Price To Pay (Rumplestiltskin/Mr. Gold x Reader)

Chapter 1

complete and utter procrastination has resulted in lots of fanfic writing and musical reenactments along with five bottles of water within three hours and lots of foot cramps thanks for reading

You plummeted towards the rapidly-approaching ground, crying out in fear. Your wings disintegrated as you fell to the forest floor, making your heart beat fast. You'd made it this far, only to die?

You reached your arms towards the undergrowth that was barely visible through the trees. As you got closer and closer to it, you willed it to form together in a comfortable padding. As you shut your eyes, preparing yourself for impact, you landed on something soft underneath your feet. You bounced once, then rolled off of it. As you looked up, you saw a giant mushroom shrinking back to normal size. You smiled at the application of your power, then stood. You looked down at your clothes, tattered and soaked.

Where am I? you wondered. You looked around at the trees surrounding you. It seemed vaguely familiar, but from where?

You held your breath for a moment. Yes, there it was - a car's engine roaring to life. You started running towards it, hopeful to find civilization. As you started to pick up speed, you jumped into the air and attempted to flap your wings. Instead, you jumped into the air, and landed on the ground. Hard. You groaned and sat up, rubbing your aching jaw.

No wings? You scowled at the sky, which was just barely visible through the trees, then willed it to rain again. Droplets started falling almost instantly. Shaking your head, the rain subsided, and you got to your feet. You looked down at your legs, wiggled your toes, scrunched up your nose, then sighed. No wings, but magic works. Okay.

You continued towards town, slower this time. You were confused, but still hopeful. Your steps quickened a little when a town came into view, the makings of buildings and roads an unfamiliar but welcome sight.

The people of the town bustled about, getting on with their daily lives. You smiled at how different this world was from your old one. You were sure that you could make this work.

"Excuse me?" you asked a blonde woman who passed by. She was wearing a red leather jacket.

"Who, me?" she asked abruptly, spinning on her heel.

You were a bit taken aback, but nodded. "Hi. I'm new around here, and don't really know what to do."

"You're asking the wrong person," she said with a shrug. "Sorry about that."

You smiled lightly. "Its fine. Thank you."

She hustled away. You sighed and kept walking, looking for somewhere to stay. Wrapping your arms around yourself, you headed down the street towards what seemed like it would be a more inhabited part of the town. You looked down at the ground, trying to sort out your thoughts.

First, shelter. How much money did you have? A couple thousand. Decent, but wouldn't last long in the real world. You'd need a job. What kind of job? You didn't have many qualifications. What kind of place would hire you? Further, how much would an apartment or hotel room cost? What about food and other necessities? Would it even be possible for you to adjust after -

You bumped into a body and stumbled backwards. You looked up and gasped as the man tumbled down.

"I'm so sorry! Are you hurt?" you asked immediately, offering your hand to help him up.

"Watch where you're going next time, dearie," he grumbled, brushing himself off.

"I will, I promise."

He looked at your hand for a moment, then tilted his face up and stared at you. You smiled lightly, in hopes of appealing to his better nature. He lifted his hand, took yours, and you pulled. He landed on his feet. You knelt and picked up his cane, then handed it to him.

"Again, I'm awfully sorry. I was just... Lost in thought, I guess."

He grunted and took his cane. "Do I look like the kind of person who cares?" Then he started to walk away.

Though his pessimistic attitude was a bit intimidating, you called after him, "Wait, sir?"

To your slight surprise, he stopped and looked over his shoulder.

"I, uh... I didn't catch your name," you said.

"Gold. Mr. Gold."

"M-Mr. Gold, I'm terribly lost. Where am I?"

He stared at you for a moment. "Storybrooke."

You stared after his retreating back as he turned and walked away. When you decided that you'd been staring for long enough, you turned around and walked back the way you had come, this time keeping an eye out for something that indicated a hotel or apartment for rent. You kept an eye on the street this time, weaving around people who stared at you as you passed. You tried to ignore them, but couldn't understand why everyone seemed so interested in your presence.

"Excuse me," a woman said as you passed her.

You turned to a formally-dressed woman with short dark hair. She held herself up straight. That face... You'd seen it before.

"Do I know you?" you asked.

She stared at you for a moment, then shook her head. "I don't believe we've met, no."

"Oh... Well, sorry. Never mind. You just looked familiar, I guess." You offered a smile.

She didn't return the gesture. Instead, she said, "What're you doing here?"

"I, uh... I don't know. I just came into town. I mean, it's open to visitors, right?"

She raised an eyebrow. "Yes, I suppose it is."

She then turned away, not offering anything else. You considered calling after her, asking her name and what to do and where to stay, but decided against it. She seemed to have better things to do than talk to the new girl in town.

You sighed and sat down on a bench down the street. The clouds moved across the sky to accompany your mood. What was this town, and, more importantly, why were the people so elusive?