Lord Wyron

Once Upon a Time...

Collaboration between Guardian Angel Haruki and Ghost Shadow
--
Faye stood outside, waiting for Henry to finish speaking with Mr. Gold. She could see Mr. Gold suffer from the effects of lung cancer outside of the window, but she didn't rush in, seeing that Henry had it under control. She shook her head, knowing that Mr. Gold was just hurting himself even more by continuing his addictions. She reminded herself that she couldn't help him as a doctor since he didn't want help and was stubborn about it.

Soon enough Henry came out of the shop and she asked him, the grave look still on her face, "Got what you needed from Mr. Gold?"

"Yes....I did." Henry answered, though it was quite obvious there was more to it. "We need to go find Mark...there's an errand I need him to run for me." Henry told her next, trying to smile gently to reassure her it wouldn't take long. But his smile faltered.

"Believe me, Faye, I want to get home just as much as you do. But things keep getting in the way." He said with a heavy sigh, wishing to share this burden that weighed him down so.

Faye answered him, "How long it takes for you to finish your business is the least of my worries," She asked him, "What kind of errand did you want Mark to do for you?"

"Oh, I just need him to talk to David Nolan for me - the two of them are close, well...close by Mark's standard from what I saw. I feel that Mark could speak to him better than I. Nothing you need worry about." He said, now smiling genuinely, placing a single hand on her cheek reassuringly.

Dr. Stevenson wasn't persuaded by his smile and his hand on her cheek. She said seriously, "Henry. At least answer my questions. Why do you need Mark to talk to David Nolan?" Prove that I can trust you! Faye didn't say this out loud, but she didn't like having no answers, or having to assume what's going on in his mind. Having no information or knowledge of a situation or topic means being left in powerless state.

Henry sighed once again before speaking, "I need David to read to the Jane Doe patient..and I need Mark's influence to persuade him." He confessed, dreading the fact that the inquisitive doctor would most likely ask why.

Faye was glad that he answered her, and she continued, true to Henry's dread, "I see. But why David Nolan out of everyone in Storybrooke?" She can understand why he would send someone to read to Jane Doe. But why he chose David, she didn't understand.

"Because..." Henry began, a hint of a smile on his face again, "My gut tells me to." He finished, placing both hands in his coat pockets. "I've got a hunch...besides, what's the worst thing that David will do?" Henry asked her with a chuckle.

Faye had a gut wrenching feeling that he was lying to her, but she didn't comment on it as she answered, "Good point, I guess," She then started walking and said "Well, let's go and find Mr. Dufresne then. He may still be with the nuns,"

"Very good, let's be off!" Henry proclaimed excitedly as he, on his own impulse, took Faye's hand in his own; beginning the short walk that led from the pawnshop to the nunnery.

Though it was growing later, a moderate amount of people still filled the town square - chatting and catching up with one another. A strangely jovial Mark was making conversation with Marco, separate from the main crowd.

Henry led Faye through the people until he caught up to Mark, who was in a riveting discussion with Marco about how to fix a power drill.

Mark seemed to notice Henry and Faye approach, and wished Marco a good night before turning to look at the duo.

"Well, there you are - the nuns have been looking all over for you, Mr. Carlyle." Mark greeted with a small smile. "I didn't think you'd have it in you, Newcomer...but you pulled through." Mark complimented with a firm clasp on his shoulder. "If you ever need anything from me: just ask." Mark offered seriously, seeming to look at Henry with newfound respect.

"And don't think I've forgotten you either, Dr. Stevenson. You accounted for thirty-six candles alone: that's impressive. Good on you." Mark complimented her with a firm nod of his head, looking like a proud father overseeing the accomplishments of his children.

Faye smiled at Mark and she said to him politely, "Thank you, Mr. Dufresne. Really, I'm just happy that I was able to help,"

Henry had a wide grin on his face as he spoke next, "You're most kind, Mark...I think I'll want to cash that favor in now, actually."

Mark raised a single eyebrow but didn't say a word, allowing Henry to continue.

Henry cleared his throat for a moment, absentmindedly squeezing Faye's hand in his to show he hadn't forgotten her. "I need you to ask David Nolan to read to the Jane Doe patient in the hospital..."

Mark looked somewhat perplexed at Henry's request, his hands finding their way into his jacket pockets. "Bit of a strange request, Mr. Carlyle." He observed, reaching out of his pocket to scratch the back of his head.

"Yes, yes, I know. But it's very important to me...there's a storybook I keep in my car. I need you to ensure that David reads her the story of Snow White from that book." Henry detailed, his voice entirely serious.

"I won't question your reasons, Mr. Carlyle, but I can't promise that David will do it..." Mark replied, sounding somewhat skeptical.

"All I need you to do is ask." Henry reiterated with a sincere smile.

Mark remained silent for a few moments before exhaling deeply. "To hell with it, fine, I'll talk to David about it." Mark finally agreed, holding out his right hand for Henry to shake.

Henry was about to do so as well, but a sharp stinging sensation stopped him, and he winced painfully. So much to do, he had forgotten to let Faye get a good look at his injury.

Faye noticed Henry's wince and she shook her head at him and she said to him sternly "Henry. Your hand," Her tone clearly stated that she wanted to treat his wound now. She was worried that his wound may be infected by now.

"Yes, yes, I know." Henry replied, looking back at Faye for a moment as he spoke.

Mark took this as his turn to leave. "I'll see if the pet shelter's still open..if so, I'll talk to David about this book of yours. Have a good night." He bid farewell before turning in the direction of the shelter.

Henry released his own hand from Faye's to rub at his injured one, trying to dull the throbbing that seemed to rhythmically pulse from it. "We should...we should probably get home now, eh?" He asked her, trying to be lighthearted.

Faye bid farewell to Mark as well, before she looked Henry while he rubbed at his injured hand. She nodded and answered "Yes. We should. I can treat the wound there,"

"Yes, of course...but I should get the book from my car first - so I can be ready to hand it over." Henry said in an even-mannered tone, beginning the (very) short trek to his vehicle.

He sifted through his belongings before procuring the large, ornate-looking storybook. "Ah, here we are..." Henry announced with a smile, holding up the book for Faye to see.

"Just need to hand this over to Mr. Nolan and we're all set!" Henry finished excitedly, but winced once again as his hand throbbed sorely.

Faye followed him to the car and she watched him bring out the storybook. After he made his comments, she responded with a "Great,". She then asked out of curiosity as she looked at the book, "Which fairy tales are included in that book, if you don't mind me asking?"

"Almost all of them. It's quite the extensive collection." Henry replied with a smile, tucking the book under his arm. "Maybe you can look through it once David's read to the Jane Doe." Henry offered. "But anyways, I'm due in to relax a bit...it's been a long day." He said, sounding slightly tired. But there was a bit of resolve to his tone, something that hinted that his promise of more romantic gestures was to still be honored.

As the two made their way down the street, leaving the heart of town where the lit candles those who stayed out this late were still holding no longer lit their path, a pair of shoes slapping against the pavement below them in a fast jog sounded behind them.

"Henry! Hey Henry!" David called out.

Henry stopped in his tracks as he heard a familiar voice call out to him. Turning around, he noticed David Nolan rushing up to him. "Yes, David? Can I help you?" Henry asked, masking his impatience with polite inquisitiveness.

David stopped as soon as he reached the two of them, resting his hands on his knees as he cought his breath. He then gestured with his thumb behind him, even twisting his torso to look back a bit before looking back to Henry.

"I...Mark...Mark said you needed me to do something?" He asked panting just a bit, and his voice now confused since Henry seemed to not have any clue as to why he was there.

"Ah, yes! The fireman moves fast - I didn't expect to see you so soon. There's a certain comotose patient in the hospital that I'd like you to read to...I was given this book by an anonymous doner. I only read to the Jane Doe twice, but I could feel just a little more activity when I read Snow White." Henry detailed, lying quite well as he explained the purpose.

He grabbed the book from under his arm and handed it to David. "If you'll do this for me, I'd be much obliged." Henry added with a friendly smile.

David stood up tall once more as the book was handed over to him, though his confusion never really left his face.

"Read?" He repeated, looking over the title of the leather-bound book. "You mean like, volunteer?" David then looked from the book to Faye, as if she would better answer his questions. "What, is this some sort of new treatment?" He asked. He wasn't at all being sarcastic, just a bit lost as to what was going on.

Faye answered David, actually putting in effort to not use medical jargon that she is used to using when it came to talking about patients,

"Oh no, it's nothing new. You see, even if Jane Doe is in a coma, she can still hear. As long as communication is maintained, Jane Doe comes closer and closer to getting out of the coma. If someone isn't reading to her, we play some nice, comforting music for her, but it's not quite like having someone talking to her,"

David nodded slowly, like an ADHD child really making an effort to understand something that was really beyond their mental fortitude. He got the gist of it though, nodding more confidentally once she had finished talking.

"You know, my mother used to read to me when I was sick as a kid..." He said, attempting to relate the situation somehow, even if he was miles off. "You said she likes Snow White?" He then asked looking back to Henry.

Henry nodded sharply, "I noticed the most responses from that story...that and I find it quite similar to her current situation. You should be an absolutely wonderful volunteer." Henry added with a warm smile, wincing yet again as his wounded hand was making it quite apparant that it wanted attention.

David nodded again and pointed a finger at Henry.

"Right, because you can't voulenteer anymore..." He said, not in a way of offending Henry, only by vocalizing outloud that he was beginning to put the pieces together. "Sure, I can do that, I'll go tonight, provided the hospital is still open?" He asked, once again turning his attention back to Dr. Stevenson.

Faye answered "Of course. It should still be open for doctors and volunteers. You count as a volunteer,"

David's neck was getting sore from all the nodding, but he did it once more and tucked the book underneath his arm.

"Great, I'll uh...just head on down there then. You two have a...nice evening..." He couldn't help but to quirk a brow as he realized, for the first time since showing up there that the two of them seemed to be heading back to Dr. Stevenson's home. He then just shrugged, as if to say 'not any of my business' and then turned back around to head to the hospital. Reading outloud to Jane Doe during the middle of the night seemed less...embarassing somehow.

Henry sighed as the rather ditzy young man wandered off towards the hospital. "Now...I believe it's time we get a look at this hand." Henry said, looking at his wounded hand, the wounds not looking well at all.

"Lead the way, doctor." Henry motioned with his good hand, smiling.

Once Upon a Time...

Collaboration between Guardian Angel Haruki and Ghost Shadow
--
Faye reached the nunnery, and she was directed to meet with Sister Charlotte. She walked up to Mark and Sister Charlotte and she started, getting the duo's attention, "Mr. Dufresne, Sister..." She was about to ask if they were going to continue selling candles, but she noticed that Henry was missing, and she asked instead "...Where's Mr. Carlyle?"

Both Mark and Sister Charlotte looked up suddenly at the new voice that entered the conversation.

"Dr. Stevenson." Mark greeted simply, though not impolitely.

"A pleasure to see you, doctor." Sister Charlotte greeted in kind, though her head was cocked down, looking at her hands, which seemed to fidget somewhat nervously.

"The man had a nervous breakdown, God knows why, and ran into the bathroom. We heard a slam from inside but nothing else." Mark answered her question neutrally, scratching the back of his head. "Might do best if you spoke to him." He suggested to Faye.

"He was so upset..." Sister Charlotte added sympathetically, appearing quite downtrodden. "He just...looked at me and ran." She finished sadly.

Worry appeared on Faye's face as she listened carefully to the answers Mark and Sister Charlotte. Was it possible that Sister Charlotte reminded Henry of someone or something...?After Mark made his suggestion, Faye answered "I see. I'll try and speak with him. Please, excuse me,"

Both Mark and Sister Charlotte nodded at Faye, though didn't stay put for long; following closely behind Faye to see if she could get through to Henry.

She then turned and headed for the bathroom where Henry may have locked himself in. She knocked on the door and called "Henry?"

There was silence for a few moments, but a bit of shuffling from inside signaled Henry was indeed there.

"Let me be..." He said sorrowfully from inside, not knowing or caring who was out there at the moment. The key around his neck became that much heavier from the realization that Alice was alive: it was his burden, his weight, and he chose to carry it alone.

Faye heard him clearly and she tried to speak with him again, despite his sorrowful request, "Henry, it's me, Faye. What's wrong? What happened?"

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you..." Henry said quietly, making no move to unlock the door. "It's..." He stopped, shuddering reflexively as he tried desperately to regain his composure. "It's my past, come to haunt me; no matter how far I run from it." He finished before turning silent once again.

"What on earth's he talking about?" Mark asked, obviously confused. Sister Charlotte said nothing, simply standing there guiltily.

Faye listened to what Henry said about his past coming back to haunt him. She looked to Mark, giving him a look that said she had a good idea what he was talking about, but she would have to tell him later.

She then looked back to the door, and placed her hand on it, as though the door could be an extension of Henry's hand.

She said to him "Henry...Running away from the past isn't going to make anything better,"

"It's all I've ever done." Henry replied somberly from the bathroom. And he was right - even in the Enchanted Forest, all he did was run: it was his nature.

Mark sighed deeply at the conversation, putting his hands in his coat pockets. He gave Sister Charlotte a look that seemed to say, "I'm sorry about this...". The nun, however, seemed to feel too responsible to notice, shifting her eyes to avoid making contact with the fireman.

Faye ignored Mark and Charlotte as she retorted "That doesn't mean that you have to keep running away. You can still confront whatever is haunting you from your past,"

"Not if the past is dead." Henry said cryptically. How else could he say it? That the nun who was standing just behind Faye was his sister who was beheaded in Wonderland by the Queen of Hearts for his insolence? Oh how he wished to share with her...but she wouldn't believe - she couldn't.

Faye answered "It doesn't matter if the past is dead or not if it's still haunting you like this," She then said "You don't have to confront it alone, Henry. I'd help you in any way I can. But I can't if you keep shutting me out like this,"

There was only silence, then a bit more shuffling from inside. A small click came from the door handle. The door opened slowly with a long creeeaak. Henry stepped out of the bathroom slowly, his face still reddened from his breakdown; his injured hand perhaps even redder, blood slowly seeping from the open wounds on his knuckles.

He kept his eyes locked on Faye, afraid that even looking at Alice would incur another bout of tears.

Faye blinked when she heard the small click, she took her hand off of the door, and stepped back, allowing Henry to come out of the bathroom. She made eye contact with him, and she saw the sadness and fear within his eyes. She then saw his injured hand that was still bleeding. She lifted the injured hand, gently so as to not hurt Henry. She mumbled sadly "Oh Henry..."

She then said to him gently and with care, "Come on. Let's get that hand treated, alright?" She started to lead him away from Sister Charlotte, figuring that he may cry again if he looked at her.

"No...no time for that. I have to...I have to talk to Mr. Gold - now." Henry objected calmly, seeming to ignore his hand for the time being.

Mark, on the other hand, decided now would be the best time to leave the two of them alone and took Sister Charlotte by the hand gently, leading her away from them.

Faye stopped trying to lead Henry away, thanks to the fact that Mr. Dufresne and Sister Charlotte left the room. She asked Henry with confusion evident in her voice, "Mr. Gold? Why would you want to talk to him?"

"My past." Henry replied bluntly, though not unkindly. "He knows...things...things I so do wish I could tell you, Faye. All I can tell you, though, is that I need to talk to him - soon." Henry finished, placing both hands firmly on her shoulders.

Faye raised her eyebrows at his answer and she asked him as her objection, "But Henry, this is your first time in Storybrooke. How would Mr. Gold even know about your past?"

Henry sighed, thinking of how to go about this. "Remember when I told you to trust me?" Without waiting for an answer, he continued. "I'm not exactly a....newcomer. More of a latecomer. Mr. Gold and I have...spoken before, made a few deals. I was supposed to come here five years ago - but I waited..half to circumstance, half to not *wishing* to come here. He knows things about me and I know things about him. You just have to trust me...do you trust me, Faye?" He asked her seriously, looking her dead in the eyes.

Faye listened to Henry's explanation. Her gut feeling told her that he was telling the truth, despite the fact that what he was saying made no sense whatsoever. She looked at him in the eyes and when he finished speaking, she answered seriously "Yes, I trust you,"

She then said "However, I still think that going to see Mr. Gold tonight, is a bad idea! A very, very bad idea,"

"Faye...I have to. I wish I didn't, but...we have 'business' to discuss." Henry replied, saying the word "business" with disgust in his voice.

"But...we can both go home after that. I promise." He said reassuringly with a small smile, finally noticing his hands hadn't left her shoulders the entire time. He quickly moved them back to his sides with an embarassed look on his face, trying to mask it with an awkward grin.

Faye sighed through her nose, and she answered "OK. Fine. But the moment things start to look bad, I'm intervening,"

"Ok....deal." Henry compromised, placing his uninjured hand into his coat pocket, his wounded one seeming to scream with pain at every movement.

"Shall we go, then?" He asked her - his voice seemingly returning to normal.

Faye nodded and said "Let's go," She then added sternly "And we're tending to that hand, like it or not!"

"All in due time." Henry replied halfheartedly before heading towards the front doors of the nunnery, his maimed hand sticking out like a sore thumb. He stopped at the threshold of the door, turning back to see if Faye was following or not.

Faye followed him to the front doors of the nunnery and she led the way out of the nunnery, walking past Henry when he stopped, and she walked past the circuit breaker.

Henry followed behind quietly before abruptly stopping in his tracks, eyes wandering up to the power transformer that stuck out quite obviously on one of the nearby rooftops. "Wait..." He said, remembering Mr. Gold's words from just earlier that afternoon.

"I do hope you stick around long enough for the sun to go down. They say these lights make the evening that much more...magical."

"That's it!" Henry exclaimed, quickly rushing to the ladder that escaladed up to the roof.

Faye stopped when he said to wait and she looked to him, watching as he seemed to stare at the circuit breaker. She raised an eyebrow and she asked Henry in response to his outburst "What's it?"

"Keep me covered! We're gonna sell those candles!" Henry said to Faye with confidence as he began climbing up the ladder, wincing every time his injured hand gripped the rungs.

"Wait, what!? Henry!" She watched as he went up the ladder and she groaned "Oh no..." What was Henry up to?! She really hoped that he wasn't doing something incredibly reckless.

He climbed his way to the top, scurrying until he managed to get on his feet.

He scanned the rooftop for something, anything he could use; his eyes landing on a crowbar that was strewn absentmindedly onto the ground.

Henry used his good hand to grab it, hoisting it up and getting a good grip with both hands. He stared menacingly at the fuse box for a moment before swinging the crowbar at it with great force, embedding the crowbar into the box.

The power flickered furiously but remained on, causing Henry to growl as he yanked the crowbar out and swung at it once more, this time causing a blanket of darkness to come over the entire town.

He did. He really did do something reckless! Dr. Stevenson swore under her breath as she stood in the darkness. Her eyes adjusted quickly as she looked around. She was glad she had a back up source for electricity in the hospital, just in case a blackout had occurred. If she hadn't, then many patients' lives would've been at risk! She made sure to have a word about this to Henry ASAP.

"Yes!" Henry exclaimed quietly as he moved to climb down the ladder, the crowd of people becoming somewhat frantic as they suddenly found themselves in complete darkness.

Mark rushed out of the nunnery, followed closely behind by Sister Charlotte - both of them looking absolutely dumbfounded: if one could see their expressions.

"What the hell...?" Mark swore, looking about blindly. Henry, (taking a few moments to let his eyes adjust to the dark), ran up to Mark with an almost manic grin. "Mark, I've done it! Get the candles! The nuns are going to make it!" He exclaimed frantically, clasping the older man on both shoulders and shaking him back and forth in excitement.

Mark seemed to finally catch on to the idea, a wide grin crossing his face. Henry took this as a sign, and raised his voice substantially whilst calling out, "Everyone! We've got candles! Only five dollars apiece! Enough for everyone!"

The crowds surprise and fear seemed to turn to elation as they hurried over to the nunnery, practically throwing their money at the nuns for candles.

Faye found her way to Henry and she watched as people hurried over to buy the candles. Well, she had to admit Henry's method did work, but it still was a risky move, considering the hospital she was in charge of.

Mark and Sister Charlotte both helped oversee the sale of candles. It was magnificent: whether a freak accident, a not-so-lawful but well-meaning citizen, or an act of God; loss of electricity suddenly made everyone *that* much more interested in purchasing candles.

"We...we did it!" Sister Charlotte exclaimed excitedly, looking absolutely stupefied. "I have to, I have to go find Mother Superior. Oh, Mr. Dufresne: thank you for everything!" She said happily, pulling him into yet-another hug before bounding off to find the head nun.

Henry bounded over to Faye, wearing that same ecstatic grin on his face. He made a snap-decision in his head, and, without a moment's warning; grabbed her firmly by the shoulders and planted his lips on hers, eyes closing as he hoped this wouldn't result with him pepper-sprayed on the ground.

Faye was about to speak to Henry when he suddenly grabbed her shoulders and kissed her. She widened her eyes in shock at first, but she didn't move to hit him, or push him away. She instead melted into the kiss, returning Henry's sentiment.

Henry kept his lips on hers for as long as he possibly could (earning a slighly disgusted look from Mark in return) before slowly pulling away, his mouth forming a small smile as he looked at her. "I've wanted to do that for so long." He said sincerely

The doctor had to admit that she enjoyed the kiss, but she had covered her mouth and was blushing. She cleared her throat after Henry had made his sincere comment...what was she supposed to say after two people kissed?! She had no idea!
She stuttered awkwardly "Uh...I-uh..." She ended up saying "We'll talk about the whole circuit breaker thing when we get back..."
She silently shouted at herself after she said that, "YOU IDIOT, FAYE!"

"Sure, we'll talk about it." Henry responded, his tone hinting that he intending on doing anything but talking.

"But now--" He began, sounding almost disappointed. "I have to go talk to Mr. Gold...But I want to get home as soon as possible. I'll try and keep it short and--" He stopped before saying 'sweet' afterwards, taking a moment to think of a filler word. "Short and productive!" He settled on, kissing her on the forehead before turning to half-run, half-walk towards the pawn shop.

Faye's blush reddened even more at Henry's response, but it quickly went away when he mentioned Mr. Gold. She had hoped he would've forgotten, but apparently he didn't. She raised an eyebrow when he replaced the word 'sweet' with 'productive'. She hurried after him, ignoring the kiss on the forehead because of the worry of what may happen at Mr. Gold's occupied her mind now.

Once Upon a Time...

"This is hopeless." Henry exclaimed after about an hour and a half of constantly going to house-after-house, giving them the same old spiel and not selling a dime's worth of candles. Everyone either wished they could, had to get gas in the car, had to pick up groceries, or some other pathetically poor excuse for not just forking over five dollars and being done with it. Before he could say anything else, however, Henry felt his phone buzz in his pants pocket. Pulling it out, he flipped it open, a flashing envelope on the screen signaling a text message. "It's Faye...she sold...36 candles! Impressive!" Henry commended with a cheery smile.

"It isn't enough." Mark replied bluntly, not sharing in the excitement.

"What do you suggest we do then?" Henry asked the fireman inquisitively, placing his hands in his coat pockets.

"We tell the nuns we failed. There's no way we can sell the rest of these in time. The best we can do now is let the Sisters hear the news from a friendlier face than Mr. Gold's." He finished, sounding....sad, disappointed.

'Right, because you're *so* much friendlier...' Henry thought to himself with a small smirk twitching at the edge of his lips. Fortunately for him, though, Mark didn't seem to notice as he turned back in the direction of the nunnery.

Henry followed quietly, a feeling of dread seemed to loom over the both of them like a cloud. Henry wasn't even sure if he'd be able to break the news to the nuns...that they were now, for all intents and purposes, finished.

The front view of the nunnery came into Henry's sight far sooner than he would have liked. Mark scratched the top of his head for a moment as the both of them simply stood there, as if daring who would take the first step.

The both of them finally began the painfully short trek up the stairs after a few moments of waiting, Mark pulling open the door and holding it for Henry before walking in themselves.

"Um, excuse me...?" Mark called out to one of the passing nuns, Sister Astrid as she walked past. "Y-yes? How can I help you, Mr. Dufresne?" The nun asked politely, stammering ever-so-slightly.

"Who do we talk to about selling the candles?" Mark inquired in a neutral tone, not even willing to fake a smile right now.

"Oh! You'll want to talk to Sister Charlotte, she's just down that hall - first room to your left." Sister Astrid informed with a sweet smile, prompting Mark and Henry to do the same - though theirs seemed heavy, burdened.

"Thank you, Sister." Mark said warmly before following her direction down the hall and to the left, Henry closely in tow.

The two of them entered a small, modest room of the nunnery; large windows beamed in the afternoon sunlight, a few bookshelves placed about the room itself - filled with religious allegories and documents. A small folding table was placed at the front of the room where a lithe, petite young woman; no older than 20 was looking through a few papers and folders, her face hidden as she was looking downwards.

"Are you Sister Charlotte?" Mark asked politely, though quietly, afraid of disturbing any possible business she was working on.

The young woman looked up from her current occupation, a small smile crossing her lips as she saw the two men - and in that very moment, Henry's face paled to the color of white paper.

"Yes, how can I help you?" The nun asked in a voice that was nothing less than sweet; soft and lovely.

Henry's breath caught in his throat, and he stumbled backwards slightly; as if he was seeing a ghost. The dark brown hair that was currently kept in a tight bun, those lively gray eyes that emanated sympathy and kindness, the voice.

"Alice..." Henry managed to say, just above a whisper, his eyes never leaving hers.

"Alice? Who's that?" Sister Charlotte asked, looking quite confused. "Are you feeling alright, sir?" She questioned with a look of concern in her eyes...those eyes. She approached him slowly to try and defuse the situation.

"Stay away!" Henry exclaimed sharply, jolting back as if hit by an electrical shock, hugging onto the door-frame like it was a lifeline. Tears now actively streamed down his face as he tried so hard to look away from the ghost's face...his sister's face.

Mark turned to look at Henry, his eyes narrowed in a mixture of confusion and concern. "Henry....calm down. What's the problem?" He asked seriously, but in a reasoning tone.

Without saying another word, Henry rushed out of the room in an instant. He needed to be alone - needed to hide...

He blindly pushed through the doors to the restroom, which was, fortunately single-person only. He slammed and locked the door behind him, letting his anguish out as he sobbed uncontrollably into the sink, tears falling like raindrops from his reddened face, his shoulders racking and his legs feeling as though they'd give out at any moment.

Emotion overcame him, and in a blind fury - both at himself and....someone, anyone else - he turned and slammed his fist into the tile wall with as much force as he could possibly muster. The blow was enough to rattle the mirror that hung just above the sink, the pain finally being the tipping point in Henry falling down to the ground entirely.

He curled up into a tight ball, ignoring the resounding pain that resonated from his cut and bleeding hand, choosing to run, to hide, to cower. Just as he did all those years ago: when she died...
--
Both Mark and Sister Charlotte were dumbfounded when Henry ran away in a slight panic. "Let him go...he needs to deal with something." Mark said somberly as Sister Charlotte made a move to go after him.

The young nun nodded slowly in understanding, looking quite worried herself. "I do hope he's okay..." She said, concern practically dripping off her voice.

"He will be..." Mark replied, though there wasn't much confidence in his voice. "We, uh...*I* came to tell you that...we can't sell all the candles." He confessed quietly, hanging his head like a hound about to be scolded harshly.

"Oh...oh my..." Sister Charlotte said quietly, placing a single hand over her mouth in shock - the full realization, that the nunnery would become bankrupt hit her, but the pain...the sadness would come later.

"We tried everything we could...but we only managed one box and three individual candles." Mark added sadly, rubbing his hands over his face slowly. "I'm sorry." He said, sounding quite miserable.

"No...no, don't be. You did what you could." Sister Charlotte reassured quietly, her eyes beginning to mist. "That's all anyone could have asked from you, Mr. Dufresne - it just wasn't....meant to be. I know the Lord has bigger, wider paths for us." She finished, hopefully, trying to brighten the situation in the slightest.

Mark, deciding to do something he hadn't in a very long time, pulled the young nun into a tight hug, both for her sake and his. It was over - Gold had won.

Once Upon a Time...

Collaboration between YoshiSkittlez and Ghost Shadow
--
The candle plight seemed to go from utterly impossible to now relatively hopeless. They had't sold any so far, but Henry's skill with words and persuasion definitely helped in more ways than one - not to mention Mason's youthful appearance and disposition being a helpful leverage.

As the trio continued to walk past the town square, nearing the end of the most swollen part of the hub, both Mark and Henry noticed David Nolan browsing between the different stalls nonchalantly.

"Afternoon, David." Mark greeted simply, though his tone became slighty more conversational as he spoke. "Want to buy a candle?" He asked in a...halfhearted manner (earning yet *another* outlandish look from Henry, who was surprised the fireman knew how to sound even remotely lighthearted.)

David turned at hearing his name being called and grinned at seeing the three of them before him.

"Mark, Henry...Mason!" He put his hand into a fist and playfully jabbed Mason in the jaw, causing the kid to laugh in response. David then returned his fist to a relaxed hand position and stuffed it into the pocket of his worn blue jeans. "A candle huh? You mean the ones the nuns sell every year?" He asked, eying the box in Mark's posession.

"Indeed. Mr. Gold's doubled the rent on the nuns - only way they can afford to stay open is by selling all the candles." Mark replied in an almost bitter tone, though more directed at the pawnbroker than anything else.

"Of course he did..." David couldn't help but to roll his eyes at the heartlessness of the town Pawnbroker.

"If we can't sell a thousand by tonight, there's no way that Gold will let the nunnery stay open." Mark said, grinding his teeth slightly.

"Want to make it nine-hundred-ninety-nine?" Henry asked David cheerily, a wide grin on his face.

David couldn't help but to let out an airy, awkward laugh, and then having his eyes scan around the area while he scratched the back of his head wondering if the subject matter was even appropriate to laugh about. Regardless, he reached into his back pocket and pulled his leather wallet out and procured three different five-dollar bills.

"Make that nine-hundred and ninety-seven." He said handing the money over to Mark. "When you're a bachelor like me, you'll do whatever it takes to cut down on your electric bill." He mused with a smile. "I'm also not a man above charity." He added on, making sure to look down at Mason now with his cheeky smile.

Mark took the money with a genuinely warm smile from his friend, handing it to Mason; who promptly and eagerly stuffed the bills into the money box.

"You're a good man, David." Mark commended approvingly while handing the three candles over to David.

Henry, on the other hand, smiled - but it was hollow. He didn't see the veterinary assistant before him, but Prince Charming. The very Prince Charming who would be hopelessly in love with Snow White, his Snow White. Henry remembered promising her all those years ago that he would never leave her, never part ways from her. And now...to set her free he would have to do just that.

It was all he could not to simply just look at the man with disgust, but Henry knew how to keep a poker face - and looked as cheery as usual.

David returned the leather wallet to his back pocket and took the three candles (if a bit awkwardly from their sheer size) into his hands.

"I'd better get these home. I'm starting to realize why women carry around purses. I'll see you guys later, and hey...good luck." He gave mainly Mark a nod of encouragement before heading off down the street, whether he was headed to the vetrinary booth just down the ways or the pet shelter in itself was unclear, but neither Mark nor Henry would have much time to think on it.

"Charming." A voice from behind them came, close enough that he needn't shout. Mr. Gold leaned heavily on his cane with his right hand, looking at the three with what almost looked like an amused expression on his face, having whitnessed the entire thing.

Both Mark and Henry turned quite suddenly as the undeniable voice of Mr. Gold caught their attention. Both men gave the pawnbroker a nasty expression, though for different reasons: Mark's over doubling the rent, and Henry's over Gold's little jape with the word "Charming".

"What do you want?" Mark asked not-so-politely, his tone cold and direct.

Mr. Gold made a quiet noise from his throat, a mixture of a laugh and being hurt at Mark's cold tone with him.

"It's just...I noticed the nuns were getting a bit more help this year than normal." He replied to Mark with his tone even throughout, as if he had no idea as to what the nuns were really going through. He instead then turned his attention to Henry, the corner of his lip twitching into a half-smile. "Remarkable women, the nuns. Have you met them all during your stay here Mr. Carlyle? One in particular reminds me of you, actually; if you weren't just a visitor, one might think the two of you were...related..."

He let the final word hang in the air as his smirk only grew. Mr. Gold knew something that Henry didn't, that much was clear.

Mark remained silent at Mr. Gold's little observation about the influx of volunteers, but gave the man a venemous look.

Henry on the other hand, seemed to shift through a large number of emotions in a split second: impatience, confusion, formulation, and then finally...shock. His mouth was quite literally agape, unable to pick up the pieces of his usually so obedient expressions to show indifference. "Wh--" Henry stopped to swallow, "What?" He asked shakily, unable to say or think anything else.

Both Mark and Mason looked at Henry with disarray, unsure what to make of his sudden discombobulation.

"Mr. Carlyle, what's wrong?" Mason asked Henry innocently, having to look straight-up to meet his teacher's gaze.

Mr. Gold seemed to be the only one that didn't react to Henry's reaction, nothing more than an audible smirk coming from his throat. His brown eyes then happened upon Mason, a sense of knowing coming over his face if but for a brief moment before looking back up to Mark, and then back to Henry. If anything, the man looked like a vulture sizing up it's free meal.

"But of course that would be ridiculous, wouldn't it?" He answered Henry at last. His attention then seemed to be pulled to the overhanging lights that the town square had been decorated with. They weren't on now, but one could only imagine the light they would put off once the sun had begun to set.

"I do hope you stick around long enough for the sun to go down." Mr. Gold then said to Henry, ignoring the man's look of stupor on his face and continued to look at the unlit lights. "They say these lights make the evening that much more...magical." He finally lowered his gaze to look upon the three boys and gave them each a polite nod as he gripped his cane, ready to walk off. "Best of luck. You'll need it." He added on, now looking at the boxes of candles in their posession.

Neither Mark nor Henry said anything back to Mr. Gold, either unable or unwilling to vocalize as the older man walked away from them.

"Close your trap, you'll catch flies." Mark told Henry curtly, blissfully unaware of what the not-so-newcomer had heard - its significance.

"Uh..yeah." Henry said quietly, shuddering slightly as he could feel the start of tears sting the corner of his eyes. In a lapse of willpower, a single one trailed down his cheek, his eyes had a clear visible sheen of moisture over them - but he said nothing on the matter, and kept his composure.

"I think we best try door-to-door now." Mark informed Henry, looking at his leather banded wrist watch.

"Sure, that's fine." Henry replied, sounding distant...sad.

Without saying another word, the three of them moved across the town until the first house came into view.

"Alright, Newcomer, go give them the spiel." Mark ordered Henry, motioning to the front door with a crane of his neck.

Henry nodded wordlessly, doing a quick fix-up of his person to make himself look as presentable as possible as he stepped up to the front door and rapping sharply on the wooden surface.

As Henry dealt with most-likely another "No", Mark figured now would be the best time to talk to Mason...specifically about the mines.

"Hey there, Bud." Mark began, squatting down once again and ruffling the boy's hair after first putting the boxes he was carrying on the ground.

"Hi, Mister Doo-, umm...Dofrezz--" Mason began, trying in vain to pronounce Mark's last name.

"Let's just stick with Mark." The fireman responded with a small chuckle. "I'm sorry we're taking this long to find your mom. We're trying to juggle a lot of other things, too. But don't worry...I haven't forgotten." Mark reassured sincerely, earning a small nod from Mason, who was currently rocking himself forward and back on his feet.

"But, I did want to ask you a few things...about the mines. Is that okay?" Mark asked politely.

Mason replied with a simple, "Mhm!" As he was becoming slowly distracted by the fallen leaves that blew this way and that in the wind.

"Alright, great. I wanted to ask you...did you see anything down there? Any treasure?" Mark asked, trying to make the question slightly more enticing with the word "treasure".

Mason shook his head quickly, finally looking at Mark straight-on.

"Oh, alright, wasn't sure..." Mark said finally, sounding as if he was thinking over something - only half-paying attention. As soon as he saw Regina and Henry make their way to the mine collapse, he saw her pick something...small and shiny off the ground, yet couldn't get a good enough look at it.

Then, he remembered seeing her drop something in one of the fault lines when he left with Knox, Ruby, and Mason...then suddenly order the mine sealed up immediately. Could the mayor possibly be hiding something? Mark made a mental note to investigate this further if necessary.

"What the hell are you doing?" Regina stormed over to the small group on the porch of Mrs. Shoemaker, eliciting such a startled reaction from the older woman that she slammed the door shut on Henry, clearly no longer interested in buying candles. The mayor's eyes weren't on the old widow, however, but on Mark. She didn't stop her hurried gate, not at all hindered by the high-heels she wore, until she reached Mason and took him by the wrist gently, pulling her over to him where she put her hands on his shoulders protectively as she spun Mason around to face her, her hands then wandering all over his dirty face attempting to wipe it away and make sure he was okay.

"I thought I told you to stay put while I took care of some things?" Regina said licking her thumb to better her chances of getting the dirt off of his nose, though her tone to him was levels below the practically screamed obsenities directed towards Mark.

Mark turned to give a hard look at Regina as she approached, lacking any visible sign of fear or submission that nearly all the other citizens did.

He rose to his feet slowly, dusting off his shoulders in the process. "The boy was scared and alone at a large town gathering, we were trying to find you." He informed, the first part of his sentence sounding almost like an accusation - but his expression was hard as stone.

Henry, in the meanwhile, could only look at the door with a dumbfounded expression, saying the word "What" about three or four times as he had to come to speed with what just happened before him.

Regina's eyes inflamed as Mark's answer as she looked over to him, a heavy scoff coming from her throat.

"Looking for me...really...at Mrs. Shoemaker's place? Yes, there's nowhere I'd rather be." If Mason wasn't around, she would have added onto her bitter sarcasm with a rude gesture, but her hands stayed planted firmly on the boy's shoulders. "Look, next time you're just 'trying to help'...don't. My son wasn't scared, were you Mason?" She asked, looking down at the boy.

"I-"

"See? He was fine." Regina made a point of turning Mason back around so that she could dust off his shirt, mumbling under her breath about how boys got so dirty.

"Yes, I can see that." Mark said dryly, eyes cold and determined. "Just so you know: the next time I find him alone and he doesn't know where you are - I'm taking him to Sheriff Leland." Mark stated firmly, no question in his voice that he wouldn't go through with it.

Regina's already straight posture seemed to grow in size, her pupils dialating and her nostrils flared.

"How dare you..." She replied in a chillingly neutral tone, however she stepped in front of Mason to get closer to Mark, only stopping until they were just a foot or so apart. "How DARE you threaten me, in front of my son. You have NO right." She kept her calm as she spoke, only raising her voice at certain words, but her eyes locked on his spoke volumes. Loathing, disgust, absolute distaste...

"If I find you anywhere near my son again..." She began to threaten, but her anger was boiling up too hot inside of her for Regina to even come up with an end to that sentence.

"You'll...what?" Mark spat back, eyes narrowed to match hers. "You may be mayor of this town...but you can't go around threatening people the way you do...others might take it - but not me." He finished defiantly, his voice keeping neutral in tone, quite an amazing feat for words so rebellious.

"Your son--" Mark began, using the word "son" loosely, "was left behind and wanted his mother. I think a simple thank-you would suffice." Mark finished, hardly aware of the words he was saying right now. Under normal circumstances, he'd have brushed Regina's threats aside as he usually did...but for some reason...when it came to Mason, he felt himself grow...protective, angry.

During this whole altercation, Henry could only stand back, hoping not to get burnt by the fiery argument.

Regina dared to take a step closer, shortening the gap so much that their chests were practically touching and the need for Regina to crane her neck up to keep her eyes glued to his.

"You'll do well to remember that I am Mayor of this town, and being Mayor, I have the power to get you fired. Then how will you pay for those painkillers you've become so addicted to?" She looked intently into his eyes, the infuriated flames smoldering down to that of confidence once again as she then turned to face Mason and extended her arm out to him to lead him away.

Mason oblidged, giving a quick look over to Mark and Henry, braving a small wave goodbye before Regina turned him around and the two made their way back into the heart of town to see what was left of Miners Day.

Mark watched the two leave with a piercing look not dissimilar to a falcon before finally sighing, rubbing his temple with both hands.

"Well....that was interesting." Henry piped from Ms. Shoemaker's yard before joining Mark's side. "Good on you, Mate - standing up to the Mayor!" He commended, patting the older man on the back.

"Need I remind you that you're the one who decided to sleep with her?" Mark stated bluntly as he looked at Henry with an almost disgusted look.

Henry looked slightly surprised for a moment, but went along with it. "You're telling me you haven't gotten a look at those assets of hers?" He said cheekily, slightly emphasizing the 'ass' part of the word with a mischievous glint in his eyes.

"No." Mark replied coldly before moving to pick up the candle boxes that he had placed down moments before Regina showed up. "Mr. Carlyle, I learned a valuable lesson at a young age, and that was the phrase 'right time, right place'." Mark began as he hoisted the boxes up.

"I'm not your 'pal', your 'mate', or your 'friend', I do not spend my spare time staring at the Mayor's curves or kissing coma patients. We have a job to do and I would like to get it done. Now get moving to the next house." He ordered, slightly harsher than he intended.

Did his confrontation with Regina rile him up that badly? Mark shook his head to clear the thought before following the suddenly-silenced Henry.

Once Upon a Time...

Mark was almost pleasant as he walked about the nunnery, offering friendly greetings and a smile to the nuns as he passed out of the church. In truth, he was extremely worried...he'd been helping the nuns during Miner's Day for as long as he could remember. It made him feel good, putting a smile on their faces, made him feel useful to Storybrooke and to himself.

His spirits weren't exactly lifted, however, when he found out that he would have to sell one *thousand* candles by tonight. However, Mark masked his worry and concern with an air of confidence and reassurance, praying to God that he would accomplish what seemed to him as so insurmountable a task.

The nun's helped him set up the candle booth in the hubbub of Miner's Day, stacking box after box of candles behind the stand to the point it looked like an indomitable wall. Mark sighed deeply, scratching the top of his head as he could only look behind him and see just how many candles he would have to sell...

Swallowing his fear once again, he mustered as much volume he could to his voice, reading off a pre-written advertisement from a small piece of paper: "Buy your Miner’s Day candles here! Handmade by Storybrooke’s very own nuns! Light your way to a good cause!" His calls did little to attract any attention, the most he was receiving being slight surprise that he was attending a booth.

Mark continued this process for what seemed like hours, reaching absolutely nowhere. Candles were almost old news by now, with electric lights and such - no one was interested anymore. Mark could do little but stand there, dejected, hoping someone would either take pity on him, or just put him out of his misery.

Mark left the stall after about half an hour to take a walk, clear his head. He had no worry about shoplifters - who the hell would run around stealing candles? He kept his pace slow and stiff, keeping both hands in his jacket pockets to preserve them from the still somewhat-chilly weather.

As Mark walked past the dunk tank and bakery stall (noticing Henry Carlyle as the quite-displeased victim), his eyes landed on Mason, who seemed to be lost - choosing to stay somewhere familiar instead of running off into the still-heavy crowds.

Mark felt an...instictive compulsion to check on the boy, blaming it on his fireman training. He approached the timid boy, squatting down to get on eye level.

"Hello Mason! Didn't think I'd see you here." He greeted friendlily, smiling softly. "You remember me, don't you?" He asked inquisitively.

Mason nodded his head hastily, responding with a simple, "Mark."

"That's right!' Mark replied in an encouraging tone. "Now then," he began, his voice turning slightly more serious - but not overly so. "You look lost...do you need me to help you find someone?" He asked, eyes locked with Mason's.

"I can't find my mom." The boy replied, chewing on his bottom lip by habit.

"Oh, I see." Mark replied empathetically before rising to his full height. He extened a single hand out from his pocket for Mason to take. "Come now, let's see if you and I can find her, eh?" He offered warmly.

Mason seemed to think on this proposal for a moment, as if weighing whether he'd want to stay where he was or not. But eventually, his own previous interaction with Mark, coupled with wanting to find Regina all the sooner won him over, and he took Mark's hand in his before the two of them went off on their search.

Once Upon a Time...

Collaboration between YoshiSkittlez and Ghost Shadow
--

It took Mark a few more minutes than usual to get from Granny's to the town square as Grip felt the need to investigate and/or urinate on every new sight and smell he encountered. Mark kept up the pace, though, and managed to make it to the nunnery in good time - walking past an...almost pleased looking Mr. Gold, who whistled quite a merry tune while strolling past the building.

"That can't be good." Mark commented to no-one-in-particular, a certain sense of dread to his tone.

He tied Grip's leash to another lamp-post before heading inside, looking for Mother Superior. The woman hadn't budged from her position on the patio infront of the church, her head face-down in her gloved hands as she tried to keep from crying.

Mark stepped out onto the patio, his eyes instinctively doing a quick sweep of the area (habit from being a fireman) before landing on the head nun, who appeared quite distressed.

He stood still for a moment, unsure of how to go about this before approaching slowly, his face...empathetic, for once.

"Mother Superior, what happened?" He asked concernedly, his eyes narrowing as a theory entered his mind. "Did Mr. Gold do something to you?" He added on, looking almost upset himself. There's a special place in hell for someone who makes nuns cry.

The tiny woman jumped at Mark's voice, startled to have someone approach her in such a vulnerable position. She quickly wiped the tears from her eyes and forced on a smile.

"Oh, oh no, no...he didn't do anything." She tried to assure both herself and Mark with a couple awkward placed nods. "It was just...just a friendly reminder."

Mark quite plainly didn't believe her, tapping his foot on the floor almost rhythmically. "A reminder for what?" He asked gravely, though his eyes remained soft.

"We..." Mother Superior fidgeted with her fingers, struggling to find the right words that wouldn't make Mr. Gold angry in anyway. God knew he had eyes and ears everywhere. "...we were late on last months rent, and as penance, this month's rent has been doubled..."

"Doubled?!" Mark repeated in utter disbelief. It had taken a lot of effort to pay up last month's rent, let alone twice the amount.

He began pacing about the porch, apparantly thinking hard for a solution. "What...what can we do?" He asked, stopping to look at her again.

Mother Superior blinked...twice.

"W-we?" She asked. "Oh Mr. Dufresne, don't trouble yourself with our problems. We'll manage. We...we have candles to sell this year, as we did last year. We'll manage..." The shakiness in her voice revealed, however, they wouldn't.

Mark turned his head to look out at the crowds enjoying the festivities of Miner's Day, his expression turning indifferent and cold for a moment before softening as he turned to Mother Superior again.

"There's enough people out there...I'll see about getting some volunteers and going about the town." As if to emphasize, he placed a firm but gentle hand on her shoulder. "I'll make sure the nunnery stays open, even if I have to buy them all myself." He said with resolve, looking fully confident.

"I-" Mother Superior struggled to meet Mark's gaze, her cheeks flushing from not embarassment, but in gratitude for the kind hearted man standing in front of her. "Thank you..." She finally decided upon, her smile easing into that of becoming genuine. "We sold fourty three last year, this year, if we're to meet Mr. Gold's price...we need to sell them all...by tonight."

Mark nodded sharply, unable to help a smile of his own peeking through - warm, friendly, human.

"I'll check Granny's first, it'll get done!" He said one last time before quite hastily making his way out of the church: he had a *lot* of work to do.

Once Upon a Time...

*~*~Henry's Perspective~*~*

Henry hurried down the stairs of the bed & breakfast, the floorboards creaking and groaning audibly with each step. He adjusted the scarf around his neck nonchalantly, grabbing his gloves from his coat pockets and slipping them on with ease. The weather in Storybrooke was becoming more and more frigid with each passing day, almost mirroring Henry's change in disposition. Since his time spent in jail he was less cheerful, more brooding and quiet; and everyone knew it, since he was still the talk of the town.

He reached for his headphones around his neck when a sudden voice called out, "Mr. Carlyle?" From behind. Henry jumped slightly; as few people talked to him openly anymore, preferring to keep their safe distance. He turned around slowly, looking for the source of the voice.

His eyes landed on Granny, who had a troubled expression on her lined face. "Oh my, this is terribly awkward--" The old woman began, earning a puzzled look from Henry. Granny took a deep breath before continuing, "I need to ask you to leave." She finished simply, seeming to avoid looking him in the eyes.

Henry said nothing, his puzzled expression turning to one of stunned shock.

"I'm afraid we have a "No felons"-rule. It.. it turns out it's a city ordinance." Granny added, sounding as if she wanted this conversation over with as soon as humanly possible.

Henry finally spoke, his tone bitter and tired, "Let me guess: The Mayor's office called to remind you of that ordinance, eh?" Granny merely nodded her head curtly in response.

"You can gather your things, but I need to have your room key back." She finally said after an awkward moment of silence.

Henry was wordless as he reached into the pockets of his coat, procuring the small, metal key and dropping it in her open palm. "I won't be long." He said bluntly before heading back upstairs to pack his bags...

*~*~Mark's Perspective~*~*

Mark walked Grip down the street nonchalantly, holding the dog's leash in one hand while the other occupied his jacket pocket. Though his expression remained one of clear indifference, many thoughts ran in his mind. Miners Day was today, and he'd undoubtedly be volunteering at the nunnery as he always did. It was one of the few places where he showed any bit of true emotions, and the nuns loved having him as a volunteer. But now it seemed Mr. Gold was pricing rent higher and higher - and Miners Day was the one day in Storybrooke that the nuns could hope to pull in enough extra money to pay what was due.

Mark sneered visibly. Mr. Gold was never a pleasant man to deal with - but pulling every cent he could from nuns? That was simply cruel.

He stopped just outside Granny's, tying Grip's leash around a nearby lamp post. "Now, don't worry, boy. I'm just gonna go in and grab a coffee, alright? Be good - I won't be long." He told the dog, scratching him behind the ears and earning himself a happy bark and lick in response. Mark merely smiled - a true sincere smile before heading inside the diner. As he did, he couldn't help but notice Henry Carlyle leaving the bed & breakfast portion of the building, holding his suitcase.

"Did the newcomer get himself evicted?" Mark asked himself neutrally. He didn't believe the Daily Mirror one bit, but knew that something was off about Henry - as if he had become more introverted and cold, as made even more evident by his new change in clothes. "Poor sod." Mark added indifferently before stepping up to the counter and ordering his drink.

Once Upon a Time...

Collaboration between YoshiSkittlez and Ghost Shadow
--
Regina rounded the corner to find Henry behind bars, just as Robert had said. She found her head swiveling to look over at Robert's desk, but found it empty.

Coffee run at Granny's Regina found herself thinking. Keeping her hands stuffed tightly into her coat pockets, Regina pushed forward and approached the cell, looking down at Henry.

The man in question sat on the metal frame that counted as a "bed", his back leaning against the wall. His coat had been strewn on the floor for some time now, leaving him in a simple dress-shirt and waistcoat. As he looked up to see Regina walk in, an almost devilish smile crept along his lips - almost as if he hadn't just been an emotional wreck a few hours ago.

"You know, if you were so intent on kissing someone, you could have always come back over." She jabbed at him a bit coldly.

"Well, I like to spice things up a bit, Your Majesty." He replied simply. His words sounded taunting, but his tone was nothing but conversational, friendly even.

"That's not to say--" he began, standing up, "--that you were anything less than enjoyable." He finished, planting his hands in his trouser pockets.

A muscle in Regina's lip twitched at the term 'your majesty.' She had only just gotten used to Mr. Gold using her correct title when they were alone, and it was just all the more...strange when someone she didn't even know the true identity of used it so freely.

"Who are you? How did you get here?" Regina found herself asking him.

"And why would I tell you that?" Henry asked, feigning shock that she would even dare ask such a thing. "To give you leverage? No...I think I'm fine. My name is Henry Carlyle, I took my car here from New York." He answered, pacing about the cell nonchalantly.

"He put you up to this didn't he? Somehow, the Imp got to you..." She observed outloud, her eyes narrowing at him between the bars. "I bet he told you to call yourself Henry too, in an effort to get close to me. Well it might have worked to begin with, but I'll tell you one thing right now Henry, is that you are looking at quite the sentence and you will be out of Storybrooke by morning...and I didn't even have to frame you to do it. Your own, stupid whims got you here, which makes this all the more satisfying."

Henry ignored her observation about Rumpelstiltskin, his face giving away no details as she spoke. "If you're so confident, then why feel the need to gloat to me?" He asked her, his face almost dark in expression. "You're scared." He added on in a voice that was nothing less than venomous, truly unlike his character.

"I just had one question." Regina said, her own expression mirroring his own but hers was more out of determination than anger. "Why her? Why that patient?"

"I do believe my client is done answering questions for the evening."

Regina jumped, turning around to find Mr. Gold not ten feet away from her and leaning heavily on his cane with a stone-faced expression. His dark brown eyes looked past Regina to Henry and he nodded once in a slight greeting.

"Henry! How are you holding up?" He asked, almost sounding...jovial.

Regina's jaw nearly dropped, did she just hear him right?

"Client?" She asked, shaking her head in an effort to clear whatever it was that was blocking her ears.

"That's right, I'm taking over Mr. Carlyle's case Mayor Mills." Mr. Gold said with an affirmative nod, drawing his attention from Henry and back to Regina. "Isn't that right, Henry?" He then called out just a bit louder towards Henry.

"Quite right, indeed." Henry affirmed, smiling widely - though this smile didn't emanate cheer or friendliness, but malice and spitefulness.

"Why?" Regina practically demanded. "Why on earth would you-" She cut herself off though, remembering their last conversation she had with him and her eyebrows furrowed, and Mr. Gold just smiled lightly. Regina stomped over to Mr. Gold, stopping only when they were just a breath's width away from one another. Her eyes glared intently into his, but neither said a word for a good, solid minute.

"Fine." Regina said at long last, as if finishing a thought that might have been a silent conversation between their minds. Mr. Gold then watched as Regina pushed past him, and called out behind her, "I won't make this easy for you Gold! You'd do well to remember who you're triffling with!" And then she was gone, leaving Mr. Gold and Henry alone in the quiet confines of the otherwise empty sheriff's department.

"What a charming woman." Mr. Gold said in the direction to where Regina had just stormed off, pleasantry still holding in his voice.

"Figured she'd be a bit more compromising after our interaction. Guess not." Henry replied nonchalantly, picking his coat up off the ground and moving it onto the bed. "Dare I say, Rumpelstiltskin - I'm quite pleased to see you." He said in a tone that hinted disbelief at his own words.

Mr. Gold looked back to Henry, palming both hands on the handle of his cane as he looked upon Henry with a slightly confused expression.

"Usually I just have that effect on women..." He replied without even so much as a hint to whether he was joking or not. He took the next moment to lift his cane and began walking towards Henry's cell so as to have a proper conversation. It was remarkable really, how easy it was for him to sneak into a room without the loud clanking of his cane hitting the floor as it now was doing.

"Don't let Regina scare you with her words. She's a powerful woman, yes, but you've got a powerful attourney. I heard about what happened, and offer my services if you'll have them."

"Gladly." Henry replied simply, completely confident. "The hospital incident was a...slip-up. I let my emotions cloud my judgement." He admitted guiltily. The pain of not having Snow White for himself caused him great distress, but the emotional torment now seemed to harden him; callous up as the real mission became more and more apparant. "I may not be her true love-"

Mr. Gold made a quiet scoff, mumbling under his breath "That much is clear..."

"-but I owe it to her nonetheless to break the Curse, and that's precisely what I'm going to do." He finished, ignoring Gold's sarcasm, pretending to have not heard it.

"Her? No my dear boy...you owe me." Mr. Gold responded, using his thumb to gesture towards his chest, his voice a growled snarl that would remind Henry that he was both Mr. Gold and Rumpelstiltskin. He then took in a deep breath, letting his eyes close for a moment to keep back the sudden anger that suddenly became evident in him, and clutched his cane a bit tighter.

At this outburst, Henry's face tightened severely, like a deer looking in the face of a wolf.

"I'll be leaving you here for a few days, but your case has already been resolved. Who's to press charges anyway? As her emergency contact, Mayor Mills is the only one within a position to do so, but I have yet to make a deal with that woman that she's been able to refuse." He stopped to smile, as if thinking back on something.

"If you think you can deter her, I'll let you work your magic." He said, then winced visibly at the unintentional pun he just made.

"The people of Storybrooke need time. No doubt Regina's ferret of a reporter will be filling the morning paper with your over-exaggerated and highly inappropriate actions at the hospital. You'd be safer behind bars then out in front of them. Once things have calmed down, I'll sign for your release."

"Sounds well and good. Last thing I need to do is run into that bloody security guard. That man can stare daggers." Henry said as a respectfully fearful compliment. Mr Gold then made a point to match the very expression that Henry was describing. "I can't believe I'm saying this, Dark One...but thank you." He said with a curt, but gracious nod.

"Here, it's just Mr. Gold." He corrected Henry. He wasn't The Dark One, not without magic; a painful reminder that he was still so far from reaching his ultimate goal. A thousand years of planning, and waiting, and to this day still so far. His body seemed to deflate, just slightly as Mr. Gold turned to leave the Sheriff's office, having no more business to discuss with Henry, though a particular file on the sheriff's desk caught his eye. He limped over to the desk, picked up the file and read it over. His face remained completely vigil, though he immediately crumpled up the paper and stuffed it into his suit jacket pocket before once more taking his leave.

"Mr. Gold?" Henry signaled, raising his voice just slightly as he saw the older man turn to leave. "I just have one question for you - my name..my real name. Why can't I remember it?"

Mr. Gold stopped abruptly, his back seeming to stiffen as he thought his answer over.

"Because you have no desire to remember anything of what has passed." He answered simply, a small tug of guilt coming down on him, glad to at least still have his back to Henry. He left it at that though, and Henry was then rewarded only by the sound of Mr. Gold's cane clinking down the hallway and eventually out of the building.

Henry could do little but watch as Mr. Gold left the Sheriff's office, the clang of the door closing only amplifying his solitary confinemnt.

"But I want to remember everything." He said to himself in a hushed whisper, as if saying it any louder would give away the words. And in that very moment, he could almost imagine his sister next to him, keeping him company.

Once Upon a Time...

Story's definitely picked up a bit :P Thanks for your previous service, mate!

Once Upon a Time...

Uhm - Silver, I think you were cut due to inactivity...