Finding You Always

Fixation

Chapter 131: Fixation

David's next stop was naturally the pawn shop and upon entry, he immediately noticed the utter shambles the shop was in.

"We're closed...but I wouldn't expect a Charming to actually read," Gold snapped, as he came from the backroom. David shrugged.

"We've known each other long enough to know that if something concerns my family, then I'm probably going to ignore the usual pleasantries," David retorted. Gold gave a curt nod. If there was one thing about them, they sort of had an unspoken respect for each other.

"What can I do for you, Sheriff?" Rumple asked.

"I need to know about your past with Dr. Jekyll," David replied.

"If you're needing to know the story about Rose Red, I have no idea about anything that occurred in the Land of Untold Stories. The book has that information," Rumple stated.

"I mean before that...before he ended up in the Land of Untold Stories. People are usually running away from things when they go there so I want to know why the good doctor was running," David said.

"Let me guess...this has to do with the Doctor's admiration with your wife," Rumple surmised.

"It's worrisome. Snow is more than capable of taking care of herself, but someone has suggested that the her being anywhere near him could be bad and I want to know why," David stated.

"And you think the Queen might be playing games so you've come to me," Rumple stated. He nodded.

"I'm going to need something in return," he prompted. David rolled his eyes.

"What's your price?" he asked.

"You're not the only one that the Queen paid a visit to and now Belle is angry with me for a deal that was made long ago," Gold replied.

"What kind of deal?" David asked.

"The less you know the better," Rumple replied. The prince scoffed.

"No...you're going to tell me the whole story. How long have we known each other? How long is it going to take you to realize that I will do anything to protect people I care about, including Belle," he stated. Rumple was silent, as they stared at each other for several moments.

"Fine," Gold relented.

"It was centuries ago...before I was the Dark One. Bae was bitten by a poisonous snake and we couldn't afford the antidote," the Dark One admitted, as his eyes flicked to the Prince.

"Sounds familiar," David admitted, thinking about his parent's impossible decision to acquire medicine that he and James had needed as infants.

"I found a medicine man that had the antidote, but I couldn't pay. He said that if I promised my second child to him that he would give me the medicine I needed to save my first," Gold explained.

"So you did it," David realized.

"I figured that if Milah and I never had a second child, then the deal wouldn't matter. All I could think about was saving Bae," Rumple stated.

"You saved your son...you did what any parent would do," David stated.

"Milah didn't exactly see it that way. Looking back, I'm pretty sure that was the final nail in the coffin that was our marriage. But Bae lived and since Milah left me, I figured that contract was moot," he explained.

"So...how did a centuries old contract come back to haunt you?" David asked.

"I'm getting there. When I became the Dark One, I paid that medicine man a visit and since he refused to tear up the contract, I killed him. As you know, I don't like loopholes unless they work in my favor," Rumple replied. David scoffed at that.