[Annabelle – Monday]
Sunday hadn't been a bad day after I'd cleaned myself up and changed into something presentable. I'd been able to make Mr. Gold's breakfast reasonably quick and got a lot of cleaning done downstairs. I'd done the laundry, with a little embarrassment on my part because I had to touch the man's boxers, but it wasn't that bad. I'd done my father's laundry till the day I left for college. Boxers were just another piece of clothing for me. Dinner had been uneventful as well. He'd thanked me though, which surprised me. Now it was morning again and I'd gotten up earlier than I normally would to get Mr. Gold's breakfast ready. I didn't want him to think I was slacking off and not paying off my father's debt.
Currently I was humming to myself as I put the finishing touches on Mr. Gold's breakfast and I didn't hear him as he came through the door. "Morning, Dearie."
I startled and turned, almost tripping over my feet. "Mr. Gold!" He was standing almost directly behind me, his usual grin in place. Today he was wearing another expensive looking suit. The jacket and pants were black like usual, but his shirt was a deep sapphire colour and his tie was another red one. This time there were tiny oriental birds on it. All of it complimented him well. Not that I was saying of course but he knew how to dress better than any man I'd met or seen before.
"Sorry, did I give you a fright?" I quickly nodded and rightened myself, quickly walling over and pulling out Mr. Gold's chair. He slowly sat down and scooted himself forward. He looked at the breakfast selection before him and nodded his appreciation. "I must say, Dearie, you do know how to cook."
I blushed and gave a small nod of my head. "Thanks. My father didn't know how to cook and because my mother was..." I couldn't say it. She was dead and I still grieved her lose.
"Gone?" Mr. Gold asked lightly as if knowing how sensitive the subject was.
I nodded again. "Gone... She was gone. I had to learn how to cook for the both of us. I guess that's why I'm good."
He nodded slowly and watched as I poured him a glass of orange juice. He hummed his approval as he took a small bite of his omelet. "Very good." He sat his fork down and moved his chair out away from the table a little bit in order to reach into his pocket. He pulled out a small, gold bracelet which he held out to me. "Put this on."
I frowned and just looked at him, refusing to take it. "Why?"
He gave a small shrug. "I'm going to be at work all day today, and all this week, and the weeks after that. This is to ensure you don't try to..." He waved his hand in the air as if it helped him search for the word he wanted. "Run away."
"What is it?"
He turned his wrist a little and looked down at the delicate looking bracelet. It was a solid band, but thin and it curled around and around. "It's a bracelet."
I snorted and propped on of my hands on my hip. "I know that, but what purpose will it serve? If it's going to shock me I'm not putting that thing on."
He grinned, flashing his gold capped tooth. "It won't shock you, Dearie. It'll just prevent you from leaving the property."
He stood up and walked over to me but I backed up quickly. "Can't you just trust me?"
I stopped backing up when I bumped into the far wall. He shook his head and reached down to gently grab my arm. He propped his cane up against his thigh while he fastened the bracelet. "There." He looked down at it and smiled. "It looks nice, doesn't it?"
"No." I glared at him, unable to move. "Gold doesn't look good on me."
He gave a small laugh and moved back towards the table. "Only from your view it doesn't."
I slowly followed behind him as he sat back down and started eating again. "Do you know what time you'll get back tonight? So I can have something ready?"
He took a small sip of his orange juice and just stared at me with his dark brown eyes. Well, they were dark when you weren't staring at them from inches away. I shifted uncomfortably under his gaze which only made him grin again. "I'll be at work until 5 tonight and I'll probably get back around 9:30?" He shrugged his shoulders. "Give or take a little."
I moved back as he stood and tipped back the last of his orange juice and wiped at the corner of his mouth with his napkin. I followed him as he made his way to the door and grabbed his briefcase. "Even though I don't like you... I hope you have a good day at work."
He arched a brow at me, "I hope so too, Dearie. I have a lot of 'deals' to make." He chuckled and opened to door. I stood in the doorway as I watched him walk down to his car and get in. When he was through the gate I headed back in to clean up breakfast and start cleaning again. I would most definitely keep my part of the deal.
[Mr. Gold]
Stepping out of the elevator I walked up to my secretary's desk and stopped, staring until she noticed me. "Margret."
Margret quickly turned in her chair and stared at me with wide, frightened eyes. "Mr. Gold, g... good... good morning."
"Morning. Any messages for me?" She nodded and reached over to the little basket she had on the corner of her desk and pulled out a pile of pink sticky notes. She handed them to me and I took them. "When my first client gets here, buzz me and let her in." I brushed past her desk and headed into my office. The first thing I saw was the cityscape of New York City glittering like jewels in the sun. I walked over to my desk and dropped the pile of sticky notes on it and then gently set my briefcase down. I slowly opened it and reached in, pulling out the tiny blue and white tea cup with the small chip in the lip. I gently held it in my hand and stared down at it with fondness. I moved as if in a trance over to the glass case I'd had specifically made for this treasure and opened the small door, placing it down as gently as possible. A daily ritual I'd done since the day I'd found out Belle was forever lost to me.
I startled from my thoughts when my intercom buzzed and Margret's voice called out to me. "Lizabeth Weller is here for her appointment, Mr. Gold."
I quickly walked over to the door and opened it, waiting until Mrs. Weller was inside. "Well, Mrs. Weller, what can I do for you today?"
"I..." She walked over to one of my chairs and promptly plopped down in it. "I need to make a 'deal' with you."
"What kind of 'deal', Dearie?"
She pulled out a manila envelope and handed it to me. I walked over and took it from her grasp. I took my time to open it and look at the document that was inside. It said something along the lines that this woman wasn't fertile. I arched a brow and looked down at her. She fidgeted in the chair and refused to look at me. "I'll give you however much you want if you'll just help me. I heard from one of my close friends who came in here for something similar that you... you're able to do things like this."
I walked around to my side of the desk and sat down, dropping the manila folder on top of it. "I can."
She leaned forward and she finally looked at me. "Oh, please will you? I'll give you anything, everything I have. Please."
I turned my chair around and opened one of my desk's many drawers and pulled out a tiny bottle and stopper. Next I grabbed a tiny chain of gold that I'd personally spun. I stood up and walked back around to her, stopping only when I was standing behind her. "Everything has its price, Dearie. Are you sure you're willing to pay it?"
She stood up and turned around, facing me. She reached out and grabbed the arm that was holding my cane tightly. If I was anyone else besides the Dark One, I would have been bruised. I merely stared down at her waiting on her answer. "Yes. Name your price. Anything. Anything for a child of my own."
I grinned and held the bottle up for her to see. I opened it and dropped the chain of gold inside before reaching out. "If I may." I plucked a strand of her hair and dropped it into the bottle as well, put the stopper in and gave it a tiny shake. The gold melted into a golden liquid and the hair disappeared into it. Mrs. Weller's expression as she watched the process was amusing. I held the bottle out to her. She reached out to take it from me and when her hand was inches away from it I moved it just out of reach. "I'll come to you when it's time for me to collect my payment. Until then..." I allowed her to take it with her greedy hands. "Enjoy the happiness."
She frowned down at the tiny bottle in her hand and then looked back up at me. "What do you mean when it's time to collect your price? I thought you'd want payment right away."
I gave a shrug and just grinned at her. "I like to wait a little... to ensure the 'deal' works."
"Oh." She gave a small sigh and nodded. "Alright. Thank you, Mr. Gold. I'll be sure to spread the word to anyone I know who needs your type of assistance."
I walked her to the door and held it open for her as she moved through. "Thank you, Dearie."
When she was gone I closed the door behind me and moved back over to my desk. I pulled my briefcase over to me and pulled out a bunch of files, most of them of clients. It would be another hour until my next client.
[4:15 p.m.]
My last appointment had just ended and I still had half an hour until I got off work. I was now sitting at my desk going through the last file I had on my desk. It wasn't for one of my clients though. It was Annabelle's school file. I'd pulled it last night in the hopes of getting to know who it was that I had living and working in my home now. It had been a rash thing to do, but because Regina had wanted me to destroy her family, and in a sense destroy again one of the only things I had left of Belle, I'd decided to do the opposite of what Regina would like to see me do. I'd taken in yet another girl, for the same reasons; to work in my home. It was crazy. And now all I could think about for the past couple of days since Annabelle came to me was about her and Belle.
Opening the folder I stared down at the black and white picture of Annabelle where it was paper clipped to the first page of the file. I slowly pulled it out from beneath the paper clip and laid it to the side, face down. I began to flip through the file slowly. She was a senior now and she was majoring in classical composition and performance. Aside from that she was a straight A student with only a few problems from the teachers. Her attitude had caused her to get in trouble quite a few times. I chuckled to myself as I remembered just how troublesome she was. She'd attacked me the first day she'd met me and then knocked me back on my backside later that night. She was most definitely the opposite of my Belle.
"Why did you come into my life, Annabelle? For what purpose?" I reached out and picked her picture back up, staring at it for a long time. "Who are you, Dearie?"
I growled and shoved the file and picture back into the folder. I dropped it into one of my drawers before tucking everything back into my briefcase and walking over to gently grab Belle's tea cup. I had to find out who this girl was and why Regina wanted to use her. I was going to go crazy with everything that was whirling around in my head. Belle. Annabelle. Belle. Annabelle. Ages of grief were becoming too much for me. Why now? Why her? I stormed out of my office and left without leaving any instruction for my secretary about closing up. She'd figure it out.
[Annabelle]
It was finally 5 o'clock and Mr. Gold would be getting off work right about now. Currently I was cleaning the last part of the first floor, finally, and was glad I was almost done with it. I wasn't looking forward to cleaning the three remaining floors because the place was just so huge. If I didn't have the map that Mr. Gold had supplied for me I'd have been lost by now. The last room that I had to clean was the huge study/library and the second I stepped through the doors I was awestruck at how many books there were on the shelves, and at how dusty it was. Laying all across the floor and up on the stairs and balconies that ran along the floor to ceiling bookcases were more books. I'd never seen this many books in my entire life. But the most special thing that I found was sitting in the middle of the room. It was a beautiful yet dusty grand piano. I dropped everything I was carrying beside the doorway and slowly walked towards it. I'd only ever seen on in the concert hall at my college. I bent down and slowly pulled out the bench, the cushion made from crushed velvet. As I sat down I tentatively touched the black and white keys, afraid to really touch them. After a few moments of just staring at it I gave the keys a test run, going up and down in octaves, major and minor chords. The rich sound echoed around the room and goosebumps spread across my skin. It was beautiful. The first song that came to me as I sat there was one that I'd fallen in love with about a year ago. It was called The Waiting's Over by Raise by Swans. It was a beautiful, sorrowful piece.
No more oceans left, reserves have all been tapped and spent.
So raise the floodlights.
Shipwrecks on the snow, they seem so small against the glow.
We struck the night blind.
Now open wide and robbed for pearls.
There were signs, but we stormed the doors.
Where once slept a sinking continent now there is nothing more.
I would wait for you, but something tells me that won't do.
The waiting's over, start again. Start again.
Drown out all light.
The love this day would desecrate, lost in time.
As the last note from the piano and my voice disappeared into the room I leaned forward and laid my head against the top of the piano. It felt good to play the piano.
"Did you choose that song for any particular reason, Dearie?"
My heart jumped into my throat and I stood up quickly, knocking back the piano bench. "Mr. Gold!" I turned and picked up the bench before giving Mr. Gold my attention again. "I thought you said you wouldn't be back until around 9."
He slowly walked out of the shadows. It had gotten darker as I'd played the piano and the room was almost completely dark, probably because the heavy curtains were almost all the way closed. When he was a few feet away he stopped and stared down at me. "You didn't answer my question."
I swallowed nervously. "I didn't pick it for any particular reason. It was just the first song that popped into my head because I'd been transcribing piano music for it."
He moved closer to me until I could feel his jacket brushing against my clasped hands. "I came back early because you were in my thoughts."
I frowned. "Pardon?"
"Why do you look like her?"
I was really confused now. "What are you talking about, Mr. Gold? Who is this girl you keep thinking I am?"
There was a small silence while Mr. Gold continued to stare at me. I could see pain flashing behind his eyes even though he struggled to hide it. Finally he just moved forward and grabbed the front of my shirt, pulling me up against him. I put my hands up and pressed against his chest, trying to stop the forward movement, but he was much stronger than I was and I ended up where he wanted me. "Are you going to haunt me until my last breath on this earth?" His voice was low and full of pain, just like his eyes.
I turned my face away from him so that I didn't have to look into his eyes anymore. His pain was too much for me to handle. It was too raw. "I'm sorry, Mr. Gold, if I look like the girl you loved but I'm not her. Don't take your anger out on me. Don't drag me into this. I just want to pay off my father's debt and leave."
He growled down at me and shook me roughly. He dropped his cane and reached up with his free hand to grab a handful of my hair, wrapping it tightly in his fist. "Look at me, Annabelle." I still refused to look at him and he used my hair as an anchor, pulling it so that I would look at him.
I glared up at him, trying to ignore the shivers that trailed down my body at the feel of his hands fisted into my hair, pulling tight. I'd always had one guilty pleasure in college. Pain was my forte, my language. I was very much a submissive when there was a man who was aggressive enough. Looks like I'd met my match, accidentally of course. When I spoke my voice was a little shaky and I had a little trouble breathing. "What do you want, Mr. Gold. I can't be this Belle that you seek after. I'm..."
I wasn't able to finish what I was going to say because Mr. Gold's lips came crashing down onto mine, the force cutting my bottom lip against my teeth. He released his hold on my shirt and wrapped his arm around my waist, pulling me tighter against him. I didn't know what was going on. He'd snapped. Lost his mind. He attempted to devour me like I was the last thing on the earth and even though I tried to shove away from him at first my body began to betray me. I began to kiss back and instead of pushing him away I grabbed a handful of his jacket and let my other hand slip into it, sliding along the silk sapphire shirt. All reasoning left me.
Both his large, rough hands moved away from my waist and hair and gently spread out against my cheeks to cup them as he pulled back. "I'm sorry, Annabelle." His demeanor had changed completely towards me now. I don't know why though.
I drew an extremely shaky breath and tried to stand on my own but my knees gave out and if Mr. Gold hadn't quickly scooped me up into his arms and pressed me up against his chest I would have tumbled to the floor in a very undignified manner. "What... what was that for?"
He turned with me still in his arms and walked towards the door, leaving the room and moving out into the hallway. He didn't even bother to go back for his cane. "I'm sorry. I don't know what came over me back there, Dearie. I really don't."
I knew that I still hated him for doing what he did to my father but right now I didn't care. I laid my head sideways against Mr. Gold's shoulder and stared up at him as he continued to walk. "You loved her a lot, didn't you?"
I watched his adam's apple bob up and down as he swallowed roughly. He nodded, avoiding eye contact as he turned down another hallway that lead to the stairwell. "In a way I did, as much as I could at least."
I never expected to get this much information from Mr. Gold, but I decided to see how far I could get before he told me to shut up and mind my business. "What happened to her?" His grip tightened against me as he took the first step onto the stairs and started climbing as if I weighed nothing. I could also see the tenseness of his jaw. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have asked that. You don't have to answer me."
He slowly looked down at me and that's when I saw the tears that he was fighting as the glittered on the edge of his dark lashes. "I pushed her away, rejected her and in the end I killed her." A small sob shook inside of his chest and rumbled against me where I lay pressed against him. "Now here I am. For the first time I'm willing to admit to myself and to a you that I was too much of a coward to save her."
"No..."
"Yes!" He snapped down at me and his tears turned to a glare but the pain was still there. "Yes I was." We were on the second floor now and he stopped just outside of my bedroom. I thought he was going to let me down but he didn't, instead he held me tightly with one arm while he waved his other one and the door flew open. I blinked in confusion at what I just saw but before I could ask what exactly I did see, he started speaking again. "Now you've come into my life, against my will. Regina thought I'd tear you down and crush you like I did Belle the first time. But I can't. The pain I suffered from knowing I killed her is what's saving you."
He gently laid me down on the bed. I thought he was going to just run out of my room. Again I was wrong. He scooted up onto the bed and lay down facing me, curled on his side. I reached out and touched his arm. "I'm sorry that I look like her. I didn't mean to intentionally hurt you, Mr. Gold."
He gave a weak smile. "Call me Dominic when I'm home, I'll allow that one kindness." He reached out and gently ran his calloused thumb against my lower lip. "And just for tonight I'll let you see my grief."
I'd never seen such a heartbroken man since my own father. I scooted myself up until I was leaning against the headboard and patted the space next to me. He slowly wiggled himself upwards and turned until he was facing away from me. I slowly spooned myself against his warm back and wrapped one of my arms around him. "I'll let you grieve tonight, Mr..." I stopped and remembered what he'd told me just seconds ago. "Dominic." I spoke his name gently into his soft hair as I buried my face against it.
Tonight had taken a huge turn and I didn't know how to process it all. Tonight was just the beginning of my third night here and now this happens. I most definitely wouldn't have predicted something like this, but now that Mr. Gold had broken down I couldn't just ignore him and continue to hate him. I was one of the reasons for the break down after all.
I shoved my thoughts off to the back of my mind and gave a long sigh. Snuggling tighter against the man who I thought I'd always hate felt wonderful. And in the end, sleep didn't evade the both of us for long.