[center]Collaboration between Guardian Angel Haruki and YoshiSkittlez[/center] --------------------- [center][img=http://i33.photobucket.com/albums/d94/Malfoys_one_and_only_girl/240x160StorybrookeGold.gif?t=1407788619][img=https://31.media.tumblr.com/d51a0c3920ba0507dfc03f9dfab1b806/tumblr_mox5r6WoJ81rk8b1co5_250.gif][img=data:image/jpeg;base64,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][/center] [i]"Again papa! Again!" A pair of little arms wrapped around his neck, giving cause for the Spinner to chuckle as he was practically forced back down onto his knees at the small child's bedside. His hand moved to remove the tiny hands clasped around him and went to work to try to ease the child into laying back down in her bed. "Alright, alright Bae. But just once more. You need your sleep if you're to grow into a beautiful woman like your mother." He could hear a quiet scoff at his back from a woman sitting at the table in the middle of the modest hut, busy mending up a pair of trousers but otherwise uninterested in her husband putting their child to bed. Ignoring the noise, the Spinner took both of the child's hands in one of his, holding them together across the child's stomach while his opposite hand rested on her forehead, stroking small strands of curly brown hair that somehow always seemed to get in the way of her bright brown eyes; his eyes. He began to hum a tune, a soothing lullaby the child had grown so insistent on being sung every night before she could sleep and only when the child had closed her eyes, on the verge of awake and asleep did he put words to his song. "Sleep my Baby, Rest my loved one Softly slumber Now with me Clasped in Papa's Arms so tender Warm in Papa's Love for thee-" [b]"Pretend all you like, but you will never be a father!"[/b] The scene around him began to melt, like frost on a glass window on a sunny day, until the Spinner found himself shrouded in nothing but darkness, isolated to everything that was once around him, every comfort he ever had gone like an illusion. The words of his wife bounced off the invisible walls that slowly began to close in on him, rendering it impossible to escape. "BAE!" The Spinner cried out, staggering to his feet and bracing his hands on the walls closing in around him. His own voice echoed in the darkness, replacing the haunting echo of the words of his wife though it was no better. The child never responded, all he heard back was the pitiful cry of a coward that fell upon deaf ears. "YOU CAN'T TAKE HER FROM ME! I WILL FIND HER!" The Spinner began pounding his fists on the invisible walls that had him now trapped but he kept at it, screaming out though he knew no one could hear him until finally the wall broke and a fracture of white light poured into his confined cage. [b]"-if she's to have the shame of being your daughter!"[/b] His wife's voice slipped in through the crack causing the Spinner to howl in frustration. He continued to chip away at the wall until it began to crumble at his feet where he simply stepped into the new room available to him and looked around. The Spinner brought up his arm to shield his eyes from the bright light but they quickly adjusted to see that he was now at sea, lined up with half a dozen or so men who didn't seem at all alarmed by his sudden presence. Instead, the men looked straight ahead intently, clearly focused on something he couldn't see. He willed his legs to move as he stared at the blank expressions on the sailors faces, each seeming like a statue as they paid him no heed and just looked onward. Confused, the Spinner turned his attention in the opposite direction and was forced a couple steps backwards out of surprise as a familiar face smiled back at him. Unlike the sailors, this man who had not been there just seconds before was aware of the Spinner and held out his hand to him. Confused, the Spinner examined the man's closed fist and upon the sailor opening his hands finger by finger, the Spinner realized that he had been holding onto a human heart. "W-what is that?" The Spinner asked the man feeling an overwhelming sense of sickness take over his insides. "Something you don't have mate." The sailor responded, offering the heart in his hand to the spinner. "Go on, take it. She won't love you unless you do." The Spinner, under some sort of unexplained understanding, took the heart from the sailor and felt it's feeble pulses as he held it in both hands. "Milah..." The Spinner whispered quietly to himself, looking upon the bright red organ with reverent awe. "Because I never loved you." Milah's voice entered his ears for a third time, however this time, as the Spinner looked up, he saw that his wife was standing before him now with her arm in the sailor's- no, pirate's. "No! No I can't!" The Spinner cried out, feeling the heart growing suddenly hot in his hand. "You took Bae! You kept her from me!" He shouted at the woman, unsure of how much longer he could hold the heart in his hands without burning a hole through his hands. Gritting his teeth, the Spinner looked down at the heart in his hands and watched as the organ began to crush itself into dust; he hadn't even had to squeeze. He looked back up at the pirate and his wife in horror, as there was nothing he could to do stop it but Milah remained completely calm. "You did this!" Was all she said, and the pirate looked upon the Spinner with narrowing black eyes. "I don't understand!" The Spinner whimpered, his eyes going back and forth between the disintegrating heart and his wife's eyes. "THIS WAS YOUR FAULT!" Milah shouted before she and the pirate suddenly became transparent; like ghosts only to vanish completely. Where their feet had been, a pile of white rags lay bundling up something small. "Papa!" The Spinners eyes darted around the ship. The statuesque sailors remained, but the voice he knew as his child could not be placed until his attention went back to the white rags where his wife had once stood. Hesitatingly, the Spinner approached the bundled up pile and pulled away a few of the strips and shouted out in surprise as a face was uncovered. The Spinner jumped back in horror, dropping the dust that had once been a heart from his hands and dusted them off on his trousers, trying to cleanse himself of this evil. When nothing happened, the Spinner gathered up his courage and approached the bundle once more, resorting to putting himself back on his knees as he stared upon the pale face of a child. "Papa!" The child called again, weaker this time. Her brown eyes wide as she looked upon her father's face in horror and attempted to reach a hand out to him. Meeting her halfway, the Spinner attempted to hold the child's hand in his own, but instead the child moved her hand and was now pointing a finger at him accusingly. "You...never...loved me..." The words died on the child's lips as the body went limp. The dust the Spinner had dropped onto the deck of the ship picked up in a gust of wind and circled around him as he held the child in his lap, tears splashing onto the white sheet of skin that was his daughter's face. "There was nothing I could do!" He sobbed out to no one as he rocked the child in his lap. "I'm so sorry! I'm so sorry Bae!" The Spinner forced his eyes shut, though the haunting memory remained of the last image he saw; the dead eyes staring back at him from under the bundled rags. They were his eyes, the eyes of his child; his Baelfire.[/i] "BAE!" Mr. Gold shot upright immediately, a light sheen of sweat coating his skin and making the collar of his silk pajama shirt ungodly hot and uncomfortable. His heart hammered against his chest, an annoying reminder of just how alive he really was at that moment when all he wanted was to be dead. At least then he would be at peace. He looked around the bedroom, disoriented for a moment as he had no idea where he was, causing his chest to heave dangerously in a frenzied panic. Belle woke up to the sudden shout, and she sat up as well, looking at Rumpelstiltskin in concern. She asked him, becoming alert and not allowing sleep to try and drag her back into her slumber. "Rumpel? Rumpel, what's wrong?" She could see that Rumpelstiltskin was covered in a thin layer of sweat, and that he was breathing heavily and rapidly. When she caught on to the fact that he may be confused and scared, she held his hand gently and tried to look him in the eyes, thinking that reminding him of her presence may calm him down. Alerted by the sudden touch, Mr. Gold ripped his hand away from Belle without even so much as looking at her. The confusion he held in his mind had passed, he knew where he was now and why, but that didn't shake away the vivid images that had been haunting his dreams for centuries now. Unable to withhold the pain in his chest a second longer he covered his eyes with one of his hands, hiding the hot, blinding tears that streamed from them and tugged at his scalp with his other hand but before Belle had a chance to do anything, he pushed himself up from the bed, stumbling quickly as his leg nearly gave out on him on the first step but managed to catch himself with his hands on the dresser before him, although half the items on the dresser's surface had ended up on the floor next to his feet. He didn't care though as he grasped his hand out blindly for his cane once he had regained his balance and quickly crossed the room to his closet, grabbing the first suit he could get his hands on and ripped it down from the hanger. Belle was surprised when he just suddenly ripped his hand out of hers. She watched him get up and stumble over to his closet for his cane and suit. She looked at the alarm clock to see that it was three in the morning and she stood up from the bed, never minding the cold she felt despite the blue dress shirt Rumpelstiltskin had lent her to sleep in. She walked over to Rumpelstiltskin and she said to him, "Rumpel...it's still late...What's wrong?" "Go back to bed Belle." He answered right away in a quiet growl, exchanging the silk pajama button-up shirt with a white wife-beater and black button-up dress shirt over the top of it (not bothering with the buttons) and making quick work of changing out of the silk pajama bottoms and into his black dress slacks. Belle walked over to Rumpelstiltskin and she reminded him again, "It's three in the morning," She then pleaded to him in worry, "Rumpel... please tell me what's wrong." She really wanted to help him, but how could she when he wouldn't even tell her what was bothering him? He grabbed his vest and jacket, bunching them together and throwing the tie somewhere into the jumble before slipping on his dress shoes. He shook his head at Belle, keeping his eyes off of her as he grabbed his cellphone from the nightstand and pocketed it, intent on just ignoring her until he had everything he needed to leave. On nights like these he would usually spend the remaining hours walking about the house or getting in a couple drinks before it was time to open up the shop for the day, but now that he was sharing his bed...his [i]home[/i] with Belle, that was no longer an option. Already embarrassed for having woken her up with his sudden outburst, the last thing he wanted to do was explain the events of the one thousand or so years of his life leading up to that day; his reasoning behind everything he ever did. She wouldn't understand, she couldn't. One day she would wake up and realize just what sort of monster he really was and leave him for good, but he'd be damned if it was by his own hand. He was a selfish man, this he knew for certain, because he would hold onto Belle for as long as he could before the truth was given to her, it wasn't his fault if she chose not to see it, and he certainly wouldn't guide her to it; he had tried that already. Belle noticed how he just shook his head at her, as if to say that he didn't want to talk about what had happened. She took a step towards him and she asked, "Rumpel...? Please..." He turned in the blink of an eye, his free hand gripping onto her upper arm tightly as his cold eyes bore down into hers with a snarl curling on his upper lip. However, as soon as he realized just how tightly his hold on Belle was, he let go of her immediately and took a step back, the anger in his eyes flooding instead with regret. "Just go back to sleep...please!" He pleaded with his eyes, glancing down at her arm where he was sure the skin was reddening underneath the sleeve of his shirt but the apology got stuck in his throat. Instead, he just shook his head, made sure he had everything to dress himself properly later and hurried out of the room without another word. Belle winced as he gripped her upper arm tightly and she saw him sneer at her with anger, which caused Belle to feel a little bit of fear. Thankfully that anger seemed to leave as quickly as it came, and she looked at him with concern once again. She could only watched as he gathered his things and left the room. She knitted her brows together in concern as she stood alone. Well, she certainly couldn't go back to sleep now. She changed into her clothes that she wore the day before, and she walked downstairs, wondering if she was going to find Rumpelstiltskin there. And if not...she thought to check the basement again. As she had thought, Rumpelstiltskin was not downstairs, and she immediately headed outside to check through the basement window again. She never minded the cold night air as she looked into the lab and watched him turn straw into gold. What was he up to? Belle couldn't help but wonder. When he wanted to forget something, he usually just turned the wheel, that she knew. But turning straw into golden thread...she had a sinking feeling that he was going to use magic for his own gain, once again. Dressed more the part of the pawnbroker, the buttons of his shirt done up coupled with the vest and suit jacket now adorned, Mr. Gold sat at the spinning wheel in the basement illuminated by a single light bulb this time, as the candle had burnt out hours ago. Reaching over to a small table, he picked up a pair of scissors and snipped a strand of gold about four inches in length before moving to stand and approach a small alchemy stand where a liquid in a large glass bowl was already bubbling. He dropped the golden thread inside and watched the liquid simmer down almost immediately, shimmering in a magical, purple glow. Belle quietly watched as Mr. Gold dropped the strand into some kind of liquid that now glowed purple. She swallowed thickly as she came to realize that her sinking feeling had been confirmed. She braced herself mentally for a moment, before walking into the basement once again. She asked as she walked down the stairs slowly, "Rumpel?" Keeping his back to Belle, Mr. Gold sighed outwardly. He really needed a better place to do his business. He said nothing though as she continued down the stairs. Belle heard his sigh, and she walked closer to him, wary of the magic...liquid, he was dealing with. An awkward silence and a heavy atmosphere hung above the both of them. "Go back to bed Belle." Mr. Gold said finally breaking the silence, his tone warning and body unmoving, keeping his back to her still as he hunkered over the alchemy table. Belle protested quietly, "Rumpel...I can't. I'm really worried." She then asked him, "Why won't you tell me what's wrong?" "Because this doesn't concern you!" He shouted, whirling around to face her quickly, eyes wild in a quick rage. However as quickly as it came, it soon passed as he forced his body to relax once he was able to fully take in Belle's reaction. Belle jumped in shock when he suddenly shouted at her, and she couldn't help but take a couple of steps back in reaction. She could see the anger in his eyes for a brief moment before it disappeared. She was speechless for a few moments, before she knitted her eyebrows in stubbornness, and she pressed firmly, "This most certainly concerns me if you're this distressed!" "I'm not distressed." He replied blatantly, shifting his attention back to his cane resting against the table and took it in hand, intending to just walk away from the situation. "You clearly are." She retorted as she watched him take his cane into his hand. She quickly thought about what may be the cause of his distress, until a good idea came to her. His teeth grit at her blatant response, ready to lash out but stopped when she talked again. She asked in a whisper, as though she had an epiphany, "This...This is about your family...isn't it...?" His brows released from their furrowed position, his face letting up gradually until all that was left was the face of a broken man. He kept a tight hold on his cane, as if it provided some sort of comfort and let his eyes fall to his hands, unable to look back into hers any longer. "Baelfire is her name." He began, counting on Belle's memory of their broken conversations on the particular topic back at The Dark Castle to fill in the blanks. "After she was taken, I dedicated myself to finding her. I went down many, many paths until I found a curse that could take me to the land where she'd been lost." Belle listened to Rumpelstiltskin as he told her about about Baelfire and that she was the reason that he made sure that the curse was enacted. She looked at Rumpelstiltskin with empathy and said quietly, "I see..." "I found myself in this little town with only one thing left to do. Wait for the curse to be broken so that I could leave and find her." Belle then looked to the concoction he was working on, and she asked, "And that...is going to help you find Baelfire?" As of now, she sincerely hoped that he would be able to find his daughter. He sighed once more as the topic of his magic was brought up. He knew how she felt about it, but he had done it anyway. "Magic has become a crutch that I can't walk without. And even if I could, I know now I can never leave this place." He started to explain. "All magic comes with a price, and the price for bringing magic here, to a land without magic... I can not cross the town line. If I do, I lose the people I love, forget who I am...so when I do finally find her, I won't know her." He paused, lessening his grip on his cane enough to pull away one hand and rest it on the top of hers. "Belle, I have to break this new curse. That's why I've turned to magic once more. I have lost so much that I loved. I didn't wanna lose you too." Belle listened to his explanation and she answered him, "You won't lose me, Rumpel." She was now intent on helping Rumpelstiltskin as much as she can, when it comes to finding his daughter. Hopefully, with her help, he may not need magic as much. He sighed despite her words. She may have believed them to be true, but he knew better. He raised his hand to her cheek, brushing away a lose strand of her brown hair and tucked it behind her ear for her before resting his hand back on the other holding tightly to the head of his cane. "Now..." He began, shifting the tone in his voice not wanting to have [i]that[/i] conversation with her again. That would only get them nowhere very fast. "back to bed then, hmm?" Belle nodded and answered him, knowing just as well as he did that continuing the conversation wasn't going to get them anywhere, "Alright. Good night, Rumpel..." She gave him a look that silently told him not to stay up too late either. She then started to leave the basement. Mr. Gold remained unmoving as he watched her go, silently thanking whatever gods were out there that she hadn't pressed the matter, and hadn't asked him to come back to bed with her. A foul taste was left in his mouth however as he attempted to get back to work, keeping his mind far from where it needed to be. With a silent snarl, he fished his cell phone out of his pocket and throwing the fact that it was four in the morning out of his mind, made a quick phone call. Within Faye's house, the good doctor herself had turned her basement into a lab and she had done work on the soil samples she had gathered earlier that day. After hours of work, the fruit of her labor was in a single test tube. This particular test tube held a shining bright green liquid, the same color of the portal she had seen earlier. She knew that she had extracted the purines, phytohaemagglutinin, and other chemicals commonly found in beans from the soil samples, but there was something else in there that made the compound shine a bright green light. What it was, she had no idea. It was something, but what was it?! She grew frustrated and knew that she needed magic. As of now, she had lied her head and arms on the lab table, careful to not spill any chemicals, and she was fast asleep. She moved slightly as she dealt with a nightmare, a nightmare of a room lit in flames...until the ringtone of her cell phone rang. She groaned waking up and she looked at the number on her cell. Knowing who the number belonged to, she groaned and she answered the man on the other side groggily, "...You do realize what time it is, right?" "I have a request, Dr. Jekyll." Mr. Gold's voice sounded on the other side of the line, just as awake and alert as if it were the middle of the afternoon. Faye raised an eyebrow at his statement, and she asked him as she tried to banish the grogginess so that she could think clearly (Goodness knows that she's going to need her intellect when dealing with him). "What is it?" "Belle is in need of some new clothes, and seeing as I'm going to be busy throughout the day working on one of [i]your[/i] problems, I'd find it fitting that you would be the one to take her out so that I may continue to work." He wasted no time of getting to the point, and he wasted even less time pointing out just why it would be in Heather's best interest to listen to his request. "After she has what she needs, you may use my basement and see if we can't find a resolution to this little problem you have, hmm?" Faye lifted her head up at what he wanted, but even more so when he mentioned what Heather would get in return for helping him. It was certainly better then being asked to kill the mayor...and knowing who Belle was, she was sure that there would be nothing wrong with helping her. "Very well. That's a deal, Rumpelstiltskin. I'll come by in four hours." Without a tone of surprise in her acceptance, Mr. Gold replied, "I see to it that she's ready." before hanging up his end rather abruptly. Faye closed the flip phone and after placing it on the table, she ran her hands through her hair and sighed. Henry wasn't here...She actually missed his smile and his cheer, his wit and intelligence, and the optimism and hope that lived despite the horrible things that happened to him. She felt lonely, guilty, and, dare she even think it, empty? She was also worried. Was Henry ok? Was he even still alive?! She had no idea and that frustrated her to no end! She soon shook her head and she realized who she was. She was a scientist! There was no time for her to get sentimental and upset over mistakes! She looked at the shining green liquid in the test tube and remembered her findings. If she could gather that from the soil, then she could help Henry! But letting herself get depressed wasn't going to help. As soon as she stood up, she felt a stinging pain as the sleeve of her shirt rubbed against her skin. She hissed in pain and she rolled up her sleeve to see that she had a burn on her arm...just like the burn she received in her nightmare. She shook her head in disbelief and she headed out of the room, intent on treating her burn with a cream before getting ready for the day. XXX A series of curses that came from the pawnbroker's lips went unheard as the smoke alarm blared into the air. Dropping the frying pan back onto the stove, Mr. Gold pushed himself through the thick smoke filling the kitchen to attempt to disassemble the infernal detector from the wall entirely. As soon as the machine was nothing more than a few wires sticking from the wall, he braved returning to the kitchen to find the slice of what was supposed to be french toast cooking in the frying pan errupt into flames. A cry of surprise passed his lips as he hurried over and quickly waved his hand over the stove, dispelling the fire with magic before anything else could possibly go wrong. Belle walked into the kitchen, awake from the loud beeping of the smoke detector, and she watched as he tore the device out of the wall and stopped the beeping. She watched as he jumped in surprise at the flames and immediately dispelled the fire. She held a hand to her mouth and she was trying to keep herself from laughing too hard or out loud. However, she seemed to fail, as a few giggles came out. Hearing the laugh that always pulled him from whatever foul mood he had ever been in, Mr. Gold turned to see Belle standing in the entryway of the kitchen, waving away the smoke that wafted into the air. With a frown, Mr. Gold waved his hand and the smoke slowly began to disappear slowly until nothing remained as if it never happened. "You should still be sleeping." He observed outloud, not wanting to wake her until he had finished cooking breakfast. His attention turned to the charred bits of bread still clinging to the frying pan and had to wonder if that was even possible now before Faye came over. "I couldn't sleep. Besides, it is hard to sleep through the noise and smoke." She smiled at him as she lightly teased him. She stated as she started looking through the cabinets to see what she could salvage, "Don't worry, I can make breakfast for us." Mr. Gold's lips pressed into a thin line, watching Belle take it upon herself to take over the kitchen just as she had back at his castle, only this time he didn't have to scare her into it. He approached her quietly from behind, resting a hand on her back as she tried scrounging up whatever was left in his embarassingly empty cupboards. "Belle, I-" A knock suddenly interrupted Mr. Gold, just as the seconds hand on the clock ticked to eight o'clock, and Belle turned towards the sound in confusion. She looked to Mr. Gold and she asked him, "Were...you expecting anyone, Rumpel?" His attention went from Belle to the entryway of his home, his pressed frown turning in a fleeting smile. "As a matter of fact, I was." He nodded for Belle to follow him as he took hold of his cane which had been resting against the breakfast bar and headed to the front room. He waited for Belle to catch up before opening the door and greeted Faye with a practiced false smile. "Doctor. So nice of you to be on time." Mr. Gold turned to Belle, lightly gesturing towards Faye with a free arm. "Belle, this is-" "Faye Stevenson. I know, Rumpel." Belle smiled at Mr. Gold, before she looked to the doctor, and she greeted the doctor happily, "It's good to see you again, Faye." The doctor watched the two speak with each other before she nodded to their greetings and replied politely, but with a kind smile on her face (towards Belle). "It's good to see you as well, Belle." Belle asked, curiosity making itself apparent in her voice, "So...what are you doing here?" Faye asked in response, "He didn't tell you?" After Belle answered with the universal gesture for no, shaking her head side to side, Faye simply muttered with slight sarcasm, "Shocking," as Belle looked to Mr. Gold for the answer. Mr. Gold cleared his throat loudly to keep the women from conspiring with one another right in front of him. How Belle and Faye had already met one another was beyond him, but he wasn't about to bring his questions to the surface just yet. "Dr. Stevenson has...[i]offered[/i] to take you out today Belle." He began, casting Faye a sideways glance as if daring her to correct him on his choice of words. "You're going to need some new clothes and...well, familiarize youself with the town I suppose as it seems we are stuck here for a while." His narrow shoulders shrugged gently, knowing that she wouldn't need much else as his home was completely furnished for the both of them, though Belle might take it upon herself to dress it up a bit to more her liking. Mr. Gold then reached into his back pocket, pulling out his black leather wallet and handed over a credit card to Faye. "Anything she wants, and anything you think she'll need." He told Faye, his tone leaving no room for argument. "Stop by Granny's on the way, breakfast seemed to escape us this morning." There was no way Mr. Gold was going to get into the fact that he had practically burnt his own home down while trying to make Belle breakfast. Any other assumptions to his words were left solely up to the doctor. Faye set her jaw closed at his sideways glance when he answered Belle, who seemed to be silent and thinking over something. As Mr. Gold handed her the credit card, and told her the limitations (or lack thereof), she nodded as she pocketed the credit card, and answered seriously, "Of course," She immediately dismissed Hyde's suggestions in the back of her mind of misusing Mr. Gold's credit card as payback, especially considering that Mr. Gold could try and kill her. When he told her to take Belle to Granny's Diner, she nodded and made a mental note to take her there first. Belle seemed to be thinking over why else Mr. Gold wanted her out of the house, and she recalled what she had learned just hours ago. He was probably going to keep on trying to get to his daughter. In realization of this possibility (and the fact that he couldn't cook breakfast earlier and almost set the house on fire), she asked him, "Thank you Rumpel...but will you be alright by yourself?" Mr. Gold fidgeted in the spot, torn between kissing Belle on the forehead for reassurance and remaining the steel-willed pawnbroker that Storybrooke had learned to fear. Faye's current presence was the only reason he settled into nothing more than a small smile towards Belle and a firm nod, unable to show the tenderness he felt in his heart for her in front of an audience. "I've spent many centuries alone dearie, one afternoon won't be any different." He replied a bit colder than he had intended. Faye held back the urge to roll her eyes at Mr. Gold when she noticed his fidgeting. She and Hyde knew better about his feelings towards Belle, so the fact that he was hiding those feelings from the both of them amused Hyde to no end. Belle, on the other hand, could see past his cold exterior, and she said," I see," She then kissed his cheek, which earned a wry smile from Faye, and she said to him "I'll see you later, Rumpel." She then started walking away and Faye nodded to Mr. Gold, "I'll see you later, Mr. Gold." before she followed Belle. Mr. Gold gave a curt nod to both of the ladies, trying not to let the blush from Belle's kiss on his cheek creep up any further than the collar of his deep purple dress shirt...and did a very poor job. As soon as they were gone, he shut the door behind them and locked it up tight. Going through the kitchen, he waved his hand lazily cleaning up the remainder of the mess he had made earlier and pressed on to the sliding glass door that would lead him back outside. He'd eat later if he ever got around to it, but right now, he needed to find a way to cross the town line without losing his memories, a task that would no doubt consume the rest of his hours today and possibly the next week.