Work Text:
Once upon a time, when Mr. Gold was a little boy living in Scotland, his aunts used to tell him fairy tales to help him fall asleep.
One of his favorites back in the day, was of the selkie: a seal with the ability to shed its skin and walk on land as a human when it chose to. The selkie had to be careful about hiding it's shed skin however, because if a human gained possession of it, they would be stuck on land, miserably cursed to be a human forever.
As a child living on the sea shore in a small hut, he saw his fair share of seals and often imagined that some of them were secretly selkies. The thought entertained him until his mid-teens when he had stopped believing in fairy tales for good
He had come to his aunts at the age of seven; dirty, alone, and afraid. They helped get him out of his shell with their nightly bedtime stories, which he had looked forward to every night as he went to bed. He was tenfold more happy than he had been living with his alcoholic father. Within 6 months of staying with them, he was reformed and permanent part of the family. The two women, who spun wool for a living, had even given him his own spinning wheel which was his most cherished possession to this day, in addition to the stories that they had filled his head with which he had gradually stopped believing in as the years went on.
Now, at the age of forty six, miles away from his homeland, he lived a good, albeit lonely, life. He owned a pawnshop, was respected, was feared, and held power as well as status; it was all he had ever wanted. But still...there was something missing. He was alone. Frightfully alone. Over the many years living in America, as he tried to make himself invincible, he had shut himself away, never feeling like he could truly be himself anymore.
It was a day like any other day, a Tuesday, he sat eating his late lunch at dusk on a bench overlooking the sea. Sometimes he liked to eat there and look out at the water that separated him from his homeland. It was quiet. No people were around but the animals thrived. All that he had to deal with were a few cars driving by every now-and then. Seagulls flew overhead and there were even a few pelicans nearby. It was just him, the sea, and the creatures.
Today was rent day, which was both his least and most favorite day of the week. He enjoyed it because, of course, he got his money, got to walk around, and got to intimidate people. He disliked it because he had to actually talk to people people he hated, his leg started to hurt him after the first hour, and half the time he didn’t even receive the full amount of money that they had agreed upon with their rent agreement. For now, however, he was going to finish enjoying his lunch on the bench overlooking the sea.
There were an abundance of seals in the harbor that evening, and Gold could hear their barks echoing through the air from off the seaside cliffs. His attention turned to the gaggle of them collected below the cliff side and to the right of where he was sitting. They were miles away, but he could still observe them well. He watched one flop its belly onto the rocks and shimmy its way down into the middle of the pack that was already there. Gold watched them exchange greetings and heard them bark. Then, he lost track of the seal he had been watching, one by one, the seals hopped back into the sea, and only the one remained. It began writhing in a most unnatural way. Gold shifted in his seat, a bit concerned for the creature. Not that he could do anything for it, he told himself. It was probably sick. But what happened next was almost unbelievable, the seal began to spit in half. Gold jumped up to his feet as quickly as a man with a bad leg could. No, the seal wasn’t splitting in half...it was shedding! It was shedding and turning into a human! There was a human inside it! Gold looked around to see if anybody else was witnessing what he saw, but he saw no one. He couldn’t believe his eyes! Rubbing at them didn’t even help, what he saw, was indeed reality.
Shakily, he began to walk away while still keeping eyes on the pale flesh of the human figure below. He was going to have to drive down to the beach and see for himself, up close, with his own eyes if what he saw was indeed realty. Stories from his past dashed throughout his mind. The Selkie, the mythical creature of his childhood fantasies and imagination, was real, and it was here in Storybrooke, Maine. It had been years since he had attempted to run, but now he was trying. He couldn’t hobble into his Cadillac fast enough.
The drive from his lunch spot to the beach only took a four and a half minutes by car; a lot faster than if he had walked, but he still was too late. When he got out of his badly-parked car, there was no sign of the selkie anywhere. Gold did his best to squint at the rocks where he had seen her shed her skin with no luck. No doubt she had hidden her it nearby, perhaps even hidden between the rocks themselves. It would be a difficult climb for any human to brave, the spot being so far out from shore and the rocks being so slippery.
He paced around, shaking his head like a madman. There was nobody else around as he scouted out any possible nearby movement. Perhaps he had just been seeing things...he had to have been...What he thought he had just seen was impossible. Magic wasn’t real. Selkies weren’t real. It would be best to stay quiet about this incident. It would also do his some good to get his eyes checked, he thought.
After he had waited at the beach for awhile and saw a few people come and go about their business, Gold decided to leave for the night. The sun was almost completely set now, and he still had so much to do in terms of rent day. He attended to his duties, then ended the night as he usually did in his pawnshop.
It was nearly half past ten and he was about to leave his shop for the day.
The bell to the door rang out, causing Gold to perk his head up. Nobody entered his shop this late, not unless the had a deal to make. With a smile on his lips, he came out of his backroom and to the front desk. “And how can I help you tonight?” he asked. Before he could say any more, Gold got stopped in his tracks. There was a woman standing in his shop; a beautiful woman., and there was something familiar about her. Within the span of a few moments, emotions ranging from infatuation to a forced indifference flew across his face. “Miss?”
“I’ve come here for help.” The woman was dressed in what looked to be some well-used beach clothes she had an accent to her, but it was rather muddled.
Gold straightened his back. “How may I help you?”
The woman walked forward a few steps, never breaking eye contact. Gold felt as if she was the predator and he the prey. “You don’t remember me, do you?”
He looked deeply into her bright blue eyes, trying to draw up some hint of recognition. “No,” he finally said, after giving it some thought. “I don’t remember you. I don’t believe we have met. You've never made a deal with me before. I remember everyone in town who I’ve made a deal with. I’ve never seen you before.”
“I’m not originally from here,” she said, leaning over the counter. “And neither are you.”
“What gave it away?” Gold said, deepening his accent.
“You came from a village in Scotland.”
“That. Everyone in town knows that, dearie.”
“You lived with two woman that you called your aunts; they taught you how to spin. The three of you lived in a hut near the seashore where there was always a lot of seals nearby.”
“Who are you?” Gold demanded.
“You know who I am. You saw me on the beach, earlier.”
Gold looked confused. Only a few people had passed him by on the beach earlier. Was she..?
“Do you remember a girl named Belle?”
Gold’s mind was jumping between past and present at an incredible rate. He had known an Australian girl named Belle throughout his childhood, she had visited him sporadically throughout his life, usually during the summer. They would play in the sea, read books with one another, and climb all around the area, getting into innocent mischief all the time. The grown-up woman in front of him was indeed the friend of his childhood. “Belle! I haven’t seen you, since, how long? Since I was around seventeen, I’d say. How are you?”
“I’m doing well. I came back to where you used to live one summer and they told me you had left. Gone to university to become a hot-shot lawyer.”
“I did go to law school,” he said. “How did you end up here?”
“I heard you had moved to America and then Maine from your neighbors after your aunts died.”
Gold stiffened.
“I was in the area, and I thought-”
“I can’t say I’ve had the pleasure of seeing a friendly place since I’ve moved here,” Gold smiled. Life had been lonely since his aunts had died and friendships were few and far between. “Where are you staying?”
“Well, I haven’t quite decided yet.”
Gold looked at his old friend with a restraint of love and happiness. Emotions that hadn't shone in his eyes in years. He swallowed his breath. “Would you like to stay with me? I do have a big house, and being that I live alone, it had lots of extra room.”
“I’d love to.”
“Where are your belongings?”
“I…um...lost them.”
“You lost them?”
“They got stolen. I set m...luggage down and then when I want to pick it back up-”
“Mmm, how unfortunate. And I do suppose your wallet was among the belongings you lost as well?”
Belle nodded shyly. “Yes.”
Gold wasn’t stupid. Although Belle was someone he had trusted in the past, something about her and her story now saying didn’t quite add up. Why had she just appeared in front of him today after years of no contact? How did she even find him in this small little town? Why was she in America? He wasn’t sure that he should trust her to sleep in his house, but then again, she was one of his oldest and dearest friends. What sort of gentleman would he be if he left her alone in the streets. “I should have some spare clothes in my house if you’d like. There’s even some in the shop, here.”
“Thank you,” Belle said.
“Just allow me to put a few last things here before we get going,” Gold said as he moved his dexterous fingers over his impressive ledger. Belle watched him and sat down on a nearby trunk. “What have you been up to, Belle, in the last 20 or so years or so?” he asked.
“I’ve been traveling non-stop, seeing the world like I dreamed I would when we were children.”
“I always knew you would. You were always a go-getter. And what do you do for work?”
“I write,” Belle said dreamily. “Traveling journalist.”
“You had always liked writing too,” Gold affirmed with a warm smile. “It’s the perfect job for you.” It felt like ages since he’d smiled like that. ““Is that what brings you to Storybrooke?”
“Somewhat,” Belle answered.
“Well, I hope you’ll enjoy your time here.”
After Gold chatted up Belle for awhile, he felt a lot more comfortable and at ease than he had previously. She was the same girl he knew as a kid except she was older, more mature, and even more beautiful. God, she was beautiful. Not only was she intelligent, impassioned and friendly; she was just what Gold needed in his life at the moment. She had always appeared out of nowhere in the past, and here she was, again, in front of the lonely, mean, old man he had become.
Perhaps, he thought at first, that talking to her wouldn’t be the same because it was he who had changed over the years, but she was still nice. To him. Everything was still the same. But she didn’t know who he was in this town, not yet anyway.
----------
Belle had finally found out where Gold had lived after all these years. She had been searching for him, crossing oceans and the like, always thinking about him as she traveled around the globe visiting places.
It was by accident, really, perhaps even luck, that she stumbled upon him. He still liked the sea as much as she did.
He had never found out about her true from. Nobody had. Selkies were extremely rare, she was the only one she knew and it was rather lonely. Gold had been one of her best friends growing up. One of the only people who accepted such a stranger as herself as if there was nothing wrong or different about her. Soon after, she had learned of his own history and why them getting along had made so much sense.
Belle had visited him as much as she could, even though she had met others in her life journey, there was nobody quite like him. Then one day, he had left and she thought that she would never see him again. She was told by neighbors he had gone to America to study. About seven years later, she had found out that his aunts were dead. She had just missed him at the funeral, by a few months, but someone let slip that he had moved to Maine to take his business there.
Time went by, and she always meant to go, but the sea always claimed her back. Within the last five years she had finally made the journey to the eastern American coast and non, she had finally found him after all this time!
Gold was different, she almost didn’t recognize him at first. In fact, she had swam past him on countless occasions. It wasn’t until she overheard a conversation he was having with one of the local lobster fishermen that she heard the name Gold and connected the man in front of her to the boy of her childhood.
From then on out, she noticed a pattern to his seaside activities and kept an eye on him, waiting for the right moment to transform and introduce herself again.
----------
After they had left his pawnshop, the night of their meeting, they went back to his house for the evening and he gave her the spare room it was dusty but Belle made do.
Belle emerged the next morning as he began cooking breakfast.
“Smells good.”
“I can’t remember the last time I cooked for two,” Gold said, already dressed partially in his habitual three-piece suit combo. He had always looked shabbily dressed as a kid. Now that he had money of his home, it seemed like he wanted to show that off and use his earning to buy what he could never have. Jeans and casual wear were out of the question, even if that’s how Belle remembered him.
“That’s unfortunate,” Belle said. “I’m sure any lady would feel lucky to have you cook for them.”
Gold half-scoffed at that comment.
“I told me about my story, how about yours?” Belle asked.
“Mine’s not all to interesting. Came to America for schooling, an American education. Got married. Got into a car accident where I got my bum leg. Got divorced. Then settled down here. Been here about 12 years now.”
They talked until their breakfast got cold. He had told her things he had never said out loud to another human being before with some hesitation, she was just so easy to talk to.”
“I’m sure not everyone in town fears you,” Belle consoled him after he had explained his current situation.
“Henry, the Mayor’s young son, at one point but he too soon learned...”
“What happened?”
Gold shook his head. “I’m a difficult man to get along with.”
“Nonsense, you seem fine now and were fine as a child.”
“You were one of my only friends,” Gold admitted.
“So your saying you never had any friends and never dated anyone. Never married?”
“No, that’s not what I’m saying, of course I did but that’s besides the point.”
Belle smiled. “Then your fine.”
Gold smiled back.
The next week, people around town noticed a woman with Mr. Gold and rumors spread like wildfire as to her identity. Theories and whispers went around as they did various things around town together such as eating at Grannies, enjoying walks, and even going to the bar together.
She was there for five days and those five days were magnificent.
“Any luck on retrieving your luggage or identification?” Gold asked her, not wanting what was happening to end, but knowing that it had to.
Belle talked her way around the topic saying she had contacted the proper people but they haven’t gotten back to her.
The remainder of the week went by swimmingly. Belle spent about half her time around him, and the other half exploring the town by herself. Often, he had caught her looking out towards the sea as he often did. The seaside became a daily spot where they talked and ate together.
Everybody in town knew he was a man of the sea. One of his idiot tenants that week even offered to pay his rent with a seal skin he said he had procured in Canada.
Gold had declined as trading and selling seal skin was quite the illegal activity, though it was beautiful and part of him did want to own it.
“Do you miss home?” he asked Belle, joining her on the same bench he had eaten lunch at almost a full week prior.
She jumped a bit, almost if she didn’t remember his presence. “I always do. When I’m at home though, I miss traveling. Life’s funny like that. I can’t make up my mind, it seems. Do I want to be here? Or, do I wanna be out there?” she said with a hint of sadness as she continued to look out at the water.
“Often times, I sit out here,” Gold started. “And I look out at the ocean, look at the seagulls, look at the seals. It’s the same as it was in Scotland. Same animals, same ocean and it brings me comfort.”
“Me too,” Belle said. They both stared out at the crashing waves.
They got along so well. Before they knew it, Belle had been there with him about a month.
“It’s like you’ve been the one I’ve been looking for my whole life,” Belle said tipsy one night as they sat in his library, sipping on wine.
“What’s that?”
“There’s something I want to tell you. A secret.”
“What is it?” Gold said with wide-eyed concern.
“I’ve been afraid to tell you since I’ve been here, but spending all this time with you, I realized- I have to tell you-”
“What is it?” Gold asked, their faces now less than a foot apart.
“I… I like you. I think that I might even love you,”Belle leaned in and kissed him.
“B-Belle,” Gold gasped out.
Belle smiled but then she panicked as she looked at Gold who just sat there, frozen, in shock. No reaction to her sudden declaration of love and kiss.
Belle’s face turned white as she got up. Perhaps she was just a foolish idiot with the notion that she had missed out on the love of her life. Maybe it was fate that had separated them all those years ago and she wasn’t meant to find him again as she did.
Belle ran to the coast, back towards her pelt, back to safety. She hadn’t been acting rationally when she kissed him. She shouldn’t have done that but it had just seemed right and she had wanted to. The time she had spent with him had been nice but it was foolish. He was a human. It would never have worked out. He didn’t feel the same way she had for all those years.
She jumped into the cold ocean and swam out to the rocks on which she had shed her skin over a month ago.
The tide was now higher since it was night time, so it was a bit difficult locating the exact rocks where the skin was. Belle’s animal instincts kicked in and told her she had finally located the right rock, yet when she climbed upon it, the skin was not there. Frantically, Belle moved around the rocks, chucking some into the depths of the ocean as she began to panic and hyperventilate.
This was bad. Without her skin, she’s be stuck living as a human! She would have to find it soon. If it fell into the wrong hands, the results could be disastrous for her. Something told her that her skin was still nearby in the town, but she didn't exactly know where.
----------
Meanwhile, Gold was currently pacing around his own house. Belle had never just up and ran off like that. She was so scared when she had kissed him, he could see it in her eyes when she ran away.
They had finally kissed, after all this time, it was like his dreams, but now she was gone.
He should have reacted differently and told her that he felt the same way.
He loved her.
Now he may not ever get the chance to say it back to her.
Thankfully, she’d have to be back, he reasoned with himself after awhile. She had left all her belongings at his house. Then again, none of the items she currently had in her possession were of any use to her: she still had no license, no wallet, no money. The clothes she had left couldn’t possibly ensure her safe return.
After night had fallen, Belle still hadn’t returned back. He decided to take his Cadillac to try and find out where she had gone, leaving the front door to his house unlocked with the porchlight on in case she came back while he was out.
First, Gold hit the obvious places: the dinner, the library, and finally the sea shore they both enjoyed so much with no luck. He placed a few calls while he was driving, inquiring about her, also with no luck.
----------
Belle had searched for her skin frantically, all the while crying. It was gone. She had checked everywhere. The seals had checked the water for her, also claiming that they had had no luck. One of the seals said he had seen a man with on hand come and fetch the skin while everyone had been out for a swim. They chased him down and barked at him, but he had gotten away.
Belle had seen this man before but had no idea where he lived. She thought he had been a sailor, so she checked the local boats and docks.
The man was nowhere to be found.
After knocking on doors and being yelled at, Belle decided to check near the bar. Ten blocks away from the shore.
---------
Gold saw Belle walking wet and barefoot in the middle of the street and he slammed on his brakes, getting out of his car.
“Belle!” he shouted out.
Her head perked up and she ran to him crying, almost knocking him over as she threw her body at him.
“What happened!” Gold hugged her. “Did you try to-”
“No,” Belle sobbed. “My skin! He took my skin! I tried to run away but it’s gone!”
“Your skin? What are you talking about, Dear?”
“My skin. I’m not-” Belle continued to sob.
“I need to tell you something. I don’t know if you’ll believe me-”
“I’ll believe anything you say. I’m not lying to you Belle. I would never…”
“Do you know about selkies?”
“What?” Gold asked. “This is off-topic. Please tell me how I can help you.”
“I am one. About a month ago, I shed my skin. Hid it. And found you. Somebody stole it!”
“You-” Gold looked at her. Everything made sense now. “I believe you,” he said quickly.
“You do?”
“Yes. I thought I had seen something, but I thought I was going crazy...and then that same day you showed up. Then the seal pelt. It all makes sense now!”
“You know where my pelt is!?” Belle cried.
“I do,” Gold answered. “But I wish…” he stopped himself from saying he wished she wouldn’t have to need it. That he wanted her here with him. “We can go grab it right now. No doubt that man’s at the bar or elsewhere right now.”
The two boarded Gold’s car and drove back to the docks, lined up with ships. “It’s that one,” Gold pointed out to a ship called the Jolly Roger.
The two of them crept into the ship where they located the pelt after a bit of searching.
“My pelt!”
“Safe and sound. No doubt whoever found it knew what power it held.”
“Thank you.” Belle wanted to cry. She had found it!
She gave him a big hug.
----------
It was a long time before Belle actually put her pelt back on. The sailor who found the pelt naturally had noticed it was missing and had inquired around town about it before he finally came up to Gold.
“You stole it! Didn’t you!”
“I did not.” Gold said with a calm face. “If I were you I wouldn’t be inquiring about it. I told you before. It’s illegal in this country to sell and trade those. It didn’t have a registration number, safe to say?”
The man left in a huff and that was the last anyone heard about that.
Belle and Gold had revealed their feeling about each other and all was good in the world.
Years down the line, Gold still sat on his and Belle’s bench, overlooking the sea. It was the same bench that had started everything good in Gold’s life.
He was there without question, especially when he knew wife was away, staring out at the sea. She was a journalist, he told everyone, and sometimes she would leave for sometimes long periods of times. But she always came back, and they would be together.
And, they lived happily ever after.