#group k

LT United - We Are The Winners

Inga & Anush - Jan Jan

AWS - Viszlát Nyár

Buranovskiye Babushki - Party for Everybody

Who See - Igranka

Lacey swallowed, trying to do all she could to not go off on him further.

Walk away, just walk away. He’s not worth it.

She had woken up that morning to find a bald man in a tow truck dragging away her baby blue Jaguar. Her father had gifted it to her for her 18th birthday, on the condition that she’d make the remaining payments. Little did she know, he had put it up as collateral for one of his many loans. They were so far behind on the bills and no matter how many shifts she pulled at Granny’s and the Rabbit Hole, they never seemed to catch up.

Moe was lousy when it came to business. Sure, people always bought flowers, but he squandered his money on beer and scratchers, rather than things he should. It was why Lacey had to drop out of college. It was embarrassing as hell to be pulled out of class to be told that her tuition check had bounced. She was forced to pack up her dorm and move back to the depressingly small Storybrooke.

That was nearly 6 years ago and she was forced to clean up her father’s messes, even to this day. Only this time, it was affecting her. Storybrooke was such a small town that buses rarely ran and her jobs were too far to walk on foot. She needed to get her car back, which meant facing Gold.

The thought caused a chill to run down her spine. Everyone knew Gold, the ruthless landlord who gave no second chances. Making a deal with him was like making a deal with the devil himself. Anyone who truly did was desperate. Moe constantly was, in order to keep a roof over their heads.

Now, it was Lacey who was desperate.

Pushing herself up, she grabbed the keys to her father’s van and drove it into town, parking in front of the pawn shop. Gold was a man of many hats, it would seem. Not only was he a landlord, but he owned the pawn shop and had a law degree. It made him feared, he could probably make anyone disappear if he really wanted them to and it was rumored he already had.

Holding her head up high, Lacey strutted into the shop. She didn’t have anything presentable for a business transaction, so she was wearing a black mini-skirt paired with fishnet stockings and a black tank top. Her eyes trained on Bruce Gold, who always looked like a million bucks in his designer suits. He looked up at her, nodding.

“Miss French, I’ve been expecting you.”

That caught her off guard. They barely knew each other, only speaking the rare times she was home or at the shop when he collected rent. “You have?”

“I’m not a moron, I knew when your father offered up that car as collateral that it was yours.”

“And yet you let him put it up?”

“He put down the down payment.”

Lacey let out an irritated sigh. “Yes, but unlike my father, I pay my debts. I’ve been paying off that car for the past 6 years. It’s mine. I want it back.”

“I’m afraid I can’t do that, at least not until your father puts a decent chunk in the money he owes me. He’s behind on rent for both your house and the shop, along with his payments on his van and other loans.”

“Maybe that’s your own fault for loaning him so much money. You should know by now what a deadbeat he is,” Lacey fired back, feeling brave.

Gold raised an eyebrow, it wasn’t often that people spoke back to him with such gusto. Gripping onto his cane, he made his way around the counter.

“I do suppose it’s unfair that you are without a car,” he mused. “After all, as you said, you are not like him.”

Lacey drew a deep breath. “So, you’ll give me my car back?”

“Not quite. You see, at the end of the day, it was still his collateral. It wouldn’t look right to the other citizens if I just gave you your car back.”

She knew this was coming. “You want something?”

His eyebrows knitted together. “How did you guess?”

“As you’ve pointed out, you have a reputation.”

“Suppose I do.”

“So, what is it you want?” She stepped forward, puffing out her chest. “Perhaps a little bit of fun in the loft upstairs?”

“You’d be willing to have sex with a stranger for your car?”

“I need it back. I have work tomorrow.”

“And that what you think it’s worth? Me fucking you?”

“Everyone has a price.”

“Aye.”

Gold looked her up and down, a small smile going across his face.

“Time is money,” he said. “I would be willing to forgive the debt your father owes over his current loan and return the car he put up as collateral if you attend an event with me.”

“An event? You wouldn’t rather just have sex with me?”

“That would last a few minutes at the most, I’d have you for the whole night in this case.”

Lacey bit her lip. She suppose she should count her lucky stars. One night at a stuffy event, versus a few minutes of discomfort. “What kind of event is this?”

“The town is trying to fix the bridge, it’s a charity auction.”

“I think I heard about that.”

“Wonderful. It’s tomorrow evening, I’ll pick you up at 6.”

“I have to work.”

“Which location?”

“Granny’s.”

“I’ll talk to Miss Lucas and have someone cover your shift. Wear something appropriate and you’ll have your car back by Monday morning.”

“This is really all you want?” Lacey asked, her voice dripping with disbelief. “Surely you could scare someone else into going with you.”

Gold tilted his head. “Ah, but maybe I don’t want someone else.”

For the first time in a long time, Lacey felt a blush creep up on her cheeks.

He pushed the box closer to her and fiddled with her blankets.  His poor love had been sick for over a week with a nasty cold, mostly she spent her time sleeping but when awake he knew she liked to read certain favourite books to bring her comfort.  In this case several of them had been leant out to friends, friends that had been reluctant to part with them when he had come to collect.  He didn’t care if they weren’t finished yet, Belle was sick and wanted to read her books, so by the gods she would have them.

“They’re your favourites.”  He argued weakly.

Belle raised an eyebrow at his words, but the effect was ruined by her red nose and puffy eyes; and yet she was still the most beautiful woman he had ever seen.  Her eyes drifted down to the stack of books he’d reclaimed, a hand reaching out to gently stroke the cover of the one on top.

“They are,”  She finally admitted with a sigh and a fond smile.  “Thank you, Rumple, but really, next time you don’t have to go get them. I’ll survive one cold without these.”

“No promises.”  He teased, moving to lie beside her on the bed above the covers.

Belle tried to laugh but ended up coughing instead, pulling a concerned noise from him.  He flicked his wrist and summoned a cool glass of water for her that she gratefully drank down.  Rumple watched her worriedly as she did so.  She would have to be sicker than he thought if she didn’t say something about his free use of magic.  Belle settled back against the pillows and let out a tired sigh.

“Will you do me a favour, Rumple?”  She asked softly.

“Anything, you know that.”  He replied.

A smile pulled at her lips at his words as she made herself more comfortable.  “Read to me?”

“Of course.”

He reached for the book he knew she loved the most.  The one that inspired her to be a hero and given her a taste for adventure.  In a way he loved the book too, if not for it Belle might not have had the courage to strike their deal.  He had already lived without her light once when he thought she was gone forever; Rumple dared not imagine a world where he had never felt the warmth of her love.

Rumple pulled Belle closer to him so her head was pillowed on his chest while he read.  He never needed to worry about any illnesses that Belle or the other denizens of Storybrooke might contract.  Whereas a mortal man would have to worry about becoming infected as well he was free to hold Belle and comfort her as he read. Rumple felt her breathing become more even and shallow as he read, her muscles become more relaxed, until finally he was sure she was deep asleep.

Putting the book aside he pressed a gentle kiss to her forehead.  Rumple wanted nothing more than to spend the day sleeping with Belle by his side, but since she had taken ill something had been nagging at him.  It was just a cold this time, the only treatment the doctor had prescribed was rest and fluids, but someday that might not be the case.  Belle was mortal, as mortal as he was immortal, and although she might be young and healthy now, someday she wouldn’t be.  Someday the cruel hand of fate would reach out and steal her light from him and take it to a place where he couldn’t follow.

Most days thoughts like that were easy to push away, but when Belle was sick in bed and people were being stubborn about giving her books back, it was easy to feel the creeping panic set in.  They’d talked about his anxiety, and he’d even seen Archie once or twice about it, he knew that when he began to feel like this he was more susceptible to his curse.  It fed off his fears and twisted his desires until he was acting in ways that would only serve to hurt himself and Belle.

With everything he had he pushed away the mounting fear of the future that loomed in front of him and instead focused on the moment at hand.  He listened to Belle breath, felt her warm and firm beside him and breathed in the smell of her shampoo.  The sensations helped ground him and soon the rising tide of panic abated.  It was okay, they were okay; everything was going to be okay.  Belle had a cold; everyone got colds when they didn’t have centuries old curses coursing through their veins.  And someday, in the future, they would deal with his immortality.

“I can hear you thinking.”  Belle said, breaking him from his thoughts.

“Can you?  I’m sorry they’re so loud they woke you.”  He smiled

She sighed and curled closer to him, pulling at the blankets until he was under them instead of on top.

“Well,”  Belle began once he was settled.  “I suppose I could forgive you, if…”

“If?”  Rumple asked.

“If I could ask you for another favour.”  She replied.

He said pretending to think about it for a moment.  “Well, since you’re under the weather I suppose I can afford to do you one more favour.”

“That’s very generous of you.”  Belle said with a sly smile that was ruined by a tired yawn.

“What can I do for you, sweetheart?”  He asked her softly.

“Stay with me?”  Belle asked as her eyes began to droop again.

“Forever.”