Awesome story - especially for a first attempt at ff! (Now it makes me want to actually post one of my short pieces, LOL! I'm jealous!)

This is actually the first non-SN fic I've read, and I loved it. Nice moodiness to the piece and I love the brooding insight into what's going on inside that mind of his. You really captured the tortured twisted wanderings of his thoughts on a dark, lonely night...wonderful FEEL to the story, if you know what I mean.

Nice job here (you had reviewed one of my stories, so I do try to check what people who favor my work have done themselves). I think you've done a great job describing all the feelings the man is having (sadness, anger, fear and so on), including his feelings about the three women in his life, Blue Star, Regina and Emma.
Humm, no alcohol in Fairyland, bummer, well, how about coffee? Oh no, don't tell me, no chocolate!? Well then, maybe I wouldn't want to go there.
Would like to see something longer from you. thx txm

Oh, Mr. Gold and his musings and his awkward wiping of tears/awkward toasts to people not there. I could read about you all day.

Well I'm not surprised that you have such impressive insights into Rumple's thoughts and motives, lol. I especially like your comparison of him and Regina ie. what he would have done differently in her position. It's one thing that I love about the show's villains: they're perfectly balance opposites, with pain and yearning for happiness their only common denominator. Regina really is hot-headed and rash, but that's what made her the perfect caster for the curse! She charges ahead blindly. No doubt in the Enchanted Forest she had enough power that this more often than not worked in her favour, but in Storybrooke it just seems to be getting her in more and more trouble. Rumple, on the other hand, is much more reserved and calculating. That makes him ultimately the more powerful of the two, but you know, I feel like it also makes him less flexible, and less willing to believe his own fallibility. I think by showing his potential weaknesses he would be that much more interesting, but I guess that's just me. No one likes a character who knows everything and does everything right all the time - it gets boring. People are unique and interesting because of their flaws, and I'd like to see more of that from Gold. I think that's why his story with Bae and his mistake with August made him so much more fascinating. I can't wait to read more of this story, and I can't wait for more of these brilliant villains in season 2!

You know, I've wondered if/how the confrontation between him and August may effect any reunion with the real Bae. This was a really nice deconstruction of everything (I think at least) Rumple was considering and balancing near the end of the season. You also did an excellent job describing and bringing life to the exhaustion portrayed - that of that night and that borne of centuries. Hope you decide to continue publishing here :)

I liked this a lot. I think your characterization of Rumple/Gold was spot on. And I've always felt the same about Regina-she sealed her own fate in the first episode when she was so hostile to Emma and possessive of Henry. If she'd acted reasonable and maybe offered Emma the chance to have contact with Henry, Emma's radar would never have gone off in the first place. (But thank God she did freak out, because then we wouldn't have a show!) I also like the twist that the curse had to be broken while Emma was still twenty-eight. Are you going to continue this? And are you like me and 99% sure Henry's father will turn out to be Baelfire?

Very well written. I like how you've done Gold's musings on the events of The Return and his simmering anger at all of the perceived causes - August, Regina, and Reul Ghorm - while even managing to place some of the blame on himself for letting Bae go in the first place.

Looking forward to more.