Rumplestiltskin felt the vibration of the door's jingle as Charming left to seek out his wife and daughter. Without an audience to intimidate, he was suddenly faced with his current reality.

He was in the Land Without Magic.

Centuries of planning, scheming, hoping and he was finally here. The future was a puzzle, always changing, and without magic he could no longer see the pieces. Still, he was here and he was awake.

He had to know.

He approached the globe that had so often failed to show him what he needed to see. He pricked his finger and watched the blood flow, prepared for disappointment.

Disappointment did not come this time…. Hope did.

His blood formed the shape of a very familiar place, the United States. Baelfire was here! The shape changed and reformed, narrowing. He drew on the knowledge presented to him by the curse. He would check another map to be sure but that definitely looked like Michigan. He looked at the globe. Three states and two lakes. That's all the separated him from his boy… He had waited in slumber for 28 years and finally it was time to be reunited!

But something was wrong.

While prophecy had been foggy once they reached the Land Without Magic, this couldn't be how they were meant to break the curse. Emma was supposed to find them, not the other way around. This was not the way it was meant to be. He had to know how long it would be before she arrived.

But, each day of the curse was the same. How could he know how long it had been since it began? His notes! He had taken detailed inventory notes every day. Surely they began with the curse.

The curse had begun on October 23, 1983… It was 1993 now. It had been 10 years. He knew what was to come and that he'd wait forever but the globe caught his eye again. He'd wait 18 years to see his boy without a second thought….. But was he really ready to abandon him for that long again, when he was so near?

He needed to find the Charmings… Helping them find their child could be his only chance of finding his own.

It didn't take Rumple long to gather everything that he needed. It also didn't take him long to track down the Charmings. They were predictable, in ways Regina had never understood. They were in an abandoned house, discussing their plans to find Emma. The entirety of this plan seemed to be: "we find her." Typical. He respected Snow White and her prince more than he cared to let on, but they could be terribly nearsighted.

"And when you approach her, what do you plan to say?" He asked, making his presence in the small house known.

The two faltered for only a moment. "That we're her parents, that we love her and that no one will ever separate us again." Of course it was Charming that answered. Snow seemed to consider for a moment.

"Charming, we need to really think this through."

"Are you having second thoughts about finding her? Snow, she's out there alone!"

"Of course not," She paused, "but this world is different from the one we came from. We need a plan, a real one."

Applause

He shouldn't antagonize them, he knew that. But they made it just too damn easy. "Always knew that you were the brains of the operation." Charming was getting annoyed and his annoyance aroused his suspicion. "Why do you care? We aren't making any deals with you." Rumple sighed. "Once again, our interests are aligned. Besides, we can help each other without a deal." Snow seemed intrigued, "How can you help us?"

"Simple Dearie. Once you find Emma, you'll need identification, you'll need legal representation, you'll need a place to live… In short, you'll need money. Lucky for you, I have plenty." She wasn't yet convinced.

"And what do you get in return?" Snow White asked, her hand on her hip and her head cocked to the side. Her curiosity seemed genuine.

"I get a way out of this cursed town, and into the Land Without Magic. You aren't the only one with someone out there to find."

Charming was suspicious "We aren't helping you find some person you think wronged you in a deal. We aren't helping you cause any more harm."

Rumple grew quiet. They were running out of time before the queen found them. The flower would not work without them. He would finally have to share his deepest shame, the secret he hadn't even told Belle. And if he wanted their help, it would have to be the truth.

"You were surprised to see me… before, to see a man. I wasn't always the dark one, you know." It occurred to David that the other man suddenly seemed fragile, and it was more than just the limp, "There was a time when I was a man… I had a son." The Charmings looked alarmed, and intrigued… Good.

"I let him go. I regretted it the moment he was gone but I let him go." He looked up and stared them down, daring them to comment.

"Everything I have done since then, has been to find him. All I know is that he is near. He is in Michigan and I have to find him. Your plant won't help me find him on my own, we don't have true love the way your family does." His urgency returned in full force. "And the queen will figure all of this out soon. I need you to help me reunite with my child and I will agree to reunite you with yours along the way."

Snow and David stared at each other, having one of their silent conversations before they both nodded. "Thank you for telling us. Of course we will help you." Snow gushed, "What's his name?"

For the first time in so long he spoke his son's name aloud. "Baelfire."

Charming's posture changed and he was clearly ready for action. "Well then, Emma and… Baelfire await. Let's go find our children!"

Thank you to HalliwellDream for being a great Beta! Let me know if you'd like to see more!