"They went to the Underworld?!" Rapunzel took the news of the Underworld adventure about was well as she did when Rumple first told her. She listened quietly as she explained what Rumple had explained to her the day before and it was only when she got to the end of her story that she blanched looking more than skeptical.

"So far as I know, they did. As long as everything went according to plan."

"According to plan," she balked. "Is a plan like that even possible? Do they really expect they can bring Hook back to life?"

She sighed and shook her head with a disbelieving smile. The memory of Rumpelstiltskin telling her about their "plan" was still fresh in her mind. She had a feeling she knew the answer. "I don't think so," she answered. "The way Rumple talked about it…I have a feeling that it's just something he's going along with, allowing Emma to grieve."

Rapunzel shook her head and looked sad. "That I understand. After someone dies the world just seems…" she seemed lost for words. She wasn't a stranger to loss and death. It seemed like another lifetime ago but she could remember learning about Rapunzel's history in the Enchanted Forest. The whole reason she'd been led to that tower, to the root that put her there in the first place was because she had lost her brother.

"I never said I was sorry for your brother," she muttered breaking the silence and drawing her eyes up from the place she was staring.

She smirked. "I never said I was sorry for losing Neal. Some things you assume are implied after a while. And anyway, it's not important at the moment. I understand why Emma would want to do it, why she would want to go to the Underworld, but…why would Rumpelstiltskin?"

"Oh, they needed his blood to open the portal to the Underworld."

It was obvious to her, but the look on Rapunzel's face suggested that she was still speaking gibberish. "So…?" she questioned timidly.

"So…without him they couldn't get there."

"No, I mean, why was that his problem? I mean…no offense, but since when does he care that Emma or anyone else gets what they want?"

She opened her mouth to respond…but the words didn't come to her. She felt her stomach turn over. She didn't want to admit it…but Rapunzel was right. Doing this was out of character for him. She'd thought of that herself yesterday before he'd left but she hadn't found the time to actually ask him about it or even really think about it throughout today. Why was he doing this?

"Well hey, it must be the human side of him now right," Rapunzel offered for her a moment later. "I mean it's not like he's got magic or darkness inside of him anymore, anybody would want to help someone when they were mourning, and it's not like they were taking him away forever, just for a day. That has to be it. Right?"

"Right," she breathed after a moment. "Yes, that...that must be it." It must have been the reason. She'd thought herself that now that he was without magic there were going to be things about him that were different. This very well could be one of them. But she couldn't get it out of her head the rest of the time that they talked.

The only time she'd even had the smallest glimmer of distraction was when she'd finally decided that she had to leave to go pick up Rumple and Rapunzel stopped her at the door. "Oh! Wait! Before you go you'll probably want this back!"

She turned to find Rapunzel pulling something familiar off the cabinet by the stove. It was so familiar she didn't know why she hadn't noticed it there before. "My rose!" she exclaimed as the cool glass touched her fingers. She felt herself smirk, suddenly happy it was in her arms again, and in response, without even the thought from her, the fog melted away as if it was just as happy to see her. The rose inside was still perfect, bloomed, and amazingly bright.

"Hey, there really is a rose in there," Rapunzel smiled. Yes, she supposed that without her the jar had just stayed foggy. She'd given it to her nights ago, just before she was determined to leave Storybrooke, because it was made of magic and she feared what would happen to it if she took it out into the World Without Magic. Probably it would have disappeared, just as her memories reappeared.

She thanked Rapunzel for keeping her precious flower safe and set it down on the passenger seat in the car before driving off to the park and sitting in the car at the exact same spot she'd said good-bye to him at yesterday. The rose bloomed bright at her the entire time, she should have taken it as a good sign, but once more the conversation she'd had with Rapunzel caught up with her.

Why would he have gone to the Underworld?

Rapunzel was right, that had to be it. He wasn't the Dark One anymore. Naturally, he was going to be different. She just didn't know how different. The truth was that since he'd been mortal she hadn't seen much of him and the time that they did have together they had been fighting, either with each other or Emma. And of course there was the time that she'd had with him privately just before he'd left, but she honestly didn't think that there would be any kind of difference she would sense during those times. Even in the past, when he'd been at his worst, she had always sensed more of the human, the man, inside of him at those times. It wasn't worth comparing those times, it wasn't around her that she'd ever had to worry about his behavior. He'd always been on his best behavior then, conniving and concealing, perhaps, but still on his best behavior.

Like he'd been before he left.

Suddenly she felt her chest tighten. Her thoughts froze as her heart raced and a new thought popped into her head.

What if nothing had changed? What if he was still lying? What if he still had magic?!

She put her head back against the seat and took several deep breaths. She had to loosen the scarf she was wearing around her throat and found that there were tears gathering in her eyes. She sniffled as she fought to contain her dark thoughts and calm herself down.

It wasn't true. It just wasn't. She knew that it wasn't. It wasn't possible! She knew how that curse worked, she'd probably read more about it than anyone and knew the ins and outs of it. Except of course for Rumple. And maybe Emma. Reading and being with someone who was cursed wasn't exactly the same as actually having the curse. It wasn't possible that they knew something she didn't. Did they?

No! No, of course, they didn't! It was ludicrous! The curse was gone. The truth had come from Henry's mouth, not Rumple. She trusted Henry and she trusted because of his shock when he saw her come back into the Pawn Shop that he hadn't been masquerading as Henry. Which he couldn't do because he didn't have magic! He was mortal again! He'd had nothing to do with the destruction of the curse.

Henry told her. Emma had the sword. Emma had stabbed Killian. She had gotten rid of the curse, and now Killian was dead, end of story. If Henry hadn't told her she never even would have guessed that Rumple was there!

It wasn't possible. It wasn't.

But from the way her heart was pounding she knew that these last couple of days were not enough to get rid of the scars from his former lies. She stood by what she'd talked about with Bae in the car the night she could have left. Coming back was the right thing to do. It was the brave thing to do. But that moment had passed and now a new challenge greeted her. Now, the brave thing was staying here, enduring these feelings of betrayal and fear, and working through them. In all honesty she wasn't sure that was a bravery that would ever end. The wounds he'd inflicted upon her were deep and she'd learned that scars never truly went away. Time might lessen it, years from now she might not hardly be affected by it at all. But the time between then and now had to be spent carefully. It would take the two of them. Which was hard to do when he was nowhere to be seen!

Once again calm she looked out over the park that he'd had her take him to yesterday. It was quiet. It was peaceful. There was no sign of anyone. It had been a day. It had been more than a day, according to the clock now it had been twenty-seven hours since she'd said good-bye to him. She was tired. She was ready to take Rumple home and get some rest.

But he was nowhere to be seen.

She knew what he'd said when he left. And she knew what she'd thought when he'd gone. It was easy to think that she'd been right. To just give in to her sadness and begin her wait. But she tried to push those thoughts away. There was a time that she didn't let what was easy effect her and tried to think of logical conclusions. What could be holding them back?

This place. It was the only thing that she could think of. Just because there was a portal here didn't mean it was the only portal or the way that they would return. She supposed it was always possible that they were back already or had returned by another portal? She looked down at her phone. If he was back and she was nowhere to be seen then she could only assume that he'd call her.

Did he have his phone on him when he'd left? Car keys? Keys to the house?!

She didn't know. What was more, she knew that she'd dug up the spare key to get into the house when Regina had taken her heart. Had she ever put it back?! Not that she could remember. He could be standing outside their home right now, home and unable to contact her! That thought was enough to push her out of the parking lot and drive back home, hoping for the best, fearing for the worst. It only took a few minutes and when she arrived she saw…nothing. The house was dark. There was no indication anyone was inside. No one was sitting outside. There was no sign of life. No proof that anyone but her had been in the house that day. She parked in the driveway and breathed out a frustrated sigh and as she hung her head in despair.

Not home. One day had passed and he wasn't home. He'd promised this trip would only be one day! But they'd never talked about how to pick him up or retrieve him? What was she supposed to do? How was she supposed to know for sure he wasn't here if she didn't even know if he had keys or a phone?!

She could go knock on Mary Margaret's door. If they didn't answer then no one was here. Or…

"Granny's!"

If they were back and successful, or even if they weren't, then the entire town would be talking about it and meeting at Granny's! It was passed closing time for her of course. But she'd be locking the diner up if they weren't there and surely wouldn't kick the party and good tips to the curb if they were! She quickly backed the car out of its parking spot and drove back to town. The pawn shop was dark, the lights in the library apartment were on, and so were the lights in Granny's Diner!

She felt a flare of excitement as she pulled up…and saw that the lights were on but no one was inside. Or almost no one. Granny was there, of course, sweeping. Chairs were on top of tables, the kitchen lights were bright, but the sign outside was off. There was no celebration, no commiserating, no proof that anyone had returned home tonight. But finally her frustration grew and she got out of the car and ran up the steps to the building.

"Granny!"

"Belle?" she exclaimed looking confused when she entered the diner.

"Have you seen them?" she questioned. "Heard from any of them? Emma? Mary Margaret? Rumple?"

"Nope!" she answered quickly turning back to her sweeping. "Haven't heard anything from any of them. And no one was talking about it at dinner tonight."

She felt her heart finally fall in defeat. "Nothing…" she breathed, more as an observation than a question. But nonetheless Granny shook her head.

"Nothing," she confirmed sweeping dust into a pan before picking them up and walking away. "Can't say I'm shocked, though. It never takes only a day."

This chapter is a bit of filler. Filler that I wrote because I was always interested in what would happen the first night when he didn't come back from the Underworld. Also, I really wanted to get the rose back into her hands and it was a good time after talking to Rapunzel. There was a reason I gave it to her at the end of MC&U. Not to mention I wanted to plant those seeds in her mind early on that something isn't quite right with Rumple. This was the best way to do it, have someone recognize that Rumpelstiltskin doing something for nothing is not a normal move.

Thank you, Grace5231973, Fox24, Teresa Martin, and BabyBagheera, for the reviews you left on the last chapter! I'm glad that everyone likes the idea of Rapunzel and Belle as friends. She does need a friend desperately and I like that I can use a character like her easily in this fiction. One episode means I can pretty much turn her into whatever I want to and I do hope you'll like where the relationship goes! Peace and Happy Reading!