There was a rule during all this that Rumpelstiltskin spent time with one of the wives when it was their day. They talked about whatever was bothering either or they went on dates…had a whole bunch of sex but sometimes exceptions were made. Originally Rumpelstiltskin was supposed to have lunch with Emma today because Maleficent was having her therapy session. But now that Maleficent traded her day for Belle's, he'd been worried he'd have to break his promise to Emma. Until Belle told him that she wanted to spend time with her father and break the news to him. So it all worked out.

He didn't go to the diner for her lunch, he made it himself. She never asked for much. Grilled cheese was her favorite. He bought onion rings from the store and cooked them in the deep fryer. The onion rings took longer than the bloody sandwich!

It was a miracle, this modern technology. It made him a better cook. He wasn't…bad in the enchanted forest but he was a simple man of simple tastes. He could survive on water, wine, bread, and stew...and occasionally cake. It wouldn't bother him much.

Try impressing five wives with that menu.

The fancy food in the Enchanted Forest never failed to trouble his dark one stomach. Gods, he was pretty sure that Cruella's stomach was made out of iron with the things she could eat. Apparently the "Cruella can no longer kill' rule didn't count when she was trying to kill herself with the food that the rich served.

And the woman was painfully thin, where did it all go?

"You okay?"

He was pulled out of his thoughts by his wife. She had the sandwich half eaten. The Onion rings were already gone, the only evidence they had been there was the crumbs around the large mountain of ketchup she'd poured onto the plate.

"Yeah," he cleared his throat, "Just…mind wandering."

"You excited?" Emma asked.

He smiled, his heart hammered in his chest at the thought of a baby. His baby that he'd meet in a few months, "Yes."

"When does Belle want to make the announcement?"

"When she's probably resuscitated her father when he falls over dead."

"Hey now," Emma warned.

"I've never liked the man."

"He doesn't like you either, and he sort of has a right to. You told him you'd only bother to lift a finger to help him if he handed over his daughter shortly after his wife died. Anything could've been happening to her for all he knew. Then he didn't hear from her until you got engaged to her…and then he had no choice but to marry her to you and like it."

Rumpelstiltskin blinked, "There are worse men she could've married!"

"And then he had her throughout the curse for 28 years and you came by after the curse was done and took her back."

"I had a right to! She's my wife."

"And if any man took your daughter and gleefully tormented you like you do Mr. French, how would you feel about him?"

He stared at her, "Obviously you've been thinking more about this than I have."

"Hm, thought so," Emma finished off her sandwich and wiped her hands off, "Can I ask you something?"

"Of course."

"What if we had a baby?"

He hesitated. His heart hammered in his chest. He wanted to tell her yes. That was what he wanted. He wanted a big family with lots of children to care for and spoil. He wanted to be surrounded by love and affection but he knew it had to be the right time, "I don't want you to feel pressured to have a baby."

"I don't!"

"Ultimately it's your decision on when you want to have one."

"It's our decision."

"Emma, we're still early on in being married. We're still getting used to the other. You're still getting used to all of them. That's a lot of pressure that you're facing. Being a new wife is always hard. A baby, while wonderful could also be an added burden. We still have time. We have plenty of that and so there's not really a need to rush into anything."

"But if I did want a baby..."

"Then we'd have a baby," he said simply, "But I do think it's too soon. Enjoy newlywed life, get to know your son, get to know the other wives….get to know me."

"I know you."

"You know the things I've done but you're still getting to know me. There's a difference."

"Most wives get that done before the marriage."

"Most wives don't have to share a husband either. Or their son in…the arrangement that we all have."

"We have a weird family."

"Would you believe me if I told you that weirder exists?"

"Not sure."

"Not even reality shows?"

"I'm not sure those are as 'real' as they want us to believe."

He reached for her hand. Emma tightened it and kissed the back of it.

"Are there any developments?" he asked, "With Maleficent's daughter?"

"Not yet," Emma told him and looked at the computer, "I've…looked at all my resources but abandoning children isn't exactly new or rare in this world either."

"Your story made headlines."

"Because they believed that I was found on the side of the road," she told him, "That my parents gave birth to me and threw me away as soon as they could. Baby in the woods might've got some coverage but considering how depraved people are, not much."

He ran his thumb over the back of her hand, "I was supposed to be her father, Maleficent wanted me to raise her. Not the first child I've lost through a portal, ironic isn't it?"

Emma cringed, "My parents shouldn't have done that."

"You'll have to forgive them eventually."

"I've forgiven them."

"Have you? Family dinners are tense."

"Have you?"

"For locking me up when I wanted to take a baby given to me in a contract when they took my daughter by force and separated her from her mother that never agreed in any way to it? No. But I'm not their child, I don't have that pressure."

"What they did was awful."

"Things I've done are awful too."

"It's different. They're my parents; they're supposed to be…Snow White and Prince Charming."

"No one could live up to that fairy tale drivel that this world makes our world's stories into," he told her, "Why don't you go to your family for dinner?"

"Because it's still tense with the baby revelation and me becoming a polygamist?"

"If I have to play nice with Belle's father then you have to play nice with your parents, it's only fair."

Emma glared, "I actually have a reason."

"You have a reason to be angry at Regina and Myself as well. You're not."

Emma sighed and ran a hand through her hair, "I'm taking Henry though."

He gave a smile and nodded, "It's a start."

Emma rested her head in her hands and rubbed her eyes, "We should focus on the search."

"Indeed."

Emma looked up, "Is there anything you saw in that crystal ball thing that could tell us anything? Like…scars or birthmarks or anything identifying?"

He tried to think and it wasn't until he ran his thumb over his wife's tattoo that he remembered something. It'd been so faint that he'd forgotten about it until now, "There's a mark on her wrist when she was born."

Emma perked up, "What mark."

"Some sort of…burst or star or something like that."

"Why didn't you tell me before?" Emma demanded.

"I forgot."

Emma went to her computer and then hesitated, "Wait…a star?"

"Yes."

"And her name is Lily?"

"Lilith yes."

Emma looked stunned, "It couldn't be."

"Emma?"

"I think I know who that is!"

He felt his heart hammering in his chest, what was she talking about? Could it be that she'd met her during her travels to, "Emma?"

The phone cut through the tension. Emma automatically reached for the phone and put it to her ear. HE nearly waved the phone away, whatever it was, it could hardly be more important than his daughter.

Emma looked up, alarm on her face, "Henry got into a fight."

He sat up straighter, "What?"

"He's in the principal's office," Emma hung up and grabbed her coat, "We can talk about Lily in the car."

"Yes, because this is another conversation that I'm very interested in hearing about," he muttered and went to follow her.