A/N: So here is the epilogue. I have a few different ideas/directions in which I can take the story but I wanted to give this chapter some closure until then. I hope you enjoy it!

"I've wanted you since the moment I first saw you, but I never wanted to care. You managed to crawl your way in and make me care very deeply."

"Who are you?"

"I am yours…"

Her fingers traced over the fading bite mark, his words playing like a recording in her mind. Over a week had passed since the masquerade and she had yet to confront him, nor had he sought her out. She had no idea what she'd even say – she still wasn't sure what she actually felt. She couldn't be too angry; the sex was mind-blowing, he didn't hurt her, and the anonymity was kind of the point. But why had he gone to such lengths to disguise himself, only to tell her his identity anyway? Releasing a heavy sigh, she left the bathroom, falling dramatically into the chair in her office.

"Hey, Emma…" came her father's concerned voice, "How about you take an early day? You seem kinda distracted."

"No, I'm fine. I have all this paperwork to finish." She said, craving the busy work to avoid her thoughts.

"Yea, that's the exact same stack you started with this morning," Her gaze drifted from her father to the pile of folders they had yet to add to the computer system. It was indeed the same stack she started with hours ago. Well that settled it, then.

"Distracted, right…" she stood from her desk, "Thanks David…" He gave her a small smile and nod, holding her tight when she hugged him.

"I'm here if you wanna talk."

"Thanks. Another time, maybe." Pulling away from his embrace, she gathered her few things and made her way to her car. It was still the afternoon, not quite the end of the day. There was little choice, she had to deal with this before it consumed her even more.

Arriving at his shop, she inhaled a deep breath, steeling her nerves and strengthening her resolve. She found him behind the counter where he always was, greeting her with that same smug grin as he always did. Although he couldn't hide his surprise to see her.

"Sheriff Swan, to what do I owe the pleasure?" his smile was genuine but hesitant, and he stayed behind the counter, keeping a safe distance between them.

She tried to smile in return but failed; words escaped her. This should have waited until she had been more prepared, with a clear understanding of what she felt and how she wanted to move forward. Emma had none of those things. She stood in the center of his shop, staring at him, trying to think of something to say.

He looked the same as he always did; same suit, same cane, same mischievous look in his eyes. Was it her that was different? She didn't feel the same overwhelming urge to be with him like she'd experienced that night. Was the anonymity itself a turn on for her? She'd never seen a one night stand after the fact, she had nothing to compare this to and no clue how to proceed. And Gold, was he as confused as she was, or was he a typical man on a power trip just getting his rocks off?

"Sheriff? Is everything alright?" he asked, concern lacing his voice. As she struggled to focus her jumbled thoughts, only one thing stood out to her.

"Why don't you ever call me Emma?" she asked, finally meeting his gaze.

He blinked, "I beg your pardon?"

"You always call me Miss Swan, or Sheriff Swan…" she attempted to explain, not even sure herself where she was going with this. He stared at her, confused and almost suspicious, like her question was some sort of trap.

"Well, that is your title, is it not?"

"That's beside the point. Even before I was Sheriff you always called me Miss Swan."

He huffed, shifting nervously as he replied, "I've called you Emma before,"

"Yea, like twice." Before the curse was broken… she wanted to add, but she bit her tongue.

"What does it matter?" he pressed.

"Why are you avoiding the question?"

"Titles are terms of respect, Sheriff." he said in a huff of annoyance.

"See, you did again!" she shouted, pointing at him. He sighed softly, looking away from her.

"There's power in a name, dearie," he said quietly.

She'd heard that phrase before, more than once, and it was never a good situation. She pursed her lips, thankful he'd given somewhat of an answer, albeit one she didn't necessarily want to hear.

"What power?" she asked. He simply stared at her, his features as guarded as his eyes.

"Why does it matter what I call you?" he asked instead.

"I just…I want to understand what happened between us."

He scoffed, "And you think me not calling you by your name is the answer to that question?"

"Maybe?" It didn't escape her notice that even in his reply he didn't use her name.

"I'm sure someone as beautiful as you is familiar with the laws of attraction."

She nearly laughed, "You are many things, Mr. Gold, shallow isn't one of them."

"I'm flattered."

Their nervous laughter broke the tension just enough that Emma felt herself relaxing. He didn't seem angry and he'd been more honest than she'd expected. Now that she felt like he'd answer her, she asked her next question.

"Why didn't you just tell me? Why go through so much trouble to disguise yourself?"

"Given our history I didn't think you'd give me the time of day. Plus, the entire town was there and the last thing I want is all that attention."

"What about Belle?"

"In case it slipped your notice, Belle's affections have transferred to a certain mad hatter."

"Oh, so you guys, like…broke up?" she clarified, trying to sound like she didn't care. And she didn't, they weren't dating, and she can't say it's heading in that direction anyway.

"More like she announced she was leaving and I didn't stop her."

"You didn't even try?"

"There was no point. Her mind was made up and I had wanted to release her for some time."

"How noble…" she replied, only slightly teasing him.

"In truth, I wasn't even going to go to the ball until I saw you."

"So you decided to manipulate me into having a one night stand with you?"

"I think we both know manipulate is a strong word, and not entirely accurate." He said, and she knew he was right. Anonymity was the point and she had consented to everything. "Like everyone else, it was a chance to be someone else…someone you might be interested in. I didn't…I couldn't bear to be rejected by you, especially not publically. So yes, I alerted my appearance to please you."

It made sense, and she can't say for sure what she would've done. It was a surprise to her, he's been an enigma to her since she arrived; she just never knew how he felt. It wasn't just the way he made love to her so thoroughly, either. The things he said to her, both before the ball and during the heights of her pleasure, made her feel precious and adored.

"You said…" she paused, inching ever closer to him, "You told me you never wanted to care."

"And I didn't. You broke my curse, Miss Swan, you were always a means to an end for me. But you also made me care. You made me want to be better than I was. And I thought…I thought that night would be my only real chance."

She sighed in exasperation, "Say my name. Call me Emma."

"Why?"

"Just do it…"

She needed this, she needed to know if he had some power over her through her name. If he did, that meant he had effectively been protecting her this whole time from his manipulations. If not, than it didn't and wouldn't matter what he called her. But she felt it that night, when he called her Emma it heightened everything. She felt a piece of herself surrender.

"Miss Swan…" he began.

"Emma!"

"Emma…" he repeated in a sharp, clipped voice.

And she felt it. Her eyes closed, feeling that piece of herself weaken, the piece that kept her guard in place and her walls safe and secure. It heightened her awareness of his presence, and she felt a pull to be closer to him, to serve him. Tears brimmed beneath her eyelids, knowing now that he did hold some power of her. He had never used it against her and somehow, she believed he never would.

When her eyes opened she met his gaze, a storm of fear, frustration and sorrow. She moved around the counter and stepped closer, never breaking their gaze. He looked entirely uncomfortable, ready to bolt at the slightest provocation. She realized she had unintentionally trapped him. A part of her felt bad for him, but she just…she needed to know.

"Say it again," her words were barely a whisper as she reached him. He shook his head no, and she nodded her head yes.

"Emma," he said again, his voice low and contrite. And again, she felt herself fade, a little piece of her soul surrendered. It was like a drug or being drunk, removing her inhibitions and making her feel invincible. It made her want to see how far she could go, how much of herself she could surrender while still keeping her mind and heart intact.

"You said you were mine," she whispered.

"So I did…"

"Have you always been mine? Was this where it was always going to end up?"

He shook his head, "No, never. No one was more surprised than me."

"You wanna bet?" she challenged. He smirked with a soft scoff.

"You still have free will, dear. I didn't force you to do anything, and I never would."

She nodded in understanding and relief.

"Where did this power come from?"

"Your parents…"

"My…what?"

"They came to me while Snow was still in the early stages of pregnancy; they wanted to know how to stop the curse. As I always do, I demanded a price."

"My name…" she provided for him.

"Indeed. As you saw in my cell, I kept your name in the forefront of my mind until the curse struck. Then, when you arrived and I heard it spoken, I remembered everything."

She closed the distance between them, "Say it one more time…"

"Please," he pleaded, but she wrapped her arms around his neck and pressed herself closer.

"I need to know…please." He pressed his forehead to hers, closing his eyes

"Emma…" he breathed. It wasn't the intense arousal she'd felt before, but it was still heady…and dangerous. With every utterance of her name she weakened. It made her want to surrender more.

"Thank you…" she whispered, deciding to stop before she surrendered too much.

"For what?"

"For being honest."

"I thought you'd be angry at the very least." He set his hands on her hips, backing away slowly. He limped passed her, distracting himself with an antique. She didn't follow, letting him have his space.

"I might've been if this played out differently. I mean, you never used my name, and you didn't pull some elaborate game with the disguise. You wore it for one night and told me right away."

"So what now?" he asked.

What did she want? They'd already slept together and reached levels of intimacy she'd never experienced before. But they didn't know each other, it didn't follow that just because they'd slept together that they were meant to be anymore than he and Belle. Not to mention he had a power over her. He hadn't taken advantage yet, but that didn't mean he never would. They'd always be walking a fine line where her mind, heart, and soul were at risk of being overpowered – or lost entirely.

"I wish I knew." She told him. He nodded in understanding.

"Would you permit me to take you out to dinner this evening?"

"Yeah, dinner sounds nice."

Perhaps she was crazy, but she was drawn to him like a moth to a flame.

She'd likely get burned, but she needed to know…

A/N: Again I hope you enjoyed it! I always hoped the show would touch on Rumple knowing Emma's name and having power over her but they never did so here's my headcanon. Please feel free to review!