YoshiSkittlez

Streets on Fire

Sorry guys, 12 hour car drive today. wont be able to post until at least tomorrow

Once Upon a Time...

Name:
Mr. Gold

Appearance:

Age:
53



Status and Job:
Mr. Gold; Pawnbroker and Antiques Salesman



Skills:
Mr. Gold has the ability to outright make you squirm. He knows how to pull all the right strings to make his puppets (you) dance; and since what he has to offer is always so much greater than what others have to offer him, he can keep the puppet show going on for years at a time. He's a phenomenal negotiator, always making sure that he comes out on top in some way, even if it's just the simple notion of taking something useless to him while downright precious to someone else. He also has an uncanny way of telling when he is being lied to, and often-times calls the liar out on it.



Talents:
Mr. Gold spends what little free time he has reading and tidying up the shop and his home. He seems to have a hand in knowledge in most everything; from gardening to basic medicine. A real jack-of-all-trades.



Strengths:
As the town's pawnbroker, Mr. Gold pretty much has his hand in everyone's lives in one way or another. Whether it be exchanging valuable items for some quick cash, or hunting them down for the over-priced rent that seems to keep getting higher and higher, Mr. Gold is always there. However, this isn't necessarily always a bad thing to other people. Mr. Gold hardly passes up an opportunity of making a deal, therefore if someone has the right price to pay, Mr. Gold can get them out of practically anything and he, in return, will benefit from it.



Weaknesses:
Mr. Gold is what a lot of people in Storybrooke would call 'unfriendly.' He hasn't a true friend to his name despite what people might say about his relationship with The Mayor, and with that he is oftentimes seen alone when not making deals with people. He can oftentimes be very head-strong and come off as aggressive and intimidating, making him hard to approach.



Relationships:
Mr. Gold knows EVERYONE in Storybrooke, seeing as they have all come to him at some point for help or he had to go to them to hassle them out of rent money. Unfortunately for Storybrooke, everyone also knows Mr. Gold and have a few less than moral stories about their encounters with him in the past.

Henry Carlyle - Although Mr. Gold personally can't stand Henry for his outrageous personality that is so unlike his own, Mr. Gold has had to take great lengths to reach out to Henry to steer him in the right direction for his own benefit. He doesn't pretend to like Henry, but he keeps an air of civility when speaking with him.

Dr. Faye Stevenson - Mr. Gold hasn't spent much time with Faye for obvious reasons. She doesn't like him and he doesn't like her. There isn't a particular reason he doesn't like the Head Doctor of Storybrooke other than the fact that she has nothing to offer him and has yet to make any sort of deal with him. She is one of the few people who pays rent on time and in full, never having to cause for a squabble or heated discussion where he is used to force his influence into the matter, and that somewhat irks him. Plainly, he has nothing to dislike about her, and that in itself gives him reason to not care for her. Then there's the small matter that she knows about his medical condition, and not just his prescription for his bad leg.

Evelyn Hyde - Mr. Gold finds Evelyn Hyde absolutely fascinating. He knows her to be a woman who will get the job done, regardless of who is in her way and what lengths it takes to get there. He can relate to this woman, and on a few occasions the two of them were able to just sit down and have a pleasant conversation about such things. It doesn't happen very often, but Evelyn seems to be one of the only people in Storybrooke he would be willing to seek out of pleasantries.

Ruby Lucas - After a very awkward time nearly five years ago when his guilt got the better of him and offered a very drunk Ruby Lucas a ride home in the middle of a pouring thunderstorm, the young woman tried making a physical pass at him within his own car. Mr. Gold, of course, did not appreciate the notion and stopped his car immediately, kicking her right back out onto the streets to walk the rest of the way home. He is unsure whether or not the waitress remembers this, but he makes an avid point of avoiding her...just in case.

Knox Kowalski - He doesn't bother Knox, and Knox doesn't bother him. Surprisingly enough, Knox's home is one of the very few places in Storybrooke that the Pawnbroker doesn't own, and therefore doesn't even have to bother Knox for rent.

Granny - Mr. Gold has a complicated relationship with old Widow Lucas. The headstrong woman always gives him trouble when rent is due, and most times than naught she's unafraid to voice her open opinion on him. He owns the Bed and Breakfast, but not the diner, which causes a bit of trouble any time he wants to eat out and the woman goes out of her way to make sure it isn't a pleasant experience, whether it being charging extra for stupid little fees he's never heard about, or 'accidentally' getting his order wrong.

Belle - His life, his true love, his world. Mr. Gold will go to great lengths for Belle, insuring her safety as an over protective body guard of sorts. He will go out of his way to ensure that she has everything she needs and won't hesitate to bring an end to anyone who might even look at her the wrong way. Truly, Belle is the only one that can get through to him when his anger is at a point of no return and he will do whatever it is that she wishes. When those requests don't lie inside of what he personally wants, however, he uses his play on words to get what it is that he wants, while still making Belle happy. It's a very, very complicated relationship.

Mark Dufresne - Mr. Gold has a strange...sympathy for this man, perhaps for the very same reason the Pawnbroker has sympathy for himself; the loss of a child. He has never spoken to Mark about this particular matter, however, as the firefighter doesn't even recall having a son, but once in a while when Mr. Gold hears that the firefighter is having a bit of trouble financially, the rent amount owed to Mr. Gold suddenly goes down...just a bit...

Regina Mills - Someone Mr. Gold loves to hate, and hates to love. Regina may be the worst person around when it comes to Storybrooke, and exactly the wrong person to hold the kind of power she does as Mayor, but she also has her uses as well. Having a very long and complicated history with the disgraced Queen, he keeps her at arms length and on a leash at all times, able to go to her when he needs her, and able to keep her away when he doesn't. There are a few instances that Regina catches him off guard, however, and it is for these reasons alone he wants nothing more than to just end her life to make his just a bit more easy, but refrains from doing so because she can still be worth something to him.

Mason Mills - He has no idea why, (well yes he does, he just doesn't want to admit it) Mr. Gold has a soft spot for the Mayor's adoptive son. There's something in those wide brown eyes and dimpled smile that simply warms the Pawnbroker's heart, and can't help but to show the boy a great mount of sincerity and gentleness whenever he is around. Thankfully, Mayor Mills hasn't quite caught onto this as of yet because he KNOWS that she will use that against him.

Mary Margaret Blanchard - The would be Snow White having just come out of her coma, Mr. Gold can't help but to offer his subtle help to the girl whenever he can because he knows that by helping Mary Margaret, he's hurting Regina, and that alone is worthy of any price he would otherwise ask for.

David Nolan - Mr. Gold still has no idea what Regina was thinking when she made a different persona for their world's Prince Charming. Well, that's not true he does know what Regina was thinking; nothing. Absolutely nothing. He's a complete joke to the regal prince he had helped to shape over the years, and can't help but to roll his eyes and help push him in the right direction with obvious irritation.

Robert Leland - Mr. Gold has an obvious dislike for the town's sheriff, simply because he also happens to be the Mayor's lap dog and play thing. He feels a tinge of pity for the man, who otherwise has no choice but to comply to Her Majesties every wish since it was he who had made that arrangement (indirectly) but now with the knowledge that Robert has gone against Regina and had reunited him with Belle (who he had thought to be dead) he now feels Robert to be a bit more...tolerable...



Brief Bio:
Mr. Gold is the one guy everyone loves to hate, unfortunately the people of Storybrooke can't 'casually avoid' Mr. Gold the way they can with Madam Mayor, because without a doubt he will find you if need be. He lives alone in a large, Victorian-styled estate, rivaled to that of Regina's, and runs a pawn shop all on his own. And though they hate him, the people of Storybrooke just can't live without him, as he seems to be the very cornerstone of the small town, keeping everything together and running smooth. Well, as smooth as things can get with a man who loves to watch ants squirm under a magnifying glass.

It's not very often, but sometimes Mr. Gold can be caught with a cigarette in his mouth, or a bottle of recently half-emptied scotch sitting on the counter top of his shop when he meant to change the 'Open' sign to 'Closed.' And on top of that, a few people have even swore that they heard him talking to himself when he wasn't aware that they were in his shop.

He is always seen with a cane in his hand, helping to aid his bad right leg. How he had come by his injury no one knows for sure. He also seems to be popular with the ladies, though most people pause to wonder on the 'how' and the 'why.'

Once Upon a Time...

Regina's eyes snapped open. For a moment, she didn't know where she was, or what that strange smell was. It wasn't a bad smell, but it certainly wasn't the smell of cold stone walls and metal armor decorating the walls anymore. In her brief moment of panic, her memory finally snapped the pieces together.

She was in a bed; not a lavish four-posted bed like in her castle, but somehow, this Queen-sized bed tucking Regina in with fine down-feather blankets in her silky blue pajama suit was even better than that. The ceiling above her was painted white, as were the walls around her, all decorated with bright, fun paintings of outdoor scenes and modern art that really fit the room nicely together.

Regina sat up slowly in her new bed, looking around her large bedroom noticing first-hand the carpet that her feet made contact with as they hit the floor.

No more stone cold floors... Regina thought, kneading the carpet in between her toes.

There were dressers, lamps, plants...even a walk-in closet! All these things foreign to her in their new modern style, and yet, everything felt so...so right. Regina tossed aside the down-feather blanket and gripped at her hair, a smell sense of feeling overwhelmed coming over her from all these new sights, sounds and smells. She pushed herself to her feet, a faint, unbelieving smile on her face as she walked to the window and pulled apart the white lace curtains to take her first look outside.

Regina inhaled sharply a few times, taking in the scene before her. There were roofs, chimneys, building upon building but they were all constructed entirely different, and out of the materials that made so much more sense than the ones they used to build things back at home. Looking down on the streets she saw people walking about, talking amongst one another as they passed each other along and waved a friendly 'hello' to those who drove by in their vehicles.

"I did it..." Regina said out loud to herself, hoping that by saying it, it would seem real. She took a few steps backwards, voicing her thoughts once more. "I won..." A broad, genuine grin crossed her features as she bounded from the window and to the walk-in closet, throwing open the door and rummaging through her new wardrobe. Everything seemed so pristine...so...HER!

She picked off a sassy, yet still modest looking black dress and went to the full length mirror, pressing up the new article of clothing up to her to see just how something so new and strange would look on her, unable to hug herself around her middle with one of her arms in a warm, self-hug.
Seeing Storybrooke from the outside was one thing, but this was something that Regina definitely had to experience for real. After getting dressed and throwing on a black with white trimmed coat, Regina took her first steps outside into the new place that would forever become her home.

The walk down the sidewalk was a breeze, and Regina, despite her best efforts was unable to keep the stupid grin off her face. She passed by shop after shop, eventually coming to the clock-tower that was the key center of Storybrooke. She stopped to take a quick look up at the clock, noticing the time at 8:15. She then took this moment to breathe in the new air, pulling in the city into her lungs and then exhaling it back out, then began walking again.

Across the way, she spotted a man walking the opposite direction heavily using a cane. Regina had to do a double take, but she was sure that she had just past Rumpelstiltskin, but he looked different. Not too much, but his skin and entire complexion had changed. No longer The Dark One, Rumpelstiltskin looked as if he would before taking the power of the dagger.

No-not Rumpelstiltskin. What was the name she gave him again? He wanted to be rich, and quite powerful within the city, she remembered it having to do something with that. Oh yes! Mr. Gold. Without the use of magic, Rumpel-uh, Mr. Gold, was forced to live with his injury from the Ogre's war.

This was absolutely incredible! She continued watching, following with her eyes as Mr. Gold walked past an elderly man on a ladder, fixing up a sign. Geppetto. But here, he was Marco, and he was fixing up the sign that advertised his toy shop.

"That should hold you." Marco said to himself, coming down off the ladder. Regina had lost sight of Mr. Gold, but for once, she didn't care, and continued on walking.

"I can not believe you put me on the early shift!" A female voice reached Regina's ears, and as she looked forward she could see a tall, slender young woman arguing with an older woman as the older woman brought out the sign for 'Granny's Diner.'

"It's not my fault you stayed out all night." Granny replied to the scantily clothed young woman. Even Regina had to admit, those red shorts were far too short for her taste, even if the big red coat she wore over her bikini-style red shirt attempted at covering some of her up. "When I put 'over-easy' on the menu, I was talking about the eggs!" Granny snapped, and stormed back inside, Red, now known as Ruby, following her Granny in hot pursuit, obviously unfinished with their squabble.

"Morning Madam Mayor!" A cheery voice called out, pulling Regina's attention away from Ruby and Granny to see a tall, slender man with a head of curly hair and thick circular glasses crossing her path. He was holding fast to a leash, a big dalmation dog attached to the other end seeming like he was taking the man in the glasses for a walk instead.

Jimminy Cricket...no...Dr. Hopper...and Pongo... Regina recited in her head.

"Good morning Cric-Dr. Hopper...!" She found her lips parting to speak with a cheery vibe to it, earning her a smile from Dr. Hopper as they crossed the street.

"Beautiful day, isn't it?" Dr. Hopper replied, trying to keep Pongo steady to keep the light conversation going.

"Yes..." Regina said with a smile and small giggle, watching Dr. Hopper take Pongo across to the other side at last.

Yes it is!

The curse was turning out to be working beautifully; no one recognized her! At least not as The Evil Queen Regina. Still, there was still one last thing she had to do before she was absolutely convinced that all was well. Regina continued on walking, finding that her feet carried her in the direction she needed to go, memories of this town she had never stepped foot in before starting to fill in her mind with each step she took. Eventually, she came to a small animal shelter and walked inside.

Immediately, the air was filled with obnoxious dog barking and Regina felt her fingers instinctively twitch as to bring in magic and shut them up, but just as quickly relaxed her hand once more.

No. No this is a new start Regina. Besides, there's no magic here...

A man stepped out from the back room and went behind the counter, having been alerted to the presence of a customer by the sounds of dogs barking and gave Regina a modest smile.

"Madam Mayor, to what do I owe the pleasure of your visit? Finally thinking of getting a cat?" Prince James asked in a teasing manner. Regina had to figure that Charming's memories had developed a lot faster than her own, since she didn't quite catch on to the - oh, there it was.

"Refresh my memory...David..." Regina began. "...how long have you worked here?"

Prince James, now going by David, opened his mouth to answer immediately but words failed to come out of his mouth. His face changed into something of confusion, and really tried racking his brain for the answer.

"Um...I-I...I'm not sure actually...as long as I can remember?" He finally managed. Regina smiled, impressed with the power of this curse.

"Come with me." She instructed in a friendly tone, and David followed her back outside where they made the brief walk over to the hospital.

"Why are we in the hospital?" David asked inquisitively as Regina's feet led her to one of the furthest rooms. She didn't know how or why she knew that she would be there, but then again there was already a lot of that going on today already.

"Tell me..." Regina replied, walking up to the bedside of the patient and stopped to look over the woman. "...do you know her?"

As David looked over the comotose Snow White, Regina couldn't help but to watch him directly, looking for any leak; any sign at all of recognition. Just as he had before, David thought hard on the answer, racking his brain for any familiarity.

"No?" He asked, tilting his head to the side, at first unsure. "No." He then said again, more convinced this time. "Why? Is she sick?"

Regina's lips flickered into another prideful smile, deciding that now would be the best time to test implanting her own false memories into others.

"She's a Jane Doe, coma patient. No one's claimed her."

"Maybe someday she'll wake up. Maybe someday someone who loves her will find her." David shrugged with a bright edge of optimism that absolutely made Regina's stomach curl.

"That would be nice for her..." Regina agreed and then turned to face David directly. "...but I won't count on it."

Once Upon a Time...

Name:
Mayor Regina Mills

Appearance:

Age:
36



Status and Job:
'Madam Mayor' of Storybrooke



Skills:
Regina is a born leader, able to take up the mantle as Mayor without a hitch. For as long as anyone can remember, Regina has been mayor, and has always run unopposed, since no one else feels like they could commit to the amount of work Regina does in her job. She’s a skilled liar; able to deceive and manipulate people on a whim without them ever figuring it out and can easily turn the blame onto others. It also helps that she seems to have ‘friends’ all over Storybrooke, enabling her to get away with anything she could ever want.



Talents:
Regina, in her spare time, enjoys landscaping her immaculate lawn of her mansion, both front and back, though she takes special pride in her apple tree growing out in the back. She’s also a great cook, able to whip up anything from lasagna to warm and flaky apple pies.



Strengths:
Regina is the Mayor of Storybrooke, everyone’s business is HER business. No one knows how she does it, but Regina knows what’s going on with everyone, everything, and all the time. She also has her own ways of getting what she wants if someone proves to be stubborn, since she controls the law enforcement. Simply put, you can’t breathe without Regina knowing about it.



Weaknesses:
Although Regina won’t ever admit it, she is very lonely and just wants someone to be there with here even though her harsh personality constantly drives people away (which she does not understand).



Relationships:
Regina knows most everyone in Storybrooke and everyone knows her. She IS the mayor after all.

Henry Carlyle - Regina absolutely detests Henry Carlyle. Even though she had no clue as to who he was back in the Enchanted Forest, the fact remaining that he has come to Storybrooke to break the curse and is in cahoots with Mr. Gold gives her enough reason to want him dead. The only thing keeping her from killing Henry herself is a curse clause; if Henry were to die, then the curse would break anyway. She has tried everything from intimidation to sleeping with him to get him to veer off the path of breaking the curse, however everything she has tried has thus far failed.

Dr. Faye Stevenson - Regina finds the Head Doctor...tolerable. She's a head strong woman though, and when she shows this strong side Regina can't help but to lash out and quickly put her back in her place. Aside from that, however, Faye keeps away from Regina and Regina has no cause to seek Faye out, until she recently discovered a secret about the doctor, a secret that nearly got her killed. Now very leery of Dr. Stevenson, Regina keeps her distance but an ever so close eye on her.

Evelyn Hyde - Regina had no idea that this woman even existed until it was almost too late. It became quite clear quite quickly that this mysterious woman wanted Regina dead; she still has the bruises on her neck to prove it. Regina won't admit it, but she has grown quite frightened of Evelyn Hyde as she seems to posses more strength than herself, even her diplomatic influence on the town can't rush in to save her from this...monster.

Ruby Lucas - An annoying little tramp that's just taking up space in Storybrooke.

Knox Kowalski - If he weren't always so broody all the time, Regina might have tried to get to know him a bit better. He's handsome to boot, but has little use of him anywhere else.

Granny - Just as annoying and pointless as her granddaughter. Perhaps her only redemption is the food she serves at her diner though Regina may have confronted Granny about the dress code of a certain waitress on a number of occasions.

Belle - Regina will never forgive Robert for letting lose her scapegoat. Belle was to be imprisoned for a while longer, used only when she could hurt Mr. Gold the most. Now that the two are reunited and with a knowledge of what had happened, she only wishes she would have killed Belle when she had the chance.

Mark Dufresne - Regina doesn't speak with Mark all too often, practically strangers on the street. She finds little to no significance in him as she can't even think about who he was back in The Enchanted Forest. He might have confronted her a time or two on trivial matters that meant little to her...she can't quite recall. Just another person in her cursed little town.

Mr. Gold - Nothing short of absolute detestation for the man. Regina loves to hate Mr. Gold, and once Snow White's demise is certain she'd be more than happy to shift her focus onto his utter downfall. She would never get rid of him for good, however, he is far too useful as a person, but Gods does she love watching him squirm. Their relationship spans out across a number of many years. He had come to her as Rumpelstiltskin, had trained her in magic, gave her the curse to cast her own happy ending, and now she strives to become more powerful than him. It's a constant battle of wits between the two of them, however Regina almost always comes up just a tad short against the Pawnbroker Imp, and she's aiming to fix that.

Mason Mills - Perhaps the only thing in Regina's life that makes it worth living for once Regina realized that the curse would be broken and Snow White would get her happy ending back. In an otherwise lonely life, Mason has brought light to her world and helped her to love again. Now her adoptive son, it is as if he were her very own, the bond they share like a true mother and son and she wouldn't have it any other way.

Mary Margaret Blanchard - Frankly, the woman should be dead. Regina has had so many chances to do just that, end the miserable life on the very person that destroyed her own, but Regina's sense of vengeance and wanting others to suffer has always won out, keeping this cursed version of Snow White alive simply to watch her suffer. Now with Mary Margaret awake, Regina is unsure of what to do next; she never believed that it would get this far.

David Nolan - A real charming guy...*eye roll* Regina has spent years keeping David away from Mary Margaret, keeping their happiness away in lieu of her own. It worked for a while, until that insufferable Henry Carlyle came to town and began to change things.

Robert Leland - Regina's right hand man - or at least he used to be. Regina could count on Robert to do whatever it is that she wished, and even though he went about things in his own legal way, he got results, results that made Regina happy. Robert also doubled as a bedside partner with no attachments, really the perfect arrangement until suddenly, he began to defy her. Now as the curse is weakening, she can almost feel him plotting against her, to create her own downfall and has since become quite leery of Robert, feeling betrayal and hurt more than anything.



Brief Bio:
Having created the curse back in the Enchanted Forest, Regina has sculpted Storybrooke out of her very imagination, making everything just exactly the way she wanted it. Everyone she used to know as ‘Pinnochio’ or ‘Grumpy’ now has a completely new identity; even their memories are fake. As far as everyone else in Storybrooke is concerned, they have lived in Storybrooke their entire lives, going off of the false memories that Regina has implanted into their minds. She passes along someone she used to know as Prince Charming and can smile knowing that he will never recognize Snow White, and has no memories of being married to her.

She lives out her life on a daily whim now, however things are turning out to be a bit…well…dull. Perhaps this curse really isn’t what she wanted after all…

Once Upon a Time...

Regina immediately squared herself off in the direction the blast came from, a ball of flickering fire appearing in her hand by instinct, however when she saw Rumpelstiltskin walking with a purpose towards her, she let the flame diminish into nothing and crossed her arms over her arguably inappropriately exposed bosom.

"Belle...where is she? I swear to God I'll-" Rumpelstiltskin closed the distance between the two rather quickly, but Regina didn't budge and instead took a moment to examine her nails from the position they were folded on her.

"Relax Imp, she's still alive...for now. So long as you cooperate." Regina replied coolly.

Rumpelstiltskin took a side-step across Regina so that he was finally able to look into the cell where Belle was located, immediately feeling tears welling up in his eyes as he looked down upon her unconscious body on the stone floor, no doubt her body had given up on his way here. He took a minute to close his eyes and breathe in deeply. She was unconscious; yes, but still alive.

"What do you want?" He practically spat at Regina, never letting his eyes off of Belle. Regina simply nodded to the remaining guard. With a light huff, the guard opened up the cell door and stepped inside, pulling Belle to her feet. Rumpelstiltskin took an instinctive step forward when the Beauty let out a slight whimper in protest, but Regina held her arm out firm to keep him from getting any closer.

The guard walked Belle out of the cell, apparently she wasn't quite unconscious yet, but startlingly close. He made brief eye contact with Belle before Regina spoke again.

"Get in, Imp."

Rumpelstiltskin looked away from Belle and shot Regina a sideways glance.

"Get. In. We both know you have something planned. I know you helped Charming find Snow, but it never ends with you does it?" Regina continued.

"That? That's what this is all about?" Rumpelstiltskin asked, turning up his hands in question. Regina only glared at him coldly and Rumpelstiltskin took the initiative to put himself in the cell.

"Wait...not that one..." Regina suddenly said, causing Rumpelstiltskin to roll his eyes and followed the direction of Regina's glance towards a peculiar looking cell that seemed to be made out of pikes instead of iron bars.

"So you finally managed to build it..." Rumpelstiltskin walked from the current cell to the other, waiting for Regina to open it up before he stepped inside. Regina closed it up tight and smiled, finally content and feeling a huge amount of weight being lifted off of her shoulders.

"The curse, I have the final ingredient. Now what do I do?"

Rumpelstiltskin's eyes glanced over to Belle for a moment, his heart slightly fluttering as she began to stir a little more into alertness. Good, she was going to be okay. He placed his hands on the wooden pikes serving as bars, pressing his face in-between them to speak to Regina directly.

"There's a price..." He began, but Regina cut him off directly.

"What do you want?" She asked, initially expecting that.

"In this new life...I want comfort; I want a good life!"

"Fine!" Regina spat, her patience wearing thin again. "You'll have an estate; and you will be rich-"

"I wasn't finished!" Rumpelstiltskin interrupted, clear that his own patience was running thin with The Queen. "There's more!" Regina shook her head slightly.

"There always is with you..."

Rumpelstiltskin couldn't help but to crack a wide smile.

"In this new land, should I come to you for any reason...you must heed my every request!" He raised his arm up, pointing directly to the ceiling to accentuate his words, and then turned his hand so that his finger was pointing directly at Regina. "You must do whatever I say...so long as I say..." He paused, watching the anguish on Regina's face become more and more clear the longer he waited to finish his sentence. "...PLEASE!" He practically shouted, followed up by a breathy laugh. Regina didn't flinch.

"You do realize that should I succeed, you won't remember any of this..."

Rumpelstiltskin made the face of a child being caught in the larder in the middle of the night; guilty but not so ashamed of being caught.

"Oh, well then, what's the harm?" He asked Regina with a light shrug. Regina just snickered softly.

"Deal."

Rumpelstiltskin's grin widened, threatening to crack his dry lips as he let out a soft snicker of his own.

"Drop it in." He said at last. Regina blinked, unsure of what he was talking about at first, and then it clicked.

"That's all? No written spell? No...enchantment?"

"You already did the hard part dearie, just drop it in and watch it unfold."

Regina nodded twice and backed away from the cell a few feet.

"You did it." Rumpelstiltskin said, almost sounding surprised, catching Regina off guard as she was just about ready to leave.

"That's right. I did it." She replied with an edge of pride in her voice, even more-so than what she usually carried. "And I wanted you to know it, before you, like all the pathetic citizens of this wretched land forgets everything."

"How did it feel?" Rumpelstiltskin asked in reply, and watched Regina's face fall ever so slightly. "How did it feel to kill the thing that you love most?" He asked again. "R-r-r-r-r-ripping the heart out of your father?"

"It was the price of the curse!" Regina replied hotly, defending herself. "How it felt doesn't matter. You would have understood. I took my life back, I had to...I WON."

"And yet...here you are...feeling the need to gloat..." Rumpelstiltskin inhaled a deep breath, as if realizing something important. "Something's missing, isn't it dearie?"

"Not at all! I have everything I want! Nothing can stop me now..."

Rumpelstiltskin fell into a fit of laughter, causing Regina to step away from the cell pikes a step out of surprise. This...this was exactly why Regina wanted him here; where she could keep an eye on him in a cell where he was unable to use any of his magic.

"But now there's a hole...in your heart..." He said, coming out of his fit of laughter as if it never happened. "And someday...you'll come to me to fill it..."

Regina sternly shook her head no, smirking.

"You overestimate your powers of foresight." She snapped coldly.

"AND YOU UNDERESTIMATE THE PRICE OF WHAT YOU'VE DONE!"

Regina glared at him coldly. Just what was he playing at now?

"You shall see you will come to me-" Rumpelstiltskin sang, wagging his finger along to the beat. "-there is more you need! Oh!" He popped off with an amused grin.

"Your taunts will get you nowhere!" Regina snapped once again, feeling her blood beginning to boil and her skin beginning to crawl. He was bluffing; he had to be, that's all he had left. "I know you too well...you wanna make another deal..." She observed, and then pressed her own face against the pike bars, causing Rumpelstiltskin to back up this time. "WELL I WON'T!"

"A deal?" He laughed, genuinely amused this time. "You already promised me a good life in this new land. What more could I want...from you?" He asked, pointing at her again.

"Oh..." Regina started. "...to be let out of this cage? To...be let out of our last deal? To escape the curse?" She tried, as if tantalizing him with the idea. Rumpelstiltskin tiled his head to the side slightly.

"But why would I desire that dearie? I'm exactly where I want to be..."

This took Regina totally by surprise. Just what the HELL did he mean by that? Furrowing her eyebrows, Regina backed away from the cell once more and walked over to her guard and Belle, and turned her head towards Rumpelstiltskin.

"I agreed she stay safe while you did as you were told, but now that I no longer have things to tell you to do, that deal is up." She said sternly, and looked back at Belle, plunging her hand into Belle's chest wrist deep.

Even in her weakened state, Belle let out a sharp gasp of breath and collapsed to her hands and knees as soon as Regina removed her hand, Belle's heart beating wildly inside of it. Rumpelstiltskin's eyes snapped wide open and instinctively moved his arms to put a magic hold on Regina, however The Evil Queen simply laughed as she spotted this and squeezed down hard on Belle's heart, causing Belle to gasp out for breath once again.

"Did you forget already? You are MINE Rumpel, at now at least I can have the satisfaction of the look on your face when I have finally beaten you at your own game.

"NO!"

Regina gave the heart one last squeeze, clenching the heart in her palm and fingertips as hard as she possibly could until little beads of what looked like a mixture of sand and dirt began to trickle from her hands, rendering the helpless Belle completely motionless.

"BELLE! BELLE! Rumpelstiltskin grabbed at the pike bars, willing to break them apart with his own strength but the bars refused to submit. Regina tossed her head back and laughed, letting what was left of Belle's crushed heart fall to the ground at Rumpelstiltskin's feet.

"I would love to stay and chat Rumpel, but I've got a curse to put into motion." With a white, flashy smile, Regina disappeared into a sudden appearance of thin, black mist, her laugh continuing to echo through the dungeon.

Once Upon a Time...

Prince James shook his head lightly as he headed up the stairway that led up to the bedroom he and Captain Hawkins had purchased for the night. Just how was he going to manage to pull this one off? And how was it that he found himself at Rumpeltiltskin's mercy once again? Stopping at the top of the stairs, Prince James put his hand over his heart, taking a moment to feel it beating strong against his hand and remembered; he would do anything for Snow.

Rejuvenated by a new air of confidence, James proceeded to the door and opened it, expecting to find his new friend awake by now. But maybe, just maybe, James would be lucky enough that Hawkins would still be sleeping. If that were the case, all he really needed to do was go through his coat and take the map while Hawkins slept on.

James couldn't help but exhale in relief as he found his partner still snoring. He couldn't blame the guy, the last days events were daunting, and Hawkins had been on his journey a lot longer than he had.

He quietly moved to Hawkins' jacket that had been hanging on the back of the chair, and while continually looking over at his sleeping friend, began to go through his pockets. Guilt stuck James more than he could have imagined, but he had to keep telling himself that it was for Snow, that he wasn't really a thief, nor did he have the time to stop and explain this whole thing to Hawkins.

Finally, his fingers found the map and he pulled it out, quickly checking it over to ensure he hadn't grabbed a note or other useless piece of parchment and then folded it back up, stuffing it into his shirt corner pocket. With a nod to himself, Charming straightened up and hurried out of the hotel room, making sure to close the door very quietly behind him.

When Red opened her eyes, she found herself standing beside a village road. To her right a few carts selling fresh produce with a handful of people bouncing back and forth in between to get the best prices, and to her left a small Inn. Red turned her head left and right repeatedly, even forcing her injured body to look behind her as well. Her brows furrowed in confusion as she looked for Night and Belle, but neither of them were anywhere near her, the wolf senses had told her that long ago. But even stranger than that, no one in the town seemed to realize that a woman in clear pain had appeared out of nowhere just seconds ago. It was perhaps for the best, as Red didn't want to draw any unwanted attention to herself; but just where had The Evil Queen sent her?

Suddenly, Red's nose picked up on something; a particular smell she wasn't even sure she remembered. Spinning her head around to where the scent was coming from, she spotted Prince James jogging down the stairs of the Inn and hurried off down the street.

Red blinked...twice. Did she really just see what she thought she saw? It could have been that the salty sea air was tricking her senses into thinking she smelt him, but could it be coincidence that the man looked like him too?

Making up her mind, Red held fast to her ribcage and attempted to hurry after him, following him more on scent than sight as he was able to get out in front of her a lot easier than she could catch up. Finally, rounding a corner and into an alley between two small buildings, she caught James holding up a piece of paper and talking up towards the sky.

"I have it! I have what you want!" James called out to the sky, causing Red to quirk an eyebrow.

"Charming?" She called, breaking the assumption that James had been alone. His head snapped back down to it's normal level, his eyes growing wide in spotting his old friend. His mouth hung slightly agape, unbelieving but yet, there she was.

"Red?"

Red nodded and smiled. As much as she had dreaded meeting up with Charming again, she was even more-so glad that she had been placed with a familiar face. James briskly ran to Red, overcome with joy upon her appearance and extended his arms out to bury her into one of his famous hugs.

"What happened? After Snow...no one heard from or saw you-"

Red held up her hands with effort, keeping James from hugging her although God knew she could use one right about then, and then grabbed at her ribcage once more, sucking in a breath as a wave of pain pulsed through her.

"It's a long story...what...what were you doing?" She asked, ignoring the concerned look she was getting from her friend as he had taken notice to her injuries. He looked to the map in his hand, and then back to Red, realizing that she must have spotted him trying to summon Rumpelstiltskin. He held up his hands defensively, as if knowing what to expect from Red and her reaction to what he was about to tell her.

"Like you, it's a long story. But I've found a way to get to Snow, to bring her back."

Red couldn't help but to grin widely at the news. At this point, she didn't care how it happened, only that it did.

"Rumpelstiltskin, he's to give me a ring that will lead me straight to her, I just had to get this map for him first. Not sure why he would need it, everyone knows that only those who wield light magic can use it's powers..."

"Rumpelstiltskin? You mean The Dark One?" Red's smile faltered immediately. Maybe she wasn't as open to the idea of 'anything goes to get Snow back' after all.

"I know, I know, but I need Snow, now more than ever. Regina's taken over our castle, she's carrying my child...I won't stop at anything to get her back."

Red's smile returned, just a bit, watching the love grow in James' eyes with each and every word he spoke. She could only nod.
"Then we get Snow, and take back your castle...together."

A gust of wind suddenly picked up, forcing Red to topple into James in her weak state but he caught her gently as to not further her injuries. Purple smoke began to cloud around their feet, and the two could only look down as the smoke continued to envelop them. Red knew what was going to happen next. She was being sent away somewhere...but was this the work of The Evil Queen? Or someone else?

Streets on Fire

Dark Wind said
Also, I'm planning a post to put Jake in the mix with Knox and Angel. Minato will probably be involved in that as well. Some drama up in this place is bout to explode I'm thinking. But, I'll wait for Yoshi's next D.J. post before I do that.

I'm workin on it, promise lol. Even if by working on it I mean formulating stuffs in my head :3

Streets on Fire

Stephanie96 said
I simply had to share this

Dude, I'm dying over here! XD

Streets on Fire

Stephanie96 said
I've no idea...did you interpret the jealousy post that way? I mean, I saw her as seeing him more of an annoying older brother, you know, when he's not jokingly making sexual advances on her :P*cough*JaimeCersei*coughcough*

Lol I knew what the post was going for, but its more fun this way XD

And yeah, I'm good with tomorrow. I won't be available at all on Friday though, 12 hour car drive. -_-

Streets on Fire

Stephanie96 said
Gotta say I'm kinda stuck on what to post..

Confess undying love towards Deon? XD

I'm game for a flash-back post collab like what me and Blitz did with Deon if you're interested. At least it would be something for you to post haha