Interconnected ficlets set in an AU where Regina doesn't lock Belle away, but puts her into service as her personal assistant and, later, Henry's Nanny. This one takes place before the Pilot, so nobody remembers who they really are.

Mr. Gold didn't leave his house on Sunday. It was the day when the townfolk would go to church, or out for brunch at Granny's, and then mingle in the town square while enjoying the close knit community. People all smiled and asked each other about their lives while sharing little jokes. It was like something out of a Rockwell painting.

Mr. Gold hated Rockwell paintings - all happy people and silly nostalgic emotions. He preferred the work of Goya or Fuseli. Things that were fantastical and dark, that showed the truth that lurked in the dark hearts of men. Those things that people hid away and didn't show, especially on a Sunday in Storybrooke.

So he was still in bed, although he had been awake for hours, when the knock came from downstairs. He ignored it at first, instead focusing on the crossword in the Mirror. Five letters: Beautiful, to one in Paris. Was it the name of some tourist attraction? Or maybe a French word. Yes, that could be it. But…

"Hello, is anyone there?" a female voice yelled between knocks.

With a curse he pulled on his robe and grabbed his cane. Throwing open the door he saw little Henry Mills and his nanny. What was her name? Vera? Margie?

"I'm so sorry to interrupt your morning, Mr. Gold," she said, "But Henry and I were playing in the woods and he threw his ball into your backyard."

"And?"

"And, we wanted to get it back."

Gold smirked. If he had to get out of bed he might as well have a little spot of fun. "Well, that's going to be a bit of a problem because, you see, once the ball passed onto my property it became mine."

The girl looked stricken for a moment, but then smiled kindly. "Now, Mr. Gold, I'm sure that isn't accurate. It is our ball, after all."

"Yes, but you see, under the common law rules of property I have constructive possession of all things that are within the bounds of my property. Now, which one of you threw the ball?" The little boy raised his hand sheepishly. "Ah, Henry. Well, legally, when you released that ball without taking proper care to make sure it remained where it needed to be, you abandoned your property rights to it. And abandoned property becomes the domain of whoever finds it or, if it lands on property belonging to someone else, the owner of said property. So, you see, the ball is mine."

The nanny knelt down to face Henry at eye level. Her denim skirt came up slightly above her knees showing her shapely legs, but mostly he was focused on her face. She had such a loving look when she focused her attention on the boy, as if she was some renaissance Madonna giving unconditional love to the world. "Don't worry about it Henry. It was just a ball. We have more at home."

"Will Mother be angry at me for losing it?"

The nanny shook her head. "Your mother doesn't even need to know. And if she asks, I'll be sure to tell her that it wasn't your fault." She turned and glared up at Gold. "We'll tell her just who is to blame."

"Is that a threat?" Gold asked. She ignored him, and ruffled the boys brown hair.

"Now, why don't you go run and collect the toys we left behind. I'll be there in a moment. I just want to talk to Mr. Gold." The child scampered away, giving Gold a look that said You're in trouble.

"Listen here, you twisted little man," the nanny snapped, "I've always believed that everyone had some good in them, but apparently you are the exception to the rule."

"I don't see why you're so upset. As you said, it's just a ball."

"No, it's not just a ball. Henry is a child and I'm trying to teach him about kindness and sharing and being a good person. And it doesn't help those lessons when someone like you comes along and acts as if you can be an ass without consequences."

"I'm the ass! You're the one who interrupted my Sunday over some stupid ball. And you are lucky that it landed in my backyard instead of breaking a window, because I would be happy to sue you for destruction of property. Maybe if you did a better job of watching the child this wouldn't have happened, Miss…"

There was a long pause and the girl rolled her big blue eyes. "French. Anna French. How do you not know that? I've lived in this town my entire life. You are my father's landlord. Terrorize the man for fun. I know that probably doesn't help much, since you do that with everyone."

"Not everyone, just those who deserve it. And maybe I don't remember who you are because you just aren't that important."

"No, I'm sure I'm not. At least not in any way you'd care about. But I do have the love of a child, and that is all I really need. I wouldn't expect you to know the value of something like that, Mr. Gold. You seem like a man who knows how much everything is worth, but no idea about how it should be valued." She looked to the side and smiled at what she saw. It was Henry, holding the previously lost ball.

"Did he climb the fence to get that?" Gold screamed, "That's trespassing. And theft."

Anna shrugged. "I don't have your legal education, but I am pretty sure it's only trespassing if you can prove it. As for theft… I remember a certain saying about finders being keepers and losers being… well, I can't see you weeping. You'd need to have a heart for something as emotional as that." She smiled at him, a triumphant smile of a cat that just ate the canary. "You enjoy your day, Mr. Gold."

He slammed the door, the wall shaking with force. Going back to the crossword he stared at the clue again. Belle he wrote in the white squares, thinking of the woman who had just bested him. What an odd thing to come to his mind, almost as odd as the deja vu he felt watching her walk away.