Heart of the Sea

Chapter 6 - A Thief's Reward

Liliana groaned as the sun rose. Barely a few hours of sleep. She knew the feeling of it, but it didn't make the sensation any less unpleasant. She sighed. Might as well think about what she'd been trying to forget about for the past eight hours. How she was going to avoid getting to know her father. (Cut and run. She'd done it a thousand times before. She could do it again.) Go back to where she belonged, try and figure out what she was supposed to do. The only trick was getting there. And there was only one person she could think of that could help her get there.

This was going to be interesting.

After getting dressed, gathering her courage, and eating a fish sandwich, Lili stepped out at a brisk pace. Get it overwith.

The bell rang as she entered, and Gold came out from the back. "And what can I do for you, Miss Jones?"

Here goes nothing. "I was wondering if you could help me." She came up to the counter and rested her hands on it.

"With wot?"

"How do I get out of here?"

"Well you just came through the door; most people go back out the same way."

She rolled her eyes. "I mean this land. How can I go back?"

He clicked his tongue against his teeth. "Family reunion not go as expected?"

Her jaw twitched. "I played games for three hundred years. I'm not in the mood for any now. Ahnswer the bloody question."

"Sorry to inform you, dearie, but y'can't."

She blinked. "Come again?"

"You can't leave. The only way we've gone back is either through a portal with a bean or by a curse. There are no more magic beans in Storybrooke, and the dark curse has been destroyed. We are all stuck in this land, in this town, Miss Jones, unless you fancy exploring the rest of this land on your own. If you leave this town, you can never return."

She believed him, sensing no lie. She sighed in frustration. Free only to be a prisoner once more. Now what.

"And what sort of payment am I to expect for this?" he asked curiously.

Her eyebrow quirked, an amused smirk on her lips. "Payment?" She laughed. "Oh no, Dark One, you'll get nothing from me. ..In fact, you owe me."

"Is that so." He couldn't wait to hear this.

She nodded. "You killed my mother; while my father may have chosen to turn to darkness, it was you that showed him how. It was in search of your destruction that we both suffered centuries more than anyone should. So yeah. You owe me. I've no doubt you owe a hell of a lot more people, but I may be the only one dumb enough to demahnd my payment."

He was a little impressed by her audacity. (Of course he'd never say, but he was.) "So what is it that I owe you?"

Her lips twitched. "I shall receive eleven free favors, one for each year you've deprived me of the company of my mother. Since I'm feeling rahther generous today, this ahnswer you just gave me shall count as the first, and now you owe me ten favors. Fair enough?" she asked, eyebrow twitching, arms crossed over her chest.

Gold narrowed his eyes at her, studying her. Stubborn. Confident. (She reminded him of Milah, defiant of the world she was stuck in.) "I will grant you this, Miz Jones, out of the kindness of my heart."

She resisted the urge to snort as he held out his hand, which she shook. "So it is, then. Thank you for your help, Dark One." She dipped her head to him before she turned, going back out of the store.