Gold

{7}

I WOKE up the next morning to see Emma in the floor surrounded by about five boxes. Mary Margaret handed me a cup of coffee and I smiled at her. "Thank you." I told her, taking a sip.

Strange how she knew exactly how I liked my coffee. Maybe she liked hers the same way.

"I'm so glad my stuff is here." Emma told us. Mary Margaret also handed Emma and I a plate.

"Oh thanks." Emma said, taking it. "So that's all your stuff?" Mary Margaret asked her.

I could tell she was surprised a person could have so little things. I wasn't, I had even less boxes than Emma. I'd only had my bag I'd came with.

"What do you mean?" Emma asked her. "Is the rest in storage?" Mary Margaret asked her. "No this is all of it." Emma told her.

"I'm not sentimental." She told us. I nodded. "That's why I only have one bag with me." I told her and she looked like she understood.

"Well, it must make things easier when you have to move." Mary Margaret told Emma.

I turned as I heard a knock on the door. I walked over and opened it to see Gold. I stared at him for a second with wide eyes.

"Claire! Is Miss Swan here?" He asked and I barely recovered enough to send a glance at Emma and Mary Margaret.

Emma walked up to the door then. "Hi, my name is Mr. Gold. We met briefly on your arrival." He told Emma, shaking her hand.

I tried not to stare at him, but it was crazy how he kept showing up. It was like we were magnets and something kept pulling us together.

"Yeah. I remember." Emma told him. I could tell she didn't really like him. "I have a proposition, Miss Swan. I need your help looking for someone." He told Emma.

I wondered who he was looking for. "Really?" Emma asked him, surprised. Gold glanced over at me. I stared back, once again caught in his eyes. Mary Margaret's voice snapped me out of it.

"You know what? I'm gonna jump in the bath." Mary Margaret told us, then walked off. I knew I should make up some excuse to leave, but something in me wanted to be by him. I felt insane.

"I have a photo." Gold said, glancing at me as he walked in. "Her name is Ashley Boyd. And she's taken something quite valuable of mine." Gold told Emma. I gave Emma a wide eyed glance as she shut the door.

"Why don't you just go to the police?" Emma asked him. "Because, shes a confused young woman, and she's pregnant. Alone and scared. I don't want to ruin her life, but I just want my property returned." Gold told Emma.

Maybe he wasn't as bad as everyone thought if he was genuinely concerned for Ashley.

"What is it?" Emma asked him. I could tell she was thinking about helping him.

"Well, one of the advantages of you not being the police is discretion. Let's just say it's a precious object and leave it at that." He told her.

Emma didn't challenge this, but sent him a steely look. He glanced back at me and I quickly looked down at my ring.

"When did you see her last?" Emma asked him. "Last night. That's how I got this." He said, brushing back a piece of his hair to show a tiny scar.

Before I knew was I was doing, I stepped forward and placed a hand on it. "Are you alright?" I asked him and he smirked at me. "I'm fine." He said and I smiled at him slightly before stepping back.

Emma gave me a weird look. "It's so unlike her. She was quite wound up, rambling on and on about changing her life. I don't know what got into her. Miss Swan, please help me find her. My only other choice is the police and I don't think anyone wants to see that baby born in jail, now do they?" Gold asked her.