Once Upon a Time in Storybrooke - OUAT DR

Chapter 4 - Maybe I'll Stay Awhile

I woke up the next morning and decided I was going to try and find a job and a place in town to stay. I was intrigued and couldn't stand to leave questions unanswered and I had nothing but a ton of unanswered questions. Plus. this town was the closest town to where the mystery diner would be located, so I might as well see if I could make some money and sleep on a more comfortable bed than what Granny offered. I decided to start my morning with a walk up and down main street, after which I returned to the diner, grabbing a newspaper from one of the dispensers out front to try and find a place and see what jobs were available. I waved at Emma when she came in, sitting at the table in the front, also with her nose in a newspaper.

Hmm, I wonder if she decided to stay after all. I hadn't seen her sleeping in her car this morning and guessed Mary Margaret probably offered her the spare room she had in her loft. She had mentioned extending the invitation to her the night she was booted from Granny's. 

Regina entered the diner and took a seat right across from Emma. I decided to sit back and watch, making sure I could be there if Emma needed me to have her back. I mean, who knew what Regina would pull today? But soon enough she left, leaving Emma with a lot to digest it seemed, and I went back to my searching.

No vacancies anywhere. I got that it was a small town, but how was there not a single open apartment, studio, or room to rent in the entire town? I asked Ruby and Granny both if they knew of anywhere available to rent or anyone looking for a roommate, to which the answer was an unsurprising "no."

However, Mr. Gold must have overheard my queries because he sat down across from me and explained there was a small studio apartment that was sitting vacant above the Daily Mirror he would be happy to rent to me.

I'm suspicious, given both Emma and I were new in town and needed a place, but also that he'd keep the listing out of the paper for anyone else in town. I mean, surely Emma and I weren't the only people needing to find a place in town, and he didn't seem like the type of landlord to let a property sit empty for long.

He explained that he had been hiring security to check on it, given the apartment was over some important offices, but renting it and having someone live there would be more cost-efficient. He offered to charge me just a bit less than what Granny charges for one of her rooms every week – letting me know the apartment came mostly furnished but I would be welcome to make any changes I deemed necessary if I decided to rent it.

I expressed my interest and gratitude and asked if we could check it out before I made up my mind. He agreed and got up, asking if now would work. I got up and followed after him across the street from Granny's to the row of shops and businesses. What I hadn't noticed before was a door in between two of the shop windows – when you entered there was a long hallway that led to a few offices & stairs, with additional exits on the back side of the building, as Mr. Gold explained.

As we walked up the stairs, Mr. Gold explained that the Daily Mirror is the business that's below the unit, while Dr. Hopper the local shrink was at the end of the hall. Main street was out front, but the view behind had beautiful unobstructed views of the bay and additional off-street parking.

When we got to the top of the stairs he directed me to a door that he unlocked with a key from a fat ring of keys he pulled from his pocket. He explained that he had the unit renovated recently, but it was one of the oldest apartments in town and he had worked with the Mayor personally to preserve it's unique charm, which was the reason he had not listed it publicly and had hired a security guard to ensure it remained unbothered. 

He unlocked the door, pushed it open, and welcomed me in. It was the absolute cutest apartment I had ever seen. There was absolutely no way this was the old historic studio he was talking about moments earlier that he was willing to rent to me for less than staying at the only other place to stay in town.