ᴏɴᴄᴇ ᴜᴘᴏɴ ᴀ sʜɪғᴛ... || 𝘙𝘶𝘮𝘱𝘭𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘭𝘵𝘴𝘬𝘪𝘯 𝘹 𝘖𝘊

Moving closer ~ Chapter Six

Warning: slight swearing, minor anxiety!

- nothing major at all to worry about but I know this can be upsetting for some people ⚠️

~~~

As I passed Golds shop, I couldn't help but look in, hoping to see him but all the lights were off.
I came to the door, 'closed?' I wonder. It was rare for Gold to close his shop so early unless he was dealing with business.

Why do I care anyway? It's not like he means anything to me...

I continue walking, perhaps the ocean air will help clear my head!

~~~

I sit on the edge of the dock, legs dangling just above the water. It was quiet and peaceful. The town clock hit 12, bells ringing out across Storybrooke.

'I shouldn't be here,' I sigh, thinking to myself. I was working in the background of the main story but what if me simply being here was messing with the future of innocent, fictional characters.

"What are you doing all the way out here, dearie?" His voice questions as the bells quieten.

I turn to face him, "Mr Gold, can I help you?" For some reason I felt relieved he was here and okay. Maybe I'm just paranoid but I was worried about Rumplestiltskin. I am definitely just paranoid! His shop was closed, that could have meant anything. He isn't always causing trouble...

"No Ms Quinn, I don't believe you can," he moved closer to me, leaning on his stick as he stood by my side.

"Then tell me, Rumplestiltskin, why are you here?" I moved my focus to the waves, beginning to feel embarrassed by the amount of time I had been staring at him.

He grins before clearing his throat, "I want to make a deal with you, dearie. It will help you greatly."

My eyes glance up at him then back out to the sea, "And what would that be?"

"I give you a place to stay and in return you help at my shop, keep it clean and take care of it when I cannot," his words sounded oddly familiar, almost as if I had heard them before?

I hesitate a moment, sighing and acknowledge how little money I have left. I was lucky thé room was cheaper than they would be back home otherwise I wouldn't have anything left by now.

"You have your self a deal, Rumplestiltskin." I look up at him and he grins. But this isn't a wicked grin with mysteries of evil hidden behind it- it's a soft almost understanding smile.

"I'll be going then," He turns around and begins to walk back into town and off the docks.

"Stay a while, it's relaxing around here." I called out.

He turns back to him and hesitated before eventually taking a seat next to me. "As you wish, Ms Qui-"

"Aurelia. Just call me Aurelia, there is no need for such formalities." I interrupt. He simply nods.

We sat in silence for a short while as I played with my fingers to still my anxiety. Anxiety? Why was I anxious anyway? Suddenly my whole body freezes, what was wrong with me!? It was always Mr Gold! He's fictional for goodness sake. I turn to my side, glancing at his worried face. Shit! He must have noticed. I gazed into his eyes for a second too long for comfort before looking back out towards the sea.

Even if he was a fictional character made up in my imagination whose story was inked onto paper, for some unknown reason he was here, now, with me. I could hear him, feel him, see him and even smell him. I don't know how it happened but he is here now. With me and this feels more real than anything else in this magical town.

We sat in silence, a comfortable silence although I still felt the urge to speak up.

I wanted to talk to Rumplestiltskin but how would I even start a conversation? I knew everything about him, nothing I could possibly ask.

Maybe being in my own story was more a curse than a blessing? Over the month I have been here, I have come to realise that "small talk" doesn't work when you know everything about a character upon first meet. Although, deep conversations don't either, I'm never able to learn anything new- I know it all! I know more than they do...

"Aurelia, are you okay? You seem tense, dearie."

His words break my chain of though. Probably for the best. I look to him once again, "I'm fine."

"I have lived 300 hundred years... perhaps more," he explains before hesitating, "I know you're not fine," he gently wraps an arm around my shoulder, softly rubbing my opposite arm.

I couldn't stop a light blush from appearing on my cheeks. The sunlight did him justice, the golden ray of light hit his features perfectly. Shoulder length hair blowed softly in the breeze and his eyes observed him with such out of character care. Maybe I didn't know him as well as I though I did. Maybe the people of Storybrooke do have their own personalities besides those of my story.

I smile calmly and he smiles back, retracting his arm from around me.

~~~

Small "are you okay?"'s became full conversations.

Meeting at his pawn shop became lunch at Grannys diner.

Formal names became nicknames.

The mysterious man became the only person I truly knew.

~~~
A week later
~~~

Over time, Rumplestiltskin and I had been working together. After our deal, he showed me to a small apartment above his shop.

He said he only uses it when he is still at work late at night which seemed to be rare so now it was mine.

On quiet days, we would sit in the back room and talk over coffee or have our shared lunch break at the corner booth of Grannys diner. It was simple but sweet.

I grew to know Mr Gold was more than just the man I had written of. He is yet to trust me with the story of the dark one, however I wasn't bothered. He probably realised I would already know it anyway.

Regina and Sydney had been uniquely quiet these past few days. Normally Regina would stop by the shop or one of us would spot Sydney outside. It was nice to finally have some privacy and I could tell Rumple felt the same way but part of me was worried. Regina must be planning something. She must know that Gold knows by now. She had come to speak with him about Emma's arrival not too long ago so it wouldn't be long until she noticed everything was more than just a coincidence.

The evil queen was no idiot.

~~~

A/N: unlike me 😃 Took way too long to realise Rumplestiltskin and Mr Gold were the same person ngl 😭
Anyway, I really hope you guys are enjoying this story because I'm enjoying writing it 🫶🏻
Please don't forget to leave any feedback positive or negative (just don't be rude please). Everything is appreciated and noted 🤍