. . . . . ╰──╮✰ ✰ ✰ ╭──╯ . . . . .

‎‧₊˚✧ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ ꜰᴏᴜʀ✧˚₊‧

‎‧₊˚✧ᴛʜᴇ ᴘʀɪᴄᴇ ᴏꜰ ɢᴏʟᴅ✧˚₊‧

______

"The Desire Of Gold

Is Not For Gold

It Is For The Means

Of Freedom And Benefit."

______

Angie had spent the past few hours painting on the wall opposite her dresser. She dipped the thin bristles of her brush into the pot of black paint and pressed the tip to the wall. She swept the brush in thin streaks across the bottom of her masterpiece. Finally, Angie stepped back and bit the tip of the paintbrush handle. It was missing something. But what?

"Angie!"

Angie jumped and turned around. Mary Margaret was staring at her, looking quite concerned. Angie breathed out a sigh of relief.  "May. You scared me."

"I scared you?!" Mary Margaret exclaimed. "You're scaring me! You haven't left this room for two days and now you're painting...well, that!"

Angie turned back to her masterpiece. After looking it up and down for a second, she turned back to Mary Margaret. "I don't see the issue. It's missing something, though. Do you know what it is? I can't seem to figure it out."

"Yeah. Sanity," Mary Margaret said as she gently pulled Angie away from the painting. "Angie, I don't know what's going on with you, so please try to explain it to me."

Angie sighed. "I'm not sure, May. I have this feeling I've seen David before, and now I can't shake it."

"Maybe he just reminds you of someone," Mary Margaret suggested.

"Maybe," Angie replied. "Let's go get some food. I need some fuel after thinking that hard."

Mary Margaret smiled and led Angie out of the room. Still before leaving, Angie took a peek back at the red and black demon wings she had painted as another wave of heat headed down her spine.

—

As Mary Margaret and Angie headed back downstairs, they noticed Emma and Henry talking with a man that they recognized as Mr. Gold. Mr. Gold was a man on the older side who owned almost every establishment in town. He was notorious for his deals, which he made with desperate people. Mr. Gold quickly exited after hearing their footsteps and locked the door.

"What did he want?" Mary Margaret wondered.

Henry shrugged as Emma started to explain. "There's a woman, name's Ashley Boyd. She's nine months pregnant at nineteen. Mr. Gold found her breaking into his pawn shop and she assaulted him. He wants me to help him find her."

"Are you going to?" Angie asked.

"Yes.  I had Henry at about her age.  I don't want Ashley to go through the same thing I did."

Angie was skeptical. Something about Emma's interaction with Mr. Gold felt wrong. "Mr. Gold never makes it that easy. He lives for deals that appear to benefit you, but will only benefit him in the long run. The important question is what did he promise you? And what have you promised him?"

—

A young man of thirteen years walked through the forest with a basket, looking for some kindling, which would be used for his fire that night. It was a wet night, so he doubted he would find much. He ventured further into the woods, hoping to find something that could be used for dinner instead, but he unfortunately came up empty.

Suddenly, he heard a loud bang. The bang was followed by a feminine scream. Concerned for the life of the girl, the young man started to run. If an innocent girl got hurt and he didn't do anything to help her, he would never be able to forgive himself.

He brushed a few branches of a tree out of his way and spotted a glimpse of blue fabric in the underbrush. Quickening his pace, he ran to a blackberry bush that was adorned with the fabric like a crown. Dropping to a knee, the young man took the fabric in his hands. It had jagged edges, meaning that it had been ripped by the owner of the fabric. Luckily, it didn't seem like there was any blood on the fabric, meaning whoever screamed was most likely not in immediate danger.

Yet still there was someone out there who needed his help. So he couldn't stop now. The man was about to get up and keep searching when an arm wrapped around his neck, pressing a crystal blade against his jugular.

—

Angie was sitting in a booth at Granny's eating another baklava when Emma and Henry walked in, having an intense conversation.

"You can't make her double-cross Gold. No one's ever broken a deal with him," Henry was arguing.

"Happy to be the first," Emma replied. "If Ashley wants to have this baby, she should have it. Anyone who wants to be a mother should damn well be allowed to be one."

"Whoa whoa," Angie interrupted. "What's this about making Ashley double cross Gold?"

Emma jumped, clearly not expecting to see Angie. After she got over her initial shock, she explained the situation. "I just went to go see Ashley's boyfriend to see if he knew where she was. Ruby gave me directions. Ashley's father-in-law sold her baby to Mr. Gold. That's why she broke into his office. She wants the baby, but a deal with Mr. Gold has already been made."

Angie was shocked. She had met Mr. Gold on several occasions. She hoped she wouldn't have to make a deal with him again. She knew Mr. Gold was cruel, but she didn't know he was that cruel. Emma suddenly looked at Ruby, who was pouring some coffee into mugs. "Hey! Why didn't you tell me she sold the baby?"

"Because I didn't think it was important," Ruby replied.

"Really, considering that's why she's running away?"

"Look, Ashley's my friend," Ruby argued. "I don't like the idea of people judging her."

Angie sighed. "Ruby, we wouldn't have judged her. We want her to be safe." Suddenly, Angie spotted a small wolf figurine on the counter-a figurine that was usually in Ruby's car. "Ruby, where's your car?" Angie then realized what was going on. "You didn't send Emma to Ashley's boyfriend to find her, you sent her there to give Ashley a head start."

"Look, I'm only trying to help her," Ruby said, lowering her eyes to the counter.

"Yeah, so am I," Emma argued back. "Ashley's in more trouble than you know, Ruby. Where is she? Don't make her deal with Gold without me."

Ruby sighed. "I can't talk in front of him. He's the mayor's kid," she said, nodding at Henry.

Henry started to argue, but Emma convinced him to go back home. After Henry was out of earshot, Ruby took a deep breath and explained. "She left town. Said she was gonna try Boston. Thought she could disappear there."

"How long ago did she leave?" Angie asked.

"About a half an hour."

—

The man couldn't see who his captor was and he didn't dare try. The way his captor was holding the blade showed experience. They knew what they were doing and would slit his throat if he moved an inch. Instead of looking up, the man let his eyes travel to the ground. He could see the fringe of a navy blue cloak, which was missing a small piece. This had been a set up.

The captor pressed the knife hard enough to draw blood, causing the man to lift his head up again. Weakly, he managed to choke out, "What do you want?"

There was a harsh laugh from above him. "Are you really this dense? I'm robbing you, dummy."

The man recognized the voice as belonging to the one who screamed only a few minutes earlier. Which meant that... "You're a woman."

"Give the man a prize. Now, empty your pockets."

"Wait-"

"Empty them!" the woman exclaimed, pressing the knife further into his neck. The man started to cough, dark red liquid seeping from his mouth. With no other option, the man reached into his pockets and turned them inside out. The only thing he was able to recover was a small silver coin. The coin had a rose emblem on it.

Unsatisfied, but with no other choice, the woman released him. He fell to the ground, coughing. The woman pulled a canteen of water out of her satchel and poured some on a brown cloth. She started to clean the blood away from his neck but the man stopped her. "Why should I trust you?"

"I let you go, didn't I?"

"You also tried to rob me."

"And you had nothing of use, so I let you go."

With no other choice, the man sighed. "Fine."

—

Angie and Emma were frantically driving in Emma's car, hoping to get to Boston and find Ashley. The poor girl was making a very bad decision. They hoped once she realized the gravity of the situation, she'd come back to Storybrooke. Both of them were preoccupied with their thoughts, so they jumped when a little boy spoke up from the back seat. "What did she tell you?"

"Henry!" Emma scolded. "What the hell? We're going to Boston, you can't come with us."

"You can't go to Boston, she can't leave!" Henry said, looking straight at Angie. "Neither can Ashley. Bad things happen to anyone that does."

Angie sighed. "Henry, I can leave. There is no curse."

"Yes there is!"

"I don't have time to argue with you over the curse," Emma snapped. "I've got to get you home."

Henry seemed to be in no rush to leave. "We have to stop her before she gets hurt. We're wasting time. If you drop me off, you'll never catch up to her."

"Henry..." Angie tried but Henry quickly cut her off.

"And then Mr. Gold will call the police, and he'll have her sent to jail."

Angie and Emma shared a look, realizing that he was right. Emma sighed. "Buckle up. Ashley, what did you get yourself into?"

They continued to drive, reaching the Storybrooke sign. Right before they were about to cross the border, Henry called out. "Wait! Is that her car?"

Emma skidded to a stop. Angie was forced to grip onto the car door to avoid getting thrown. She started to breathe heavily. "Has anyone told you that you'd be a great Nascar driver?"

Everyone quickly recovered from the sudden stop before taking a closer look at the broken down car. It was definitely Ruby's. Emma got out of the vehicle first, Angie and Henry quick to follow. Angie was a little dizzy getting out, but it seemed like she was otherwise fine. Emma's crazy driving hadn't killed her yet.

"Ashley!" Emma called out the girl's name when they reached the car, but it was empty. There was a scream coming from the other side of the car. Angie made it around first and spotted Ashley sitting on the ground, heaving.

Ashley looked straight at Angie as she dropped to her level. "My baby. It's coming."

Shocked, Angie almost didn't react right away. Once she came to her senses, she yelled out, "Emma! She's here! She's in labor!"

Together, Emma and Angie were able to lift Ashley into the car next to Henry. Angie climbed into the passenger's seat while Emma started the car. She began to speed back down the road to the hospital.

"Is the baby really coming?" Henry wondered.

Ashley moaned in pain from the back seat. Angie cringed. "Oh, yeah," Angie muttered. "It's coming." She turned to Ashley. "Don't worry. The hospital isn't that far from here. We'll get there in time."

Ashley instantly started to argue. "No, no, no, no, take me to Boston. I can't go back there."

"It's four hours to Boston," Emma reminded her. "We don't have four hours, trust me. I know."

"I can't go back there, please." Ashley started to cry. "He's gonna take my baby."

"We won't let that happen, but do you know what you're asking for?" Emma asked. "If you keep this child are you really ready?

"Yeah," Ashley replied.

Emma wasn't entirely convinced. "Are you sure? Because I wasn't."

"You weren't?" Angie and Ashley asked at the same time. Angie didn't know much about Emma's pregnancy with Henry, other than the fact that she had him at 18. Emma had never mentioned who Henry's father was, and she suspected that was for a reason. She supposed she was about to learn more.

"Nope. If you want to give this kid its best chance, it's gonna be with someone who's ready, so know what that means. Your whole life is gonna change, and once you decide that it's yours, this running away can't happen. You have to grow up, and you can't ever leave. Understand?"

"Yes. I want my baby." That was Ashley's final answer on the matter.

"What are you doing?" Henry wondered, looking straight at Angie.

Angie's eyes dropped to her hands, where she was fiddling with a silver coin. She hadn't even realized that she had started doing it. "Oh, it's a nervous habit."

Henry's eyes seemed to light up with an emotion that Angie couldn't place. "Where did you get it?"

Angie shrugged. "It was one of the only things I had when I was a little girl. Why? Have you seen it before?"

Henry peered closer at the coin. "No. It's pretty though."

"Yeah," Angie said with a smile, fingering the rose pattern on the coin.

—

The young man allowed the young woman to clean his blood for ten minutes before pulling away. This action briefly startled the woman, who groaned with disappointment. "How many times do I have to tell you? You can trust me."

"How am I supposed to trust someone I just met?" the young man fired back.

He couldn't see her face but he could tell she was raising her eyebrows. "But we have met before."

"Really?" The man was confused. "Where?"

"Once upon a dream."

"I walked right into that one, didn't I?"

"Yep," the woman replied. "What would make you trust me more?"

The man thought about it. "Your face. And your name. And anything else about you."

The woman considered before finally speaking. "How about this: I take off my hood and we go from there?"

"Deal."

The woman placed the brown cloth on the ground and brought her hands to the trim of her hood. After a brief moment of hesitation, the woman removed the hood. The man was shocked. She couldn't be older than twelve. She had long dark hair and brown eyes. She was also a bit shorter than he had originally thought. She was quite pretty, though the man could tell that she had let her appearance go over the years.

Finally, the man managed to ask a question. "How long have you been alone?"

The woman shrugged. "Months and years blend together when you're alone. This life is the only one that I remember."

"Do you have parents?"

"No."

"Everyone has parents."

"Not me," the woman shot back. "I've been alone my whole life. The people that birthed me threw me away. I was the problem, the mistake they didn't want to deal with," she said bitterly.

"I-I'm so sorry," was the only response the man thought was safe to make.

The woman leaned back against the blackberry bush. "Don't be. It's not your fault. Plus, I like being alone. No one judges you."

The man couldn't imagine being alone for his whole life. He didn't want this woman to go through this anymore. "Live with me."

The woman was confused. "Excuse me?"

"You can live with me and my mom. You won't have to steal like this anymore. You won't have to live like this."

He could tell that his offer touched the girl. "Why? You don't even know my name."

"Let's change that," the man said, holding out his hand. He placed the silver coin on her leg before looking her in the eyes. "My name's David."

The woman took his hand. "Angelica."

—

Ashley had given birth to a healthy six pound baby girl. Right after Dr. Whale announced the baby, Mr. Gold stormed in. The practice was disgusting to Angie. She hated the fact that Mr. Gold might do something terrible with the baby. Emma decided to try and smooth things over with him, so Angie went inside the hospital room to see Ashley and the baby.

She knocked quietly on the door. Ashley looked up, baby in her arms. "Angie."

"Hi Ashley," Angie said with a smile. She bent down next to the hospital bed, where she had a good view of the baby's small face. "How's the little peanut?"

Ashley smiled to herself. "Nice and healthy, like I knew she would be."

"Does she have a name?" Angie asked.

"Alexandra," Ashley replied.

"That's beautiful," Emma's voice called as she entered the room.

"Thank you two for getting me," Ashley spoke softly.

"It was no problem," Angie assured, gently taking Ashley's hand.

"Mr. Gold was outside," Emma admitted. "I took care of it. She's yours."

"Really?" Ashley asked at the same time that Angie asked, "What did you do?"

Emma shrugged. "I made a deal with him."

Angie was getting a sense of deja vu. "What did you promise him?"

"A favor. That's it."

Ashley leaned up and grabbed Emma's hand. "Thank you. Thank you so much."

Henry then poked his head into the room, reminding Emma that she still had to take him home. Emma also told Angie that Graham had offered her a job as a deputy, and she was going to take it. The two left soon after.

Angie turned back to the room Ashley was in, where Ashley's boyfriend had just arrived to meet the baby. She could tell from the smiles and giggles that the two had officially made up. Angie smiled sadly to herself as the two kissed. She wished she could have what they had. Love. But she was pretty sure that if there was a curse in Storybrooke, it was for her to be alone forever.