"Let me get this straight", Emma Swan was watching Gold carefully, suspicious of any offer proffered by the town's most notorious dealmaker, "you can guarantee me time with Henry everyday for the next month, all with Regina's approval?"

"Indeed." Gold's eyes met and held hers, a slight smile curling his lip.

"And what would I owe you in return?" Emma knew that Gold did nothing unless it benefited him in some way.

"My terms are very simple, Miss Swan. You get to see Henry and I, well I, get to see you."

"You get to see me? What exactly does that mean?" Emma didn't like the sound of this. Was he suggesting some type of date?

"As I said, it's quite simple, Miss Swan. I'd like you to have dinner with me every Wednesday and Saturday night for the next month." Gold kept his eyes on her, noting the suspicion that briefly flashed across her face. "I enjoy your company. You aren't afraid of me like most people in this town. "

Emma hesitated, quickly trying to weigh the pros and cons of the offer. Eight dinners with Gold. How bad could it be? "So this arrangement is strictly dinner? "

"Dinner and anything else you'd like it to be, my dear. I'd be more than happy to indulge any of your wishes."

"I'm not sleeping with you, Gold, so don't even let that thought enter your brain." Emma was horrified. Why had she blurted that out?

Gold chuckled. "I would never suggest anything of the sort, Miss Swan, but as I said, I'd be more than happy to indulge any of your wishes." Emma could feel the knowing smile on his lips even though she refused to look up at him. He had moved closer to her so that she could feel the tension that always existed between them. His hand lightly touched her arm and she jerked it away as a jolt of electricity passed between them.

"I promise to be on my best behavior. We won't do anything that you don't want to do." The way he said it made her blush. It was as though he suspected that she wanted to do exactly what she was so vehemently denying.

"So, is it a deal, Miss Swan?"

Emma had the uneasy feeling that she was going to be agreeing to more than she bargained for, but she refused to give Gold he satisfaction of seeing her rattled. "It's a deal." She held out her hand. Gold took it, but instead of shaking it, he drew it to his lips and gently kissed it. Once again Emma felt that jolt that she so wanted to avoid.

"Excellent." Gold tightened his grip on her hand before releasing it. "Come to my house at 8:00pm on Saturday evening. " He smiled. "Don't look so concerned, Miss Swan. I don't bite without an invitation to do so. "

Gold turned and walked out of the station leaving Emma glaring after him. The man was always so smug and sure of himself. It was infuriating.

Emma was busy for the rest of the day and exhausted by the time she returned home that evening.

"Rough day?" Emma thought she wanted to be alone, but the sound of Mary Margaret's voice was welcome and soothing.

"You can't imagine." Emma was debating whether or not to tell Mary Margaret about her deal with Gold. She knew Mary Margaret wouldn't approve. "I'm going to be seeing Henry everyday for the next month."

"That's wonderful!" Mary Margaret was joyful. "How did you get Regina to agree?"

"I didn't. Mr. Gold made the arrangement with her." Emma watched for Mary Margaret's reaction.

"No! You didn't! Emma, you can't make deals with Mr. Gold. He always has an ulterior motive. What did you promise him?"

"Nothing to worry about. I'll just be having dinner with him every Wednesday and Saturday night for the next month." Emma tried to make it sound as innocuous as possible.

"Just dinner?" Mary Margaret's question annoyed Emma even though she had asked the same thing. There was no reason to think that Gold had anything other than dinner in mind.

"Yes, just dinner. I think Gold is lonely and wants company." Emma didn't know if she was trying to convince herself or Mary Margaret.

"I suppose it won't be that bad. Gold can be pretty charming when he wants to be and at least you won't be alone with him if you're going out for dinner."

What was Mary Margaret talking about? "I'm having dinner with Gold at his house," Emma clarified.

"Oh! I thought you'd be going to a restaurant." Mary Margaret looked alarmed.

"I'm happy we're not going out. I don't need to have the whole town gawking at me out with Gold. I'm hoping to keep this as private as possible. I can just imagine the gossip if anyone finds out." Emma was starting to realize that this deal had some ramifications that she had not thought through.

Mary Margaret looked pensively at her. "You're probably right." Emma could see that she wanted to say something else. "Do you like him?"

Emma was appalled. "Why would you ask that?"

"I don't know, Emma. It's just a feeling I have. You work all the time, you don't seem interested in dating, you don't trust anyone, but you always go to Gold when you need help. You seem to be drawn to him in some way."

"That's insane. Believe me, I only go to him when there's no other option. I don't trust him as far as I can throw him, but the man knows how to get results. Anyway, enough about Gold. I can't wait to see Henry tomorrow. I'm going to plan something fun for us to do." Emma headed to her room determined to end this conversation and to block any thoughts of Gold from her head… at least until the next day.

Emma arrived at the station early on Saturday morning to get a head start on a large stack of paperwork. At 2:00pm, Regina showed up with Henry in tow.

"Hi Emma." Henry smiled his shy wide smile at her.

"Hey Kid." Emma smiled back at him.

"May I have a word with you, Miss Swan?" Regina's icy voice grated on her. "I don't know what type of deal you made with Gold to get him to convince me that Henry should spend time with you, but you might want to think twice about who you get in bed with. Gold's a snake in the grass. You can't trust that man."

Emma glared at her. She didn't appreciate Regina's "bed" reference. "No need to concern yourself with my affairs, Regina. I'm a big girl. I can take care of myself." Emma groaned. Why had she used the word "affair" and why was she attaching a sexual connotation to everything?

Regina gave her a forced smile. "I wouldn't dream of interfering, Miss Swan. I'm just giving you some useful advice. What you and Gold do as two consenting adults is of no interest to me. "

Regina turned to leave. "I'll be back for Henry in two hours."

"You didn't make a deal with Mr. Gold, did you?" Henry looked very concerned and upset.

"No worries kid. It's a simple deal almost already paid up." Emma wasn't convinced that it was all that simple. She feared that she had entangled herself in what could become a very complicated situation.

"But he's evil, Emma, worse than my mother."

"He's not as bad as you think. Anyway, it's no big deal. Now let's head out for some ice cream." Emma needed to eat a half gallon of ice cream to deal with the night ahead of her, but she'd have to settle for a cone for the time being.

Saturday evening finally arrived and Emma was anxious to get this thing over with. She had fretted about what to wear which wasn't like her at all. She had finally opted to wear a silky white blouse and black slacks. This was simply a dinner with Gold, her end of a deal, not a date. So why was she so nervous?

Emma drove up to Gold's pink Victorian house. As she climbed the steps she relaxed a little thinking that the house reminded her of a cupcake. Yes, she'd keep that thought in mind - it made her feel much better.

"Good evening, Miss Swan." Gold was dressed in a dark suit, shirt and maroon tie. Emma noted how attractive he looked this evening. There was something about him that always caught her attention, something that she was trying very hard to ignore. The man exuded a confidence and sexual magnetism that always caught her off guard. Oh god… why was her mind going there already.

He was staring at her appreciatively and Emma could feel herself getting warm. "You look lovely, Miss Swan."

"Thank you. You don't look bad yourself, Gold." Emma tried to lighten the mood a bit.

Gold smiled at her and gently placed his hand on the small of her back to lead her into the house. Emma immediately felt that jolt between them and he smiled at her in that smirky knowing way that he had mastered so well. Emma quickly moved forward trying to separate herself from his touch.

Gold chuckled to himself. "Relax, Miss Swan. I thought we had established that I'm not going to bite. Perhaps a glass of wine will help calm your nerves."

Emma wanted to retort, but thought better of it. She really didn't trust herself right now. "Thank you. That would be nice."

Gold lead her out to his patio which overlooked an array of beautiful flower gardens. A table was set for two with lovely linens and china. A vase of wildflowers sat in the middle of the table bringing a smile to Emma's lips. "Your gardens are really beautiful, Gold. I never expected this."

Gold smiled as he poured white wine into sparkling crystal goblets. "I'm glad you approve, my dear." He raised his glass to her and winked. "To simple pleasures."

Emma gulped down half the glass. Why did he make her so nervous? This was going to be a long night.

Gold proved himself to be an entertaining and attentive host. He was very easy to talk to, seeming to be knowledgeable about almost any subject. He kept the tone light and Emma came to appreciate that he was trying his best to put her at ease.

Dinner was delicious. Gold evidently knew how to cook. As darkness descended, the patio became awash with small white lights. The scent of flowers was intoxicating and Emma couldn't help but think that it was all extremely romantic. What surprised her was that she was enjoying the romantic aspect of the evening. She was always so controlled and no-nonsense that it was nice to have someone see her in a different light.

"Can I ask you a personal question, Gold?"

He looked at her with intense interest. "Only if I can ask you one in return."

Emma agreed. "Deal." The man had a way of turning even the simplest requests into something else.

"How old are you?" Emma watched him as a look of surprise flashed in his eyes. "It's a simple question, Gold."

Gold seemed to be assessing her carefully. "Why don't you guess, Miss Swan? I'd love to see if your detective skills are as good as I think they are."

"Forty-Eight." Emma was sure she was pretty close.

"Excellent guess, my dear." Gold hoped she took this as an assertion of her accuracy. He had agreed to answer her question, but he couldn't tell her his real age. Then again, she'd just think he was purposely trying to avoid answering if he told her he was over 300 years old. "Tell me, why do you ask?"

"No reason really. It's just that you seem like you're so much older, almost as though you're from a different time and place."

"I find this rather fascinating, Miss Swan. What is it about me that gives you that impression?"

"I don't know… it's a combination of things… the way you talk, your manners, the way you call me Miss Swan instead of Emma. You're very formal. And you seem to know everything. "

Gold chuckled. "I suppose a lot of it has to do with my line of work. You see, Miss Swan, I procure difficult to find items, antiques if you will. I've made it my business to be an authority on the art, history, mythology, even the occult beliefs of centuries past. Apparently, I must immerse myself in these pursuits to a greater degree than I realize." Gold was watching her with amused interest.

Emma looked at him thoughtfully, "Do you know anything about fairy tales?" She was surprised to hear herself asking the question.

"A great deal, actually. But, that can be a discussion for another time." Gold changed the subject knowing that he'd need a lot more time to cover that topic, a topic that he was very anxious to discuss with her. "It's my turn to ask you a personal question."

"Tell me, my dear, does our mutual sexual attraction make you uncomfortable?"

Emma was almost speechless. How had they gotten from fairy tales to this? "I don't know what you're talking about, Gold. Maybe you're attracted to me, but there's nothing mutual about it."

Gold grabbed her hand. "Really, Miss Swan? Then why is your pulse racing right now?" His fingers were wrapped around her wrist, caressing the spot where her pulse was wildly pounding. "Why deny it? We both feel it every time we come near each other. "

Emma could feel the blood rising to her face. "OK, Gold. Yes, I feel it and yes it makes me very uncomfortable. Does that make you happy?"

"I just wanted to hear you acknowledge it, my dear. I know it makes you uncomfortable. You almost jump out of your skin whenever we make the slightest contact. I must admit that I find it both amusing and arousing." He was grinning at her in a way that made her want to slap him.

"Well it's not going to do you any good, Gold. It's not something that I'm ever going to act on." She wanted to nip this in the bud right now.

"Such a shame, Miss Swan." Gold sighed. "But I'm not giving up hope. What's meant to be will be. "

"I don't know what you're getting at, Gold, but I'm in full control of what I do or don't do. And believe me, I won't be doing anything about this thing between us." Emma wanted to end this once and for all.

"We shall see." Gold's tone was one of amused calm.

The man was infuriating. Emma needed to get out of there, but she didn't want him to see how much he was getting to her.

Gold sensed her desperation. As much as he liked toying with her, he genuinely liked her and knew when the game had gone too far. He moved closer and gently pushed a strand of hair from her face. His eyes were filled with a kindness that she had never seen in him before. "I didn't mean to upset you, my dear. I had a lovely evening. You don't know just how much I enjoyed it."

Emma was grateful that he was giving her an easy out even though his close proximity to her was wreaking havoc on her body again. "I enjoyed it too." She heard herself say the words and then she leaned forward and kissed him too quickly for him to respond. "I have to go."

Gold watched her walk away, a smile playing at his lips. This was all going rather well, better than expected.

Emma barely remembered walking to her car, never mind driving home. The only thought in her head was "Why?" "Why had she kissed him? " "Why had she let him get to her?" Why had she agreed to this deal?" and "Why did he have this effect on her?" It was too much to think about. She needed to get a good night's sleep. Seven more dinners. She had to get control of herself and the situation. Wednesday night would not be ending with a kiss. Of that, she was certain.

"How was your evening?" Mary Margaret handed her a cup of coffee.

To her surprise, Emma had slept soundly. She felt remarkably rested and found herself smiling as she remembered tidbits of conversation from the night before. The kiss was not even bothering her this morning. In fact, she felt a certain warmth as she recalled the kindness in Gold's eyes at the end of the evening.

"Better than expected." It was true. She had been dreading the evening but had actually enjoyed spending time with Gold.

Mary Margaret looked surprised. "So it wasn't awkward and uncomfortable? "

Emma laughed. "I didn't say that. Believe me, Gold is a master at creating uncomfortable situations. He seems to know things about you that you don't even know yourself. "

"Sooo… Did he kiss you?" Mary Margaret blushed. She didn't want to pry but she couldn't help asking.

It was now Emma's turn to blush. "Not exactly."

Mary Margaret was looking at her expectantly.

"Listen, these dinners are not dates… they're just a part of our deal." Emma avoided making eye contact with Mary Margaret though she could still feel her friend's questioning eyes on her.

"I kissed him." She blurted it out. "Barely, but it was still a kiss." She could feel herself blushing even more.

"You kissed him? He didn't kiss you?" Mary Margaret sounded incredulous.

"Yes, I kissed him. I know he wanted me to kiss him. And it will never happen again."

Mary Margaret was laughing at her. "I knew it. You like him, Emma."

Emma groaned. "It was just a friendly thank you for the dinner. It didn't mean anything."

"If you say so." Mary Margaret was grinning from ear to ear.

Emma wanted to go back to bed and hide under the covers. She didn't know how she was going to get through the rest of this deal.

"Good morning, Emma. " Graham watched her as she walked to her desk.

"Good morning." Emma was always happy to see him. The man was a sight for sore eyes.

Emma saw the gold envelope before she got to her desk. As she approached, she could see the fancy script spelling out her name, "Emma" She knew it was from him. "Emma" – she could hear him saying it with that lilting accent of his. After that first day, he had always called her Miss Swan. "Emma" was a change for him.

"Mr. Gold dropped that off for you this morning." Graham was looking at her, an unspoken question in his eyes. "He said that you left last night before he had a chance to discuss it with you."

"Thanks. I figured it was from him." Emma tried to sound as business-like as possible. There's no way she wanted Graham to get wind of her arrangement.

She opened the envelope and pulled out a plain gold card. The message was again written in the same beautiful script:

Thank you again for a lovely evening, Emma.

Please meet me at Granny's at 7:00pm on Wednesday evening.

I promise to be good.

Emma didn't know what to think. On the one hand, Granny's was public. There'd be no chance of any kissing, not that she'd ever let that happen again. On the other hand, Granny's was public. Everyone in Storybrooke would be talking about her "date" with Mr. Gold. The man never made things easy. He was probably already gleeful knowing that their deal would be misconstrued as a "date". But a deal was a deal. She'd just have to make the best of it.

"Everything OK?" Graham's voice reminded her where she was.

"Yes. Everything's fine." Emma attempted to smile at him. Graham would know about the date. Everyone would know.