Chapter Five

Dawn removed the dress carefully and took a long hot shower. She had to wash the smell of him away. She could still feel the echo of his hands on her, which caused her to shiver. The whole dinner had been somewhat similar to a first date and it irked Dawn. She went to bed and had another restless night of tossing and turning.

Usually, Dawn would still function with her lack of sleep and daily dose of caffeine but today didn't seem to be going in her favour. Three days earlier, she had woken up to the fragrance of fresh roses. She found a large vase of the red roses on her table. The black card indicated that they were from Sin, along with the next amount she would have to pay. Dawn didn't freak out with Sin's surprises, because this seemed like it was going to be a normal occurrence but she was not very impressed. Something else was bothering her. It was a dream and Dawn hated dreaming because her dreams were always nightmares.

This particular one was not a memory but rather a premonition. She had been at a wedding. Her own wedding. Everything was seemingly perfect, from her dream dress to her favourite flowers, but when she reached the end of the altar, there stood Sin. She wanted to run and leave but there was an invisible noose which tugged around her neck, tugging and tightening with each word the priest spoke. Sin just smiled at her, suddenly holding the other end of the rope around her neck. She had no escape, the priest asked her to her for her vows but she shook her head. This didn't please Sin and soon she was struggling to breath. She work up with a gasp and hadn't been able to get the dream off her mind.

She had been clumsy and forgetful. She had accidentally left her coffee in Her Majesty's office, luckily she hadn't taken a sip from Her Majesty's cup but it had meant she had to have the crappy office coffee, after she watched her cup get tossed into the the dustbin. It had been one mistake after another, but they were nothing major. In the end, she had been called into the office by Her Majesty.

"Dawn darling, have a seat," she said.

Dawn took a seat across from her, and silently prayed she would not be fired today. Her fists were curled up on her lap, back straight, trying not to seem nervous but her eyes gave away to the facade. Her Majesty always strove from perfection and she had been less than perfect today and it seemed that it had been noticed. She had only made such mistakes on her first few days at work but soon became efficient around the office until today. She had known people to be fired for less when working her and it would make it hard to get another job, having been fired from a prestigious place. Dawn waited silently.

"Dawn, Dawn, Dawn, what am I going to do with you?" She sighed, "You've always been one of my hardest workers, always keeping your head down and getting one with the task at hand."

Dawn nodded in agreement, maybe there was hope for her.

"Today you haven't been on top of your game and I don't think you will be anymore help around the office today. Go home. I don't want to see you until tomorrow when you've got your head screwed on correctly." Gold had taken an interest in Dawn and it would be better to keep her closer and try to see what was going on. She found it weird, that Gold wanted to meet Dawn out of all the favours he could've asked. There was something she didn't know about, that was going on in this girl's life, and she would get to the bottom of it, sooner or later. It would do no good to fire her, even though she had fired people much more easily before.

"Thank you." Dawn replied before dashing out the office before she could change her mind. She grabbed her belongings and took the lift down. Once on the street, she had no idea what to do with her time. She just joined the crowd and walked for a while. She need to clear her mind but she also need to get money for the next meeting with Sin.

Dawn found herself seated on a bench in a park. She wasn't looking forward to the next meeting, which was only four days away. She had no idea what elaborate show he would put on for her. She just had to brave it. She knew what she needed to do next with her spare time. She would need to meet Gold. She called a cab and went to his shop.

When Dawn arrived, the same receptionist was at the desk, she told Dawn that Gold was currently out of his office and that she could either come back later or wait for him. Dawn decided to wait, seeing as she had nothing else to do. Dawn sat on the sofa, and started flicking through some random magazine to pass time. Eventually she got bored and started looking at the displays.

The walls were fitted with glass cabinets, which held different items of interest. Dawn started taking a look around. There were many different objects too look at. The only thing that they held in common was that they were all old, and held history. The antiques were well kept and didn't seem to be collecting dust. Dawn was looking at a spinning wheel, which seemed to be used but still in good condition. It was made from dark oak and held a whole cabinet to itself. There seemed to be nothing intricate or special about this spinning wheel and that was how Gold found Dawn when he entered the shop.

"You know, it was rumoured that my great ancestors were related to Rumpelstiltskin," Gold said, as he approached Dawn. Dawn didn't react, but just watched him come closer from the reflection on the glass.

"The rumour isn't real, but it doesn't give this place rather a... magical feeling."

"How can you be so sure the rumour isn't real?" Dawn replied. She turned to face Gold. He was dressed immaculately, as per usual.

"Well, let's just say I once tried to spin straw in gold and failed," he explained with a cheeky smile. This made him seem a little younger and a little less dangerous.

"And your real name? Because, you can't honestly think that I believe that Gold is your real name." Dawn challenged him, with her eyebrow raised. She wanted to get to the bottom of the mystery that was Gold right now. It had seemed like forever since she had got a chance to concentrate on something that was work or Sin related.

"Interesting question, Bellissimo. Let's go up to my office so we can continue this conversation." He glanced in the receptionists, direction, letting Dawn know that they were not alone. He allowed Dawn to walk in front of him, up the stairs as he followed behind her.

Dawn remembered where his office was from last week and went to open the door but found it locked. She turned around and found Gold behind her with a pair of keys. He didn't wait for her to move out the way as he leaned close to her to unlock his office door. He was so close to her but not quite touching. They shared a breath as Dawn looked up to him but he wasn't looking at her. He was concentrating on unlocking the door. Dawn fell back when he pushed the door open, but Gold grabbed her arm to steady her. He moved his hand to her lower back and guided her into the office.

"Have a seat Dawn, do you want to have anything to drink?" He went to the bar and started pouring something for me.

"No thank you, I don't drink," Dawn replied. She had just voluntarily given a piece of information about herself, which she seldom did. She expected Gold to judge her or question her but instead he changed the subject.

"So as you were saying downstairs?"

"Why don't you use your real name?" Dawn returned to the topic. She was genuinely interest for his answer.

"Well, you see a name holds a lot of history, so by knowing my name, you'll be able to easily find everything you want about me but I prefer to keep people in the dark. A little mystery never harmed anyone." He took his seat across from her.

"Oh, so you're hiding something?" Was this another dangerous man she was getting tangled with or maybe her was just a serial killer in the past. She remember how when she first met him, she wanted to run but now she didn't. Was her instinct failing her or was she missing something?

"Well not really, since I've been called Gold for a very long time, people who do know my real name, never use it anyway. I've just embraced this nickname." He took a sip of his drink and smiled, at the thoughts of his past.

"So will you tell me your real name?" If you don't ask, you'll never know.

"Maybe one day, but not today, Bellissimo. I need to trust you and know you better before we exchange secrets," he replied with ease.

"I see, well I look forward to that day." Dawn insinuated that they would know each other longer in the future.

"So what had brought you to me, today?" Gold asked, but he already a vague idea. People always came for money and nothing more. He was used to such behaviour and was just waiting for Dawn to jump to asking for money but when she didn't he felt the need to remind her why she had initially come here.

"Well, as you've probably guess, I would like to sell something."

"Of course, let me know what it is and how much you want." Gold became all business-like as he waited for her response. Dawn removed her necklace. It was a locket and also another family heirloom. It was just a sweet gift passed through the generations. There was no pictures or anything inside but it was beautiful and something else she would be sad to see gone from her possession.

The exchange of money and total was something similar to last time but with a lot less paperwork as she was now a client of Gold. She put the envelope of cash safely in her bag and got ready to leave again like last time. She stood up but Gold stopped her.

"Dawn, are you busy now?"

"Umm, not really, why?" Dawn wasn't sure if should've lied and said she was busy or not. It was better to give a somewhat mutual answer, after all, he was indirectly helping her out a sticky situation.

"Well, I was wondering if you would like to have lunch with me? I do hate eating alone." He stood up, brushing invisible dirt off his suit.

"Um ok." Dawn agreed. She had enjoyed his company for now and it would do no harm to have a friendly lunch with him. There was nothing wrong with networking. It was always something that was emphasised at work and having someone like him at her side would be a good idea.

Gold took Dawn to his car. He opened the door, allowing her to get into the passenger seat. This lunch could turn out fun or horribly awkward, thought Dawn as she put her seatbelt on. Gold got in the other side and started talking about the cafe he was going to take them.

"It's actually quiet cozy and the weather is good so I think we should get seats outside but we can decide when we get there. I think you will love the pasta they serve. Do you drink ice tea?"

"Yes," Dawn replied.

"Oh, then you will love the lemon and rose ice tea they serve. It's one of my favourites." He them went on to recommend a few other things that she should try out. Dawn was starting to look forward to this place and hope it lived up to the expectations she had just been given.

When they arrived, Dawn decided that they should be seated outside. Inside was dim and intimate, so she didn't want to give him the wrong idea. The view outside was lovely as they had a sort of calm garden in the back. So far, everything was going well.

They both ordered some food. Dawn decided to take his recommendation of the ice tea and some pasta. She liked the fact the place was affordable and not one of those over the top, fancy restaurants like Sin had taken her. The place was cozy and that helped the lunch with Gold go smoothly.

Gold was glad Dawn agreed to join him for lunch. He enjoyed her company and he rarely took note of people but she had something about her. So far, he admired her bravery in the face of Sin. He had made grown men tremble in his presence and she had held her own. He was surprised to see her alive after he kidnapped her but he was sure Sin was up to something, and it is never good. Gold had known Sin for a long time and had a feeling, that what he wanted with Dawn would lead to her ruination. She didn't deserve it.

"You're not as bad as I thought you were, when I first met you," Dawn said.

"Well I can't really claim to be the good guy but I won't lie. I am selfish and mercenary but I do like to interfere once in awhile for the good of somethings," he replied honestly. There was no point in lying because she could easily find out about his reputation by asking around.

"Well there is no such thing as good or bad people. Everyone is just in the middle, so you don't have to worry, as long as you're good to me." Dawn reached for his hand and held it in reassurance.

After lunch, Gold dropped Dawn off to her place. Dawn gave him a quick peck on his cheek, before leaving him. He had a meeting to go to so they had to part ways, unfortunately. Dawn decided to try and take a nap. Hopefully, she would be back to normal at work tomorrow. She had been given a second chance and she would take it.

Sin's phone rang whilst he was in the middle of a meeting. He excused himself, leaving the room. He answered the phone and waited from the report. It was one of the men he had left on Dawn's trail. She better not be running.

"She was with a man today, we are going to find out more and send you the details."

Sin ended the call and tossed the phone across the room.