that this was the first time he had been with a woman in the twenty-eight years since the curse had hit and sent them all to Storybrooke, but he had told Audrey the truth. None of the other women, no matter how discreet he had been with most of them, had been like Audrey. There had been something in the way she had looked at him, something that hadn't even disappeared when she remembered the men of her past. If anything, it seemed to have only intensified. And with her nimble fingers unbuttoning his shirt and lifting it out of his pants, any ideas he might have had himself of even pretending to change his mind were quickly fleeting.
Nearly as soon as she had pushed his shirt from his shoulders, she felt his hands at her blouse and he broke their kiss only long enough to lift the material from her body and let it fall to the floor. Even as they backed towards his bed, only to gracelessly fall onto it in a tangle of limbs, still their attention had turned only to the other's pants.
When they too met the hardwood floor of his bedroom, Gold broke their kiss to admire Audrey beneath him. Her eyes on his, her cheeks flushed, her lips parted and gently swollen from their earlier kisses, her modest chest heaving slightly and she panted. All in all, he decided it was easily one of the most beautiful sights he had ever seen.
Of course when the last of her clothes were finally off, he chose to correct himself. That sight was even better than he had allowed himself to previously wonder. And he still couldn't believe that a beautiful woman like her could in fact want him without an ulterior motive. He guessed he had gotten too used to women only wanting him when they thought they could get something from him, that being the case both in the past and even still in Storybrooke.
Only he knew now Audrey that was different in that case as well, proving it once more tonight. Still, he didn't want to waste this precious time questioning her interest in him. Particularly not then when her slender body was arching into his hands. Or his tongue as he let it circle one of her nipples while a pair of his fingers teased its twin. Then it was his kisses he felt her canting into as he trailed his lips down the valley between her breasts and even further down her taut stomach.
Audrey let her hands tangle themselves in his hair again, wanting to keep him there for as long as she could. The cool air of the room was a bit of a relief for her heated skin, but it wasn't doing much of anything to cool her desire. Especially not when Gold's head was finally between her thighs and she found herself moaning his name.
He almost smirked, but her moans seemed to be going straight from his ears to his dick and only making him harder. And that moan which escaped her when his tongue first met her sex would have been enough to make him come undone in his much younger years. The taste of her however was almost enough to do the trick even now.
So many times thinking of this, even dreaming about it more than once since she had seen him a week ago, Audrey still couldn't believe it was real. How he had brought this out in her, she wasn't sure, but she wasn't about to ask then. Not when she could barely even catch her breath as his lips surrounded her clit and he began to work up a tempo that had her hips giving a sharp buck towards his face and had her moaning even louder in just a matter of moments.
His hands to her hips, attempting to comfortably hold her in place, Gold kept going, not about to let up until she either told him to or until she came.
What may not have even been a minute later, he got his wish. Audrey moaned his name again and he felt her juices at his chin, her body finally beginning to calm, her heels even no longer digging into his shoulder blades.
"I do hope I haven't tired you out too much already," he smirked as he moved atop her once again, staring down at her relaxed and smiling face.
"Not yet," she answered as she hooked one leg around his hip as if to challenge him and brought a hand back up to his face.
"That's good to know." In a moment he dipped his head again to kiss along the side of her neck and shoulder, happy as she tilted her head enough to grant him easier access and let his cock slide teasingly along her still wet entrance.
In return Audrey ground her ship against his and reveled in the groan that escaped his throat. She did it again a second later, attempting to maneuver him inside her, but she at least got to feel his hand finally slipping between them to part her lips.
They both cried out when he finally filled her, Audrey instantly raising her hips to his, not willing to wait any longer to feel him buried inside her and Gold taking that brief moment to enjoy feeling her surrounding him, almost surprised at how tightly she was gripping him. If he had been able to think of anything else but that, it might have occurred to him that she probably hadn't done this since before she had first gone to Haven.
Hoping to prove she wasn't too out of practice though, Audrey was happy to wrap her legs around his hips and lower her own only to thrust them back up against him, sighing out again as she did.
It was his turn to sigh out himself when he took the lead again, letting her meet his thrusts, and feeling her begin to tighten around him once more. He knew he wouldn't last much longer at this rate, but he was relieved that he didn't need to. As Audrey canted back against the mattress again, he was sure she was getting close to her edge again too. Just to up the ante a bit more he was all too happy to dip his head once more to kiss and nip at her neck just enough even as he returned his right hand between them, his fingers working their magic at that tiny bundle of nerves just above her opening once more.
All of that, his teeth grazing her neck, his fingers rubbing against her clit, his cock still delving into her had her body beginning to tense again. With her nails digging into the smooth skin of his back, she came with a gasp and Gold then let his own release almost immediately follow hers.
A short while later, after their breathing had returned to normal and they had disentangled themselves from one another he was lying beside her. With one of the light sheets drawn up to cover their still warm and slightly sweat-dampened bodies, Gold only smiled slightly as he looked to Audrey again.
"What?" she asked, finding herself smiling again also.
"I was thinking that I suppose now I have one more reason to be unhappy that you have to leave so soon," he admitted.
She nodded, feeling very much the same. Only she decided now might be a good time to mention her earlier idea. "If you mean that, there might be a way I wouldn't have to leave tomorrow," she replied, truly hoping he had meant what he had just said.
"And you're only just now mentioning it?" he asked, almost chuckling in his disbelief.
Audrey laughed herself. "I wasn't sure if you meant this as goodbye or if you would really want me to stay."
"Of course I want you to stay. Not that I would wish for you to be away from your friends who deserve to see you how they remember, but you truly aren't like anyone else I've known here. And this night has been..." his voice trailed off.
"Emma's here, that's one friend who's already seen the old me. But I did think of something earlier, when I joked about telling Parker and Emma I'd forgotten about their lunch order. Memory lapses aren't uncommon when people get their memories back, especially after several months. If I could convince Parker, which could be fairly easy, that I'm having lapses then maybe I could buy myself another week here. Or, more specifically, another week with you; if you'd still want me."
Gold was actually a little stunned. "You would do that? You would lie to them just to spend more time with me?" He could only wonder why, aside from the obvious.
Audrey nodded again. "I'm not ready to leave yet. Not when I've got the chance to know you while finally knowing who I am again. This whole past week was nice, but it just wasn't the same.”
"That's true." He couldn't help but agree, it was the very reason this had been the night of their first date, and certainly the first time he had even thought of bringing her to his home. "But what about those who are waiting for you back home? Would I not be taking you from them for even longer?"
"You don't look at me like I'm some fragile five-year-old; they did and they still would. I like here a lot more, and I'm looking at the main reason why."
He did like the sound of that, he had to admit. "So, when you say you like here more, you mean right here?" he asked as he curled his arms around her and held her closer to his body.
"Mm-hmm, definitely right here," she answered, her lips not even an inch from his.
When he kissed her again, Audrey knew she wasn't going anywhere yet. Not from his bed, and certainly not away from Storybrooke. Whether Parker decided to leave that next morning as planned, on her own, or stay would be up to her. But Audrey knew she had been given back everything she could want and she wasn't ready to lose anything else so soon. Particularly not Mr. Gold.
The End